Not only an excellent FIFI blog publisher, editor, and author, Sam is also a great support for us bloggers. More than once she has mentioned the topic of period underwear as “blogfodder” (which should be a real word if it is not already).
Each time, I have thought oh no no, I am too shy to write about my experience with period underwear. Too shy in mid-life…when in my 20s at coffee houses I was enthusiastically delivering poems like “Down There” by Chicana poet Sandra Cisneros.
But lately I decided to ensure this topic never landed on my life regrets list, so here we are.
I first bought period underwear on a whim through Amazon about 5 years ago. Looking at user reviews first, I had noticed that the most common complaints about certain types were lack of fit, propensity for leaks, and a noticeable “diaper sound.” Period underwear varies in style (briefs, bikini, etc.) and flow support (light, heavy, etc.). I went middle of the road: a mid-priced 3-pack of high cuts for mid-level flow…in colours I didn’t hate.
And since that time I have come to love them. Just. Love. Them.
The fit has been fine. No leaks or smells. I can wear them day and night, at home or travelling. I can wear them for any of my fitness activities (except watersports, of course). I can wear a pair for 12 hours with no fear of toxic shock syndrome. I don’t have to run around stashing extra disposable products in purses or pockets, discovering them months later in unraveled pieces.
For two decades I had felt guilty about the amount of disposable product waste I was generating. I always feared the potential oopses with menstrual cups, so never tried. I took “depo provera” shots for a few years to stifle flow, but it never fully worked.
Now I’ve traded garbage waste for extra water usage (hand wash is apparently the best way to clean period underwear), but I feel fine about it. (Occasionally when I am feeling lazy I will throw in the machine.) I often wash them while I am taking a shower, as everything is already getting wet and soaped up anyway.
I started with three pairs, as per the backpacker’s rule: wear a pair, dry a pair, and have a back up. Then, out of curiosity about other brands, about a year ago I bought another 3-pack. I haven’t calculated the cost difference of not buying disposables, but I’m certain I’ve saved money.
They’ve work great for me, having simplified my menstruation life. I wish someone had handed me a pair in my late teens. Like Nicole, who describes her own menopause journey, I will not be sad to see my period end: it will be a time to celebrate my health and other things. But I am happy that the last part of my journey will not have included disposable products.
If you’ve read this far, perhaps you’re still curious: but what about the diaper sound? When new, the absorbent lining sounds to me like the noise track pants make when the legs swish together. Or maybe a crinkly cat toy? I don’t hear it at all once they are on, and anyway my comfort is not worth avoiding the occasional quiet swish. Instead, I like to think of my underwear as occasionally whispering to me, “We got you.”
