Nearly every girl with a period at one point in their life has woken up in a pool of blood. It sounds dramatic but it's the cold hard truth we've had to deal with for having a uterus. Most of us were tossed a giant mattress-sized maxi to sleep in and told, "here, now tuck that into your underwear and try to keep it from sliding around all night".
Ladies quit worrying about bleeding on your bed! I have a solution-
I was literally just talking to a friend yesterday and she reminded me how she slept on a towel for the days leading up to when she thinks she might start. It was such a flashback for me because I FORGOT that I used to do that. No longer. No ma'am.
Over the pandemic, when we became low on paper goods and faced challenges getting to stores during lockdown, I decided that's the time I would try period underwear. