How do Underwear Pads and Period Pants work?
Period underwear is a type of underwear designed to be worn during your period to replace disposable protection products such as tampons or pads, but some women choose to use period underwear just on lesser flow days and save it for heavy flow days. Period panties are constructed with extra layers and specific materials in the crotch area to absorb menstruation blood and are designed to appear and feel like ordinary underwear (i.e. not bulky). These are a reusable alternative that can be washed, worn again, and washed again.
It's known as "free-bleeding," and it's becoming more popular among women: Instead of using a menstrual cup, pad, or tampon to manage period fluid, they're opting for period underwear that's meant to be used as a one-and-done solution to monthly flow. Period panties are meant to provide additional leak prevention. Period underwear is intended to take the place of pads and tampons. They can be used in place of liners, pads, tampons, and cups, or they can be worn in combination with a tampon or cup for further protection.
How do Period Pants work?
Period underwear is made out of an absorbent material that can retain up to two tampons' worth of flow, a moisture barrier to keep you comfortable, and a layer that prevents leaks and stains. Before transitioning to full-time usage, many users start with lighter flow days or backup protection in their period underwear. Wearing period underwear overnight at the end of your period, when your flow is lighter, is a fantastic way to give it a try. Trying it out as a back up on a heavy day is also a good idea.
At the very least, period underwear is made up of three layers.
The inner layer, which is closest to the skin, is a knitted fabric that swiftly wicks moisture away from the body. It usually has a water-repellent coating, but it also has a number of channels in it that enable liquids to flow through it and away from the body.
Then, there's a middle layer that's very absorbent. Because it is a water-loving substance, it can cling onto the fluid.
The outer layer is then water-resistant, preventing the fluid from seeping onto your clothes.
Each of these layers, is breathable.
Your period pants might be made of a mix of bamboo, cotton, merino wool, or synthetic fibres, depending on the brand you choose. These natural fibres include hydroxyl and amyl 'groups,' which chemically interact with water molecules (i.e., your menstrual blood) to hold them close together.
Period undies operate in the same manner as ordinary underwear does, but with the extra benefit of absorption. Menstrual underwear should not feel different to the touch or on the body, but it should have an extra layer of material that can either act as a replacement of a pad or tampon or give extra leakage protection. Period underwear comes in a variety of types and functions, just like how each woman is different and unique. Some add a second layer of protection against leaking, while others replace existing feminine hygiene products (Ruth Arumala, OB-GYN).
Silvadur is a polymer that incorporates silver technology and provides silver ions when an organism lands or develops on a treated cloth. Other period pants utilise this antimicrobial technology. The ions discharge in a constant stream, ensuring that any microorganisms that may cause smell or material deterioration are kept to a minimum. The Silvadur layer attempts to keep you comfortable, eliminate any odours, and prevent any leaks or stains. Depending on your period and flow, the period panties may hold around 40mls of flow, which is equivalent to 8 regular tampons.
Women are switching to period underwear
Period panties are becoming increasingly popular as an environmentally friendly and cost-effective option, in addition to their comfort and leak-proofing properties. Underwear pads are a good option for women who want something less unpleasant than tampons, more comfortable than sanitary pads, and less messy than a menstrual cup. And they're always ready with period pants: no more frantic late-night tampon dashes to the corner store.
Pads and tampons statistics
Over the course of a woman's lifetime, 5–15,000 pads and tampons (with their wrappers and applicators) may wind up in landfills and the oceans.
Over the course of their lives, women spend an average of $18,000 on traditional period products.
Bonus: Period underwear for women can be washed and reused for 2-5 years.
How to use Period Pants
Women might be able to wear a pair of period underwear all day depending on the type of period underwear they have and where they are in their cycle. Most period underwear is available in heavy, medium, and mild flow options. It will be simpler to wear period underwear all day if they use a tampon or menstrual cup as extra protection on heavy days. On lighter days, women will probably just need one pair of underpants to get through the day.
How safe and effective are Period Pants?
Pants are now available in a variety of styles and sizes, ranging from G-strings and boylegs to waist-high briefs. The amount of absorbency, however, will differ between pairs. In general, more fabric means more leakage prevention. Even yet, reading the label is essential if you want to know if a certain pair will be better suited to a light- or heavy-flow day. You can't just change your period underwear halfway through the day like you can with a tampon or sanitary pad. As a result, it's critical to put on a pair that will keep you protected throughout the day. Some women use the underwear as a precaution — perfect for days when your period could arrive — or as a backup when combined with another sanitary product. Period underwear can be used instead of pads depending on your body and flow. Wearing pads with your absorbent undergarments is typically not suggested due to the technologies used to produce fabric that can store several tampons' worth of blood. Period panties are most commonly used with tampons or menstrual cups. Pads or panty liners are seldom used with period panties.
Benefits of period pants
Period underwear has several advantages, ranging from keeping your clothing clean to being more environmentally friendly and saving money. Period panties eliminate the worry of not knowing when you'll get your period and the need to carry panty liners, pads, and tampons throughout the day; they have a positive impact on the environment; and they're revolutionising menstruation around the world, especially for those who don't have access to or can't afford expensive disposable products. They're also beneficial for avoiding vulvar and/or vaginal discomfort, as well as when using internal products is prohibited by culture or religion.
Though period underwear may not completely remove the need for disposable items, toxic shock syndrome, a potentially deadly bacterial illness related to tampon use, claims that eliminating that requirement is a step in the right direction. Women recovering from delivery, abortion/miscarriage, or suffering from small amounts of urinary leakage, night-time or even day-time urinary incontinence, etc. can wear period pants. While everyone's flow is different, and period pants aren't for everyone, the simple answer is that they do work. Although you may be sceptical of undergarments that promise to work just as well as your regular underwear, this is exactly what they're made for. They're thicker than regular panties and work just as well as liners, tampons, pads, or a cup at preventing leaks. Period pants, like these, aren't always failsafe, so if you have a very heavy flow, you might want to double up with a cup or tampon.
Sources:
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/g26411652/period-panties/
https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/how-do-period-undies-work/11803686