We Tried - Period Underwear

We’re all about self-care at Woman’s Way. In this issue Niamh O’Reilly checks out the period underwear to see if they live up to the hype.

For me, period pants used to mean those big, gnarly, often dark colour knickers I’d pull on for the days during my monthly cycle, safe in the knowledge that if they got stained with blood, which they often did, I wasn’t ruining my ‘good knickers’ (yes, we all have them admit it!)

In truth, every month I, like most women, have leakage no matter what method of protection I use, be it tampons, pads, mooncups or a combination.

Fast forward to today and period underwear is being hailed as the best solution to managing periods without the hassle.

I was very sceptical but decided to take the plunge report back.  

What Are They?

Simply put, period underwear are knickers with in-built absorbent layers in the gusset to keep moisture and odour away from the body. There’s a range of options widely available from the higher end to high street, in every style you can imagine

Ultimately what you’re looking for is a comfortable pair of pants that will confidently absorb your menstrual flow without leaks, but not look as if you’re wearing something resembling a nappy.

Why Use Them?

Many women want to try and cut down on using items like plastic tampons and pads which are unsustainable for the environment and can often be uncomfortable and expensive. The beauty of period underwear is that they are washable and reusable.

Verdict?

I bought a couple of three packs in Marks & Spencer for €29 per pack. Cleverly it had two pairs for heavier days and one pair for lighter days. I would need to invest in a further three pack, however, to see me through the length of my period.

I’m going to be upfront, because we’re past the days of showing blue liquid and women jumping out of airplanes to talk about periods. I’ve got a heavy flow for about two days of my period and despite wearing tampons and pads for those days, I regularly end up with stained bed sheets, underwear and even leaks on my clothes if I’m rushing around. So, for the trial I used a tampon and period pants on my heavy days and then went with just the pants on the remaining lighter days.

And ladies, they were a game-changer, especially at night-time on the heavy days.

They were comfortable and felt like any pair of everyday knickers I’d throw on. I was aware of the thicker layer in the gusset, but not to the same uncomfortable degree I would with a pad.

On the heavier days I changed them once in the morning and once in the evening as I was also using tampons throughout the day. On the lighter days I went with just the pants and found them to be surprisingly absorbent.

How you manage your period is hugely personal, but for me I won’t be going back to pads and will be using these period pants in combination with tampons or a mooncup in future

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