*Disclaimer, the following content describes a normal bodily function that 50% of the humans on this earth experience. Read at your own risk.
Chances are if you’re a women, you’re getting your period on the reg. Women are #blessed with the monthly opportunity to forgo carrying a child and go on this week-long journey every single month. How do we manage this flow? Well, tampons and pads are the mainstream option for period control, but these days you actually have a few other unconventional options. Ever heard of the Diva Cup? Say hello to unconventional period capturing device #1, it’s a tiny plastic cup that collects, gets emptied, washed and reused. We tried that out too, and wrote about it here. Maybe you read about the glue stick a Kansas chiropractor “invented” that apparently seals the labia shut, therefore holding in your period until you can make it to the bathroom. Hopefully if you just read that sentence you realize that this chiropractor is indeed a clueless man who has no idea how the female body works. The Diva Cup is legit, this glue may exist but it’s not going to fulfill its promise. While I haven’t used personally used the Diva Cup, and I refuse to give the “Vagina Glue” the time of day, I was willing to try out another uncommon contraption.
Menstruation devices can either be worn internally (tampons, Diva Cup) or externally (pads, period underwear). Today, we’re talking period underwear. Every reaction I received when I told people I purchased Thinx (the period panty for modern women) was honestly filled with horror, “you’re going to wear a pad with that right?”, “isn’t that going to messy”, but some with curiosity… because I think a lot of women are tired of being restricted to traditional options to control their periods. I bought this item because I saw a Facebook sponsored post for the company, and I thought why not? Thinx has six underwear options, the hiphugger, hi-waist, boyshort, sport, cheeky, and thong – yes thong. Each pair holds a different amount of blood, but all are made of the same material making them anti-microbial, moisture-wicking, absorbent, and leak-resistant. I opted for the cheeky panty, and it holds up to on tampon worth of blood – I intended to use it for the end of my period when it was inconvenient to wear a tampon or pad. The cheeky is $30, a lot for one pair of underwear, but they are reusable and have a much greater job than any normal pair you own. I ended up paying $20 because of the Facebook ad I clicked on.
Months went by before I removed my pair from its packaging, not because I was hesitant to use it, but just because I forgot. The pair looks just like a bathing suit bottom, and has similar material. It’s light, but feels very secure, there’s no bulk as if there is a pad built in, and they’re very comfortable, more comfortable than any other pair of underwear I own.
How does it hold up?
I was at the last day of my period and didn’t want to wear a tampon, so I put the underwear on and they stayed on all day. There was no discomfort, and I didn’t feel any different than I usually did. When I went to the bathroom during the day, it wasn’t as clean as it would be if I was wearing a tampon, but there was no mess. At the end of the day I rinsed the pair and threw it in the wash, then let it air dry. So yeah, I recommend. I would recommend using this product for when your period is light, because the product works really well during that portion of your cycle.
Let me answer some questions you may have.
Does this make you smell? No, in my experience there was no odor. Someone who uses this underwear on a heavier day might experience something different.
What if you have to change it mid-day? This seems like an unavoidable product flaw. If you reach the underwear’s capacity then you have to take if off and wash it. So basically you need to have a stockpile of these panties or you have to switch to another form of period management.
Underwear lines? I wouldn’t wear them with leggings, but they’re not noticeable with anything else. They come in either black or beige.