#period underwear

[thebibliosphere]

Hey, in case you've been wanting to get into period underwear, Period Aisle is currently running a warehouse sale on all their stuff, with some of it up to 60% off.

This isn't sponsored or promo or anything. It's just a brand I like and they're trying to raise enough money through this sale to not go under. I like their stuff because you can throw it in the tumble dryer without wrecking the finish, unlike some other brands.

Anyway, just throwing that out there in case it helps someone get some decent stuff at a discount.

[reasonsforhope]

"Spain’s Catalonia region rolled out a pioneering women’s health initiative [at the beginning of March, 2024] that offers reusable menstruation products for free.

About 2.5 million women, girls, transgender and nonbinary people who menstruate can receive one menstrual cup, one pair of underwear for periods and two packages of cloth pads at local pharmacies in northeast Spain free of charge.

The Catalan government said that the initiative, which is called “My period, my rules,” was meant to “guarantee the right to menstrual equity.” The regional government cited statistics that said 23% of women polled by Catalonia’s public opinion office said they had reused hygiene products designed for a single use for economic reasons.

Tània Verge, Catalonia’s regional minister for equality and feminism, called the program a “global first.”

Scotland’s government passed a law in 2020 to ensure period products are available for free to anyone who needs them. But in comparison with the Catalan program, in Scotland the products are for single use and are distributed through schools, colleges and universities, not pharmacies.

“We are fighting menstrual poverty, which affects one in four women in Catalonia, but is also about gender justice. We are fighting the stereotypes and taboos about menstruation,” Verge told The Associated Press. “And (...) it is about climate justice. We need to reduce the tons of waste generated by single-use menstrual products.”

The distribution of reusable products is also aimed at reducing waste. The regional government said that Catalonia produces about 9,000 tons of waste from single-use menstrual hygiene products.

The reusable products are acquired by the public health care system, which covers the entire population, and distributed by Catalonia’s 3,000-plus private pharmacies. The program cost the regional government 8.5 million euros ($9.2 million).

“I am completely in favor of this initiative,” 29-year-old graphic designer Laura Vilarasa said. “It will give women a product that is absolutely necessary to have for zero cost.”

Spain’s national government passed a law last year granting women with debilitating menstrual pain the right to paid medical leave."

-via AP News, March 5, 2024

[chickenisamazing]

I've tried a lot of period underwear brands over the last year and now own way more period underwear than anyone needs (but that just means I won't have to go through the hassle of buying more when the first ones get worn out, right?), so I figured I should write out my thoughts, perhaps so I can reference this later. Also my period ended a few days ago and I have to put away my laundry which includes my period underwear. Inspiration.

Saalt — This was the first brand I tried, and I still love them. They're comfortable and the gusset is really thin. However, they have underwear made from both natural and synthetic fabrics, and the synthetic ones are not comfortable. In general, I've learned that any underwear made of synthetic fabrics is not going to be comfortable. It's fine for the gusset to be made of synthetics, but the body should not. I do love my cotton pairs though. The only other annoying thing is that they sell each of their styles in a variety of absorbencies, but they don't have the absorbency written anywhere on the garment, so it's impossible to tell if you have two absorbencies in the same style. I treat them all as moderate for this reason and wear these in the middle of my period.

Hello Period — I like that they have high waisted styles, which can feel nice when I'm super bloated, as happens when I'm menstruating. They also say you can tumble dry them, so I do, especially because the pad part is kind of thick, which I don't personally mind but does lead me to not want to hang dry them. However, the entire thing is made of synthetic materials, and that gets kind of uncomfortable. I still wear them, and they're not bad, but they're not my favorite. I wear these in the middle of my period. I do not like their reusable pads, though.

Modibodi — Can't give a particularly thorough review as I only have one pair from them (boyshorts) and decided I didn't want to buy more from them while they had a collab with Puma, which was on the BDS list. They use natural fibers too for most of their styles. Overall, I really like the one pair I've used. Super comfy. I did think the pad would have more coverage, but it didn't go as far up as I had hoped, but neither did any of the previously mentioned brands.

Aisle — Probably my favorite brand. The pad coverage is good, they use cotton and tencel for the body, and I have the boxer and brief cuts from them which are super comfortable. I like using reusable pads, so I do find their whole Boost thing to be unnecessary for me personally and prefer the pads I already use if I want an extra layer, but it's not bad and they also do sell a version without it. These are my comfiest pairs, so I wear them at the beginning of my period when I'm feeling my worst.

Kayaness — The body is recycled polyester, which is the main thing I don't like, but I also wish the pad came up higher in the front. I have these in the boyshort style, and I do think these are comfier than my other polyester pairs. Because of the cut and comfort, I wear these at the beginning as well, despite the body fabric not being my preference. Still very comfortable.

These are all the brands I've tried. As mentioned, I also use reusable pads sometimes, though less so now that I've accumulated more period underwear. I like having pads for travel; it's far more convenient to change a pad in public than it is to change underwear. I've mentioned I don't like the Hello Pads; they use a thin strap for the attachment and it moves way too much. The other pads I have are the Hannah Pads, which I have in several sizes. They're really comfortable and are the typical style with the snap button closure. They do not move around for me. I imagine most fabric pads are like these, but these are just the ones I have, and I love them.

[cyandocs]

Period panties are nice, esp if you're like me and have basically been like a diehard pad user, but too many of them only have the absorbency material on the sanitary area when they should just have it fully up the front and back. If I'm weirdly adjusted or hell, just sitting, I can get some... Some fallout.

[apricotbuncakes]

Y'know, period underwear gets a bad rep for being 'gross' but it's really not, unless you aren't washing it properly.

It lasts for several hours before needing to be changed, which depending on how heavy your flow is may be your entire work/school day, you don't have to see the blood because the collection fabric is black, it reduces waste (ecofriendly) and is overall a lot comfier.

They're usefulness doesn't end with menstruation though. Some people who get really wet down there may also find it useful off their periods because it can absorb that wetness and keeps you dryer as a result, making them more sensory friendly as well.

And it gets EVEN BETTER, because all of those benefits I listed can be beneficial mentally for trans people who may get dysphoria about their periods or how wet their anatomy is as it is a reminder of what genitalia they have. And it's super comfortable even under boxers. Like, aside from summer time where it can get really hot, wearing boxers over regular or period panties may help reduce dysphoria for ya.

Period underwear is an overall win in most cases, and I'm tired of people saying they're actually really gross.

I'm saying all of this as an autistic trans masc person who had a moderate-to-heavy flow, who gets overstimulated and uncomfortable with how wet I am, and who got dysphoria because of my periods. And although testosterone has stopped me from menstruating, I still use period underwear for the other benefits.

TLDR; Period underwear is sanitary, comfortable, ecofriendly, and trans friendly.

[hussyknee]

Instead, when I do promote the use of menstrual cups, I do it as a way to better understand your body and as an additional choice regarding your reproductive health. We all know those choices are hard to come by. That said, there are multiple privileges involved in expanding the number of choices one has, given that in many parts of the world, access to basic sanitary products still remains unattained due to cost, lack of information, social stigma, etc. For example, if you live in a community in which there is a high level of social stigma around menstruation and related cultural and religious beliefs, then even if you’ve been given a menstrual cup for free, disposing the blood and cleaning the cup at regular intervals will be a huge challenge and quite difficult to manage in a discreet way.

Original thread from 2018:

Linked articles

Abuelita Knowledge - bitchmedia.org

Banning straws won't save the oceans - psmag.com

Managing Your Periods - Sexuality and Disability

Thread today:

Related:

[just-lukis-luck]

It is such a shame I cant go back in time and teach my younger self what period products work for her. I spent so many years struggling with tampons and super uncomfortable disposable pads.

Discovering a period cup that works for me and washable period underwear was the best thing I ever did. I would’ve saved young me from so much discomfort and bled-through clothes.

Anyone with periods here who has only used disposable pads and/or tampons and doesn’t like them, I beg you it’s worth it to explore other options. Talk to your friends, do research online. Heck I’ve done a bunch of stuff, feel free to reach out to me.

(And remember please to not shame anyone for their choice of period products. Everyone should be able to use what works the best for them. Our bodies are all different, so it makes sense that we would all use different products and methods)

[rjalker]

Do Not fucking waste your money on Hanes brand period underwear. We got the one for "moderate" 2/3 bleeding and I just fucking bled through it like it wasn't any different from regular underwear. The only reason my shorts aren't messed up is because I'm wearing loose ones.

[jellyfishfem]

Pad& tampon alternatives?

are period panties good? i hate it when bloody pads stick to my skin and the wings always ruin my underwear and pads also slip around and thats so irritating so i normally use tampons but those increase my cramps like 10x and i hate this feeling of intrusion. same goes for diva cup. Any recommendations?

[v-tired-queer]

I'm thinking of getting a sample pack! I see a lot of people on here saying that they like them but I wanted to see the average overall opinion from other people.

If y'all could recommend some brands or even other reusable products that you've liked, that'd be really, really appreciated!

[mathedora]

nem tudom ausztrálul miért pair az egy darab, mindenesetre, ha valaki épp menstruációs bugyit tesztelne itt egy lehetőség: postaköltségért (5€?) küldenek egy kényelmes darabot, ha itt* feliratkozol a hírlevelükre. (normális cég, le lehet iratkozni.)

*ez az én linkem, de ha ez zavar, akkor google kiadja a nem hozzám rendelt linket is. (és akkor nem veszek részt a sorsoláson, ahol úgyse nyerek semmit.)

[battleangel]

🩸PERIOD UNDERWEAR > TAMPONS + PADS🩸

[witchy-batsquatch]

Okay my friends don’t take this as a tmi I need help so do period underwear work for discharge also do they actually work for periods

[thescrumblingmidwife]

Are charcoal pads actually safe? They seem like the kind of thing to be revealed to be detrimental in like 40 years. My favorite brand just started using charcoal and I don’t know how to feel about it.

Hi Anon,

Not gonna lie, I had to do some digging for this one. I know putting charcoal in everything is very *in* right now, and it's usually unregulated and sometimes potentially problematic (for instance, don't ingest charcoal if you take any medications! It interferes with the absorption of medications). But I had never heard of charcoal pads, so thanks for bringing it to my attention.

MENSTRUAL PRODUCT SAFETY

Menstrual products are regulated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) as medical devices. The FDA does not require manufacturers to label ingredients, nor do they ban the use of known harmful products, and there is no safety standard that needs to be met. The labels "organic" and "all natural" are advertising and not statement of fact. Testing that has been done to check for harmful products has been done by watchdog agencies and independent researchers.

Here's a good rundown:

What is known is that a lot of menstrual products do contain harsh chemicals that are better avoided. Most fall below the threshold of increasing cancer and non-cancer health risks, but a few chemicals to be on the lookout for are benzene, n-heptane and 1,4-dioxane. (Lin et al., 2020), as these can increase cancer risk. Chlorine and other chemicals can cause irritation of the vuvla. Also problematic is the use of phthalates, which are endocrine disrupters (can mess with your hormones) (Gao et al., 2020). Another problem is polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or "forever chemicals," which show up in a lot of products, and never leave your body. The New York Times recently did a testing of 44 products to check for problematic chemicals, and they found that PFAS are present in most products in at least very small amounts, although the lowest levels were found in period underwear and medical-grade silicone inserts.

So, our starting point is that commercially available disposable pads and tampons are already something to be concerned about, because no one in any position of power is doing much to make sure they're safe. They touch mucous membranes, which means there is potential for significant absorption. We can talk in a minute about how to choose the safest products from what's out there.

