"Period proof" underwear

LenaClaire

This article was in the Irish Times about "Period Proof" underwear. I like the idea in general but wonder about laundering them. I think you would need a separate laundry load for them (to not wash the blood out of them and into something else), and I would want to wash them right away so might be a bit of a hassle having to individually launder them.

The idea is to still wear a pad or tampon, but these would catch any leaks before they hit your outer garments.

What do you think?

Censorsh!t

As someone who had their period sneak up on them yesterday, I think these are a cool idea.

On the FAQ's it says to rinse first and then throw in with the usual wash.

If they become more widely available I would consider getting a pair or two.

Addle

Am I reading it right? They still have to be worn with pads? So what's the benefit?

Lia_lia

Wouldn't be for me. I hate pads. These just seem like pads..but worse.

For environmentally friendly feminine hygiene products I much prefer the idea of the Mooncup!

If someone had terribly irregular periods and didn't want to wear a pad all the time, I suppose those knickers and a panty liner might be enough to stop them getting caught out.

Most people aren't caught out once they get established though, so they mightn't have a big market.

LenaClaire

Addle wrote: »

Am I reading it right? They still have to be worn with pads? So what's the benefit?

It says it can absorb 2 tampons worth of flow. So lets say you have in a regular tampon in, but your flow kicks up a notch and you leak a bit. The underwear would absorb it.

Mooncup is way less hassle no leaks

spurious

I can guarantee I have periods those skimpy drawers couldn't deal with. Hell, a tampon and two big old granny pads at the same time can't cope with it.

Sounds like they'd be a good idea for people who have light to normal periods though.

eviltwin

Unless your periods are heavy and come as a complete surprise I don't see why anyone would want period proof knickers, you'd be better off making sure your protection is period proof. I second the Mooncup, I'd be fairly light but have been caught out at times with tampons that didn't do the job. Never had a leak with the Mooncup and its great not to have to worry about having supplies in.

LenaClaire

I think this would only really be appealing to people with irregular periods. Maybe they should target girls just starting to menstruate and older women whose cycles are becoming erratic due to menopause.

chuckles30

Following on from reading about the Mooncup here a number of years ago I got one and have never looked back! The best invention ever!! I won't be buying this new underwear.

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

I can see how they'd be a good idea for like long bus journeys or overnight, things like that. Situations where you might spring a leak and not be aware or in a position to do anything about it. I sometimes get pretty stop starty towards the end of a period, where a thin panty liner seems like it's going to be grand and then all of a sudden I badly need a tampon, might be useful for that too.

inocybe

LenaClaire wrote: »

I think this would only really be appealing to people with irregular periods. Maybe they should target girls just starting to menstruate and older women whose cycles are becoming erratic due to menopause.

Or women taking Cerazette

DM addict

I can see how these would have been useful when I was a teenager - my periods were much less predictable, I was less prepared and generally more paranoid.

As an adult with reasonably predictable periods, the Mooncup does fine for me. My flow can change and it copes fine. I see the appeal for those who have trouble with irregular flow though.

I don't think anyone gets through their teens without an unpleasant surprise to some degree. They could be very useful to the starters who can't predict anything reliably and don't have it together enough to be prepared. No one is really, at first.

Mooncups are the best invention ever, nothing else compares at all.

Neyite

Interesting concept, and I can see that for irregular cycles, or for times where you know you cant get to a bathroom easily or quick enough (hiking/camping, long bus journey or something??) they might be useful.

Considering you can get a box of 45 panty liners in Lidl for just a quid, I generally wear one on the days I'm due, and carry around the mooncup for when shark week strikes. I've heard of women who put their mooncup in place the day or so before their period, if travelling or whatever which is a great idea.

It's only recently that I've read about how women in less-developed countries miss out a lot on education due to menstruation because either the school has a lack of facilities for them to sort themselves out, or they dont have access to sanitary protection so hide themselves away at home 5 days a month. I'd never given it much thought tbh.

Stheno

I have never head the shark week expression it's very funny!

YurOK2

Am I the only one who is too sensitive for a mooncup? I am quite prone to thrush and it is usually brought on by stress but sometimes caused by changes to washing powder and that sort of thing.
I tried the mooncup and I found inserting and removing the mooncup stressed my vagina and caused me to have thrush, this happened 2 months in a row so I stopped using it.

Lux23

I don't know if my periods are heavier, I mean they don't feel like it, but over the last couple of months I have leaked blood through my clothes and on to the chair I am sitting on. I am 33, have had my period since I was 11 so I wouldn't mind a couple of these pants! (I was changing pads every couple of hours, but still I was leaking!)

Lux23

Lux23 wrote: »

I don't know if my periods are heavier, I mean they don't feel like it, but over the last couple of months I have leaked blood through my clothes and on to the chair I am sitting on. I am 33, have had my period since I was 11 so I wouldn't mind a couple of these pants! (I was changing pads every couple of hours, but still I was leaking!)

Get yourself a mooncup and all those worries are a thing of the past once you get the hang of it. Seriously the best investment I've made to make everyday life easier.

Lasts years, makes totm much more comfortable. No pads or tampons in warm weather, no leaks, no getting up at night or waking up in what looks like a murder scene. Cannot recommend one enough to you.

Lux23

Candie wrote: »

Get yourself a mooncup and all those worries are a thing of the past once you get the hang of it. Seriously the best investment I've made to make everyday life easier.

Lasts years, makes totm much more comfortable. No pads or tampons in warm weather, no leaks, no getting up at night or waking up in what looks like a murder scene. Cannot recommend one enough to you.

No, I have heard they can be terribly painful for some. I can't use tampons so I am assuming a mooncup would be equally uncomfortable. Everyone's vagina is different!

Lux23

Lux23 wrote: »

No, I have heard they can be terribly painful for some. I can't use tampons so I am assuming a mooncup would be equally uncomfortable. Everyone's vagina is different!

It's worth trying if you're leaking Lux, just get some KY to ease the situation and you should be grand.

Some people just don't like the idea though, and that's fair enough. I'm not surprised some are sensitive to tampons, some contain mostly rayon fibres, not cotton.

MrWalsh

YurOK2 wrote: »

Am I the only one who is too sensitive for a mooncup? I am quite prone to thrush and it is usually brought on by stress but sometimes caused by changes to washing powder and that sort of thing.
I tried the mooncup and I found inserting and removing the mooncup stressed my vagina and caused me to have thrush, this happened 2 months in a row so I stopped using it.

This surprises me considering the FAQ on this website:
http://www.mooncup.co.uk/advice-centre/faqs/all-questions/thrush.html

Will the Mooncup cause me to get thrush? I get thrush from using tampons, look forward to your answer.
Hello. In answer to your question, no - the Mooncup will not give you thrush. Approximately 1/3 of what tampons absorb are the protective secretions that prevent thrush and other infections from happening. These secretions also maintain the correct Ph balance of the vagina. When you use a Mooncup it will not interfere with these protective vaginal secretions, and it will not absorb them either, so your vagina will remain healthy whilst you are having your period. It is important to rinse your Mooncup with plenty of water if you use soap to clean it, as traces of soap left on the Mooncup can upset the Ph balance of your vagina.

Not disputing you btw, just seems like itd be something that would effect enough people that theyd mention it on the website.

You should write to mooncup and ask them what they suggest?

YurOK2

MrWalsh wrote: »

This surprises me considering the FAQ on this website:
http://www.mooncup.co.uk/advice-centre/faqs/all-questions/thrush.html



Not disputing you btw, just seems like itd be something that would effect enough people that theyd mention it on the website.

You should write to mooncup and ask them what they suggest?

Ah yeah, I've read that before. I just think the insertion and removal is a bit stressful for my sensitive vagina.

YurOK2

YurOK2 wrote: »

Ah yeah, I've read that before. I just think the insertion and removal is a bit stressful for my sensitive vagina.

I'm not being facetious (honest), but can I ask what you mean by the insertion and removal being stressful?

MrWalsh

YurOK2 wrote: »

Ah yeah, I've read that before. I just think the insertion and removal is a bit stressful for my sensitive vagina.

I wonder could you be allergic to the material, as opposed to it being thrush? (obviously if you have been confirmed by a GP that it was thrush ignore me, but if it was the itching that got you thinking it was, read on!).

Ive a latex allergy, and a while back I bought a silicone toe support for an injury and lo and behold I became itchy/rashy where my skin met the silicone.

So is it possible that that was the type of thing happening internally rather than thrush?

Clearly I wouldnt be able to use a mooncup given the above.

Dolbert

I know what the poster means. I'm a long-term user but tried to use it about 6 weeks after giving birth and found I was just too sensitive/ irritated. I'd imagine if you were generally sensitive in that area the mooncup could be difficult because of where it sits.

Addle

My periods also getting a lot heavier in my 30s.
I think it's a physical manifestation of my biological clock!
I double up on products, but can't use non-applicator tampons so dont think the moon cup is for me!

Soiled knickers are definitely noticeable so I can't imagine period pants being comfortable when in action.

Miaireland

Is inserting and removing the mooncup very hard. I have been using tampons for years but have always be curious about the mooncup?

Nah just pinch and grab
You need to get used to it but that happens quickly

YurOK2

Candie wrote: »

I'm not being facetious (honest), but can I ask what you mean by the insertion and removal being stressful?

Insertion and removal just irritates me, I have very very sensitive skin and I guess it transpires that that is the case across the board so to speak.

MrWalsh wrote: »

I wonder could you be allergic to the material, as opposed to it being thrush? (obviously if you have been confirmed by a GP that it was thrush ignore me, but if it was the itching that got you thinking it was, read on!).

Ive a latex allergy, and a while back I bought a silicone toe support for an injury and lo and behold I became itchy/rashy where my skin met the silicone.

So is it possible that that was the type of thing happening internally rather than thrush?

Clearly I wouldnt be able to use a mooncup given the above.

No, my GP confirmed it was thrush. I do get thrush a few times a year, at times of high stress so I know it myself when it shows up.

Dolbert wrote: »

I know what the poster means. I'm a long-term user but tried to use it about 6 weeks after giving birth and found I was just too sensitive/ irritated. I'd imagine if you were generally sensitive in that area the mooncup could be difficult because of where it sits.

Yeah, it just kind of irritates me or stresses me out for some reason.

Posy

I had to give up the Mooncup as I started getting a load of kidney infections a while after I started wearing it. I haven't heard that happening to anyone else though, so I wouldn't let it put anybody else off trying it! I might try the mooncup again in the future because I loved the concept of it.

Neyite wrote: »

Considering you can get a box of 45 panty liners in Lidl for just a quid

Really?? I need to go to Lidl!

I agree with Addle, I don't imagine them being very comfortable- "holds up to two tampons of menstrual blood" sounds like it would be pretty unpleasant.

Neyite

Posy wrote: »

I had to give up the Mooncup as I started getting a load of kidney infections a while after I started wearing it. I haven't heard that happening to anyone else though, so I wouldn't let it put anybody else off trying it! I might try the mooncup again in the future because I loved the concept of it.

Really?? I need to go to Lidl!

I agree with Addle, I don't imagine them being very comfortable- "holds up to two tampons of menstrual blood" sounds like it would be pretty unpleasant.

Always pee after inserting, flushes out the urethra, same goes for tampons too.