Period Underwear

I had to go here. Because I had questions. And also because I can still review this topic. Being that I’m one of the few almost 53 year olds who still gets periods like clockwork. They are fierce, painful and heavy. If this is TMI for you, I would suggest you stop reading right here.

With age the flow has become heavier and painful like when I was a teenager. I am not proud of it and honesty am quite done with them. Tampons are no match to this. Only Always pads with flex foam will spare me from a few embarrassing moments. Those pads are amazing.

I frowned upon the period underwear ever since they first came out. The thought of just letting this be absorbed by underwear seemed off putting to me. I caved, since I needed a back up for tampons on a girls night out. Some outfits just don’t go well with pads.

My local target carries two different brands. One twice the price of the other. Me, being the cheap skate I am, went with Thinx for All Women briefs. They feature a super absorbing center panel, which claims to do the same trick as 5 regular tampons worth of flow. Meaning; a normal night for me.

They are not bad, once you have them on, as you may think. It may feel a bit diaperish but it’s definitely better than a big old pad shifting between your thighs. They fit nicely. The more expensive brand even has a thong version, but they were made for a lighter flow. I got the max flow kind. Which I obviously would never put to the test on the actual night out. I wore them around the house. They survived a gush rush. No clue where it went but it didn’t stain my light blue shorts.

That was another question mark in my book: will it leave a stain. Hence the light shorts; part of the test. It also doesn’t feel like you peed yourself, if you know what I mean. It’s remarkably dry. Thinx states that when the gusset on the side starts to feel wet, the panties are full. They recommend bringing a plastic bag along for the dirty ones and obviously bringing a fresh pair of undies. With my flow they are still dry after a few hours. I would probably change them after 4 or 5 hours max. Final verdict: they did the trick, even though I’m not sure how, something about moisture wicking materials.

But wait there’s more! My biggest hurdle for not buying these is the fact that they are machine washable. Yes I know, that’s what makes them more sustainable, better for the environment, yadayada..but (!) the brand claims it’s ok to throw the used briefs in with your regular laundry. Things that make me go mmm! I couldn’t get past that and washed them separately. Maybe I may even rinse them out next time before washing them with a regular load but even that is a bit off putting.

Therefore, final, final verdict. They are comfortable. They absorb what they claim they can absorb. It does not feel like as weird as I thought it would just letting it flow. So once I get about this washing thing, they may be an ideal solution. Now watch me not have periods like clockwork anymore next month!