But let's get back to charcoal!

The purported purpose of the charcoal is to cut down on "period odor," which is not something people around you can detect. This is a case of advertising convincing you there's a problem so they can sell you a solution. The company that manufactures these pads, Kimberly-Clark, does supply ingredient lists and their stated purpose on their website. (It's not clear if this is the entire ingredient list, but it's something.) Interestingly, the function of charcoal is listed only as "A colorant used to color a material." Nothing about odor absorption. The charcoal doesn't come into contact with the vulvar skin or vaginal mucosa, so I don't think the charcoal itself poses much of a risk. I suspect this is more a case of fad-based misleading advertising. Will they harm you? Probably not. Will they do something magical and new? Probably not.

The one upside may be that the use of charcoal in menstrual products reflects manufacturer's response to the market demanding products with more "natural" ingredients and fewer harsh chemicals. But this is something that should be tested.

Yikes, that was a lot.

SO WHAT'S SAFE?

It's important to note that none of the chemical levels in any of these products are so bad that you're going to get cancer from wearing a single pad. The most common risk is vulvar irritation from harsh chemicals. The scariest (but rarer) risk is cumulative exposure over a long period of time for a marginally increased risk of some health issues.

But here are some tips for picking the safest products for your body:

Use a medical-grade silicone insert/menstrual cup (like a Diva cup).

Use reusable period underwear or pads from a reputable brand, like Thinx, and wash them before you use them.

If using disposable pads or tampons, absolutely avoid any with fragrances.

Use the lowest possible absorbency you need - the higher the absorbency, the more the material has been treated.

Try using disposable incontinence pads instead of menstrual pads, as these had lower rates of PFAS and chemicals.

Although there's no way to guarantee it's truthful, try to stick to brands and products that are generally chlorine-free. cotton-based, etc.

If you experience any irritation, redness, or sensitivity, try a new product!

And for those charcoal pads - they don't strike me as being any worse for you than the rest of the Kotex's fragrance-free lineup. It's not as problematic as swallowing charcoal or rubbing the dentin off your teeth with it. You may be right that in 15 years we'll have realized this was like that time we were putting radium in everything, but I doubt it?

Sources:

Lin, N., Ding, N., Meza-Wilson, E., Manuradha Devasurendra, A., Godwin, C., Kyun Park, S., & Batterman, S. (2020). Volatile organic compounds in feminine hygiene products sold in the US market: A survey of products and health risks. Environment International, 144, 105740. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2020.105740

Gao, C. J., Wang, F., Shen, H. M., Kannan, K., & Guo, Y. (2020). Feminine hygiene products-A neglected source of phthalate exposure in women. Environmental Science & Technology, 54(2), 930–937. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b03927

[luulapants]

"Free of PFOA and PFOS!"

Just so everyone is aware, if you see this advertised on any product (cookware, period underwear, outdoor gear, etc), usually it means that the manufacturer is using a different PFAS chemical that is just as dangerous but hasn't had a call-out post yet. There are thousands (millions according to some sources) of possible PFAS chemicals and they are all thought to be dangerous to humans and the planet. So when PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) gets put on the shit list, a company can just shift to PFNA (perfluorononanoic acid) or PFHpA (perfluoroheptanoic acid) and declare themselves PFOA-free.

These chemicals are characterized by these long carbon-fluorine chains. They're called "forever chemicals" because the carbon-fluorine bond is incredibly strong and doesn't easily break down, meaning they're a contaminant that builds up in the environment. That chain is also hydrophobic, meaning it repels water, which makes PFAS incredible nonstick, waterproofing, or fire suppressant chemicals. And companies will not stop making them until the entire category is outlaws or people stop buying them, and people won't stop buying them if they don't realize they're buying them, which means companies have a great incentive to be shady as hell about them.

So you can look for products that say they contain no PFAS compounds because that covers the entire category. Except companies aren't actually required to disclose any of this shit and a disreputable company shipping products in from overseas could just lie about that, and the chances of them being caught are low and the chances of them facing consequences other than closing up one Amazon account and moving to another are even lower. So just assume that products that have contained those compounds in the past, if they still function the way they used to, contain another PFAS. "Proprietary nonstick compound"? PFAS. "Newly formulated PFOS-free period underwear"? PFAS.

I was prompted to write this because I saw a whole write-up on the TomboyX website about this. If you want to see my breakdown on their statement, look below the cut.

The following are excerpts from this portion of the TomboyX website describing their period underwear:

Two significant corrections here. The estimates for the number of chemicals in the category of PFAS is somewhere between 4,730 (according to the OECD) and 6 million (per the NCBI). Not all of those have been linked to health issues because not all of those have been studied. Every single one that has been studied has been found to be dangerous to human health. The level of concentration for health impacts may vary, but they're all pretty darn low. We have no reason to believe that any chemical in this family is not dangerous to human health.

There's a lot going on here. First off, I want to say that this is all pretty typical for a self-regulating industry like textiles. Oeko-Tex is a for-profit third-party certification company which controls and owns its own standards, and the actual list of 100 chemicals known to be toxic to humans is not publicly listed on their website. We don't know how many PFAS compounds are "included" in that list, but if I had to guess, it's no more than 5, which explains why TomboyX claimed there were only hundreds of PFAS. "100 chemicals including PFAS compounds" out of hundreds of possible PFAS sounds a lot better than "a few compounds out of 6 million."

That they had an independent laboratory test their materials for PFAS does seem like an extra step, but it actually makes me more concerned. First of all, that laboratory would only have a very small set of PFAS compounds they test for, most likely, and was probably testing for the same ones covered by the Oeko-Tex certification. Second, why would they need to determine that through a test and not by, y'know, checking their own purchase records? It's because they're not creating their own fabrics and their fabric suppliers haven't shared their formulations with TomboyX. That means they don't actually know what's in those fabrics nor do they have an excess of control over their content. Visiting their factories doesn't mean that much if the formulations are confidential from them. Again, that's not unusual, but they're giving the impression that they have a lot more control over their fabric composition than they probably actually do.

They're correct that they've gone beyond the norm in investigating this sort of thing, but the fact is that the bar is so, so low.

So let's take a practical look at the likelihood that there are PFAS in these panties. The moisture-wicking twill and absorbent terry cloth are not risky - those are things those materials do naturally. However, cotton is not naturally water-resistant at all. It absorbs moisture like crazy. That means the cotton has been treated with something, and that something is probably a PFAS compound.

This is the second time they've used this phrase "PFAS commonly used in clothing production," and I think it's important to note that we are currently in a big transition where companies are shifting to a bunch of different, less-common compounds because of the sudden focus and pressure on PFAS. Manufacturers know which compounds people are going to test for, and it's not that difficult to shift to a different one.

Am I going to buy these panties? Absolutely not. Do I think TomboyX is somehow malicious in their manufacturing? It's hard to say. They're right, they're not "knowingly" producing a harmful product, but there's an element of plausible deniability there, right? They can know that PFAS are really the only compounds used to waterproof cotton but also say "hey, we tested this stuff for everything the labs test it for, and it's clean!" On the other hand, they're right that this is probably the safest and highest quality material available for this specific purpose. Some company out there is probably doing some great out-of-the-box thinking and figuring out how to add a layer of latex to period panties or something like that, but for the time being, these fabric reusable pads and panties are inevitably going to use PFAS.

[tothemaxi]

this is ur reminder that it's ok if u don't consistently use 1 period product.

rather that be period-to-period or day-to-day.

yesterday, i wasn't feeling anything internal, so i wore pads.

today i'm wearing my menstrual disc.

last period i almost exclusively wore my period underwear.

the 2 before that? tampons were my bitch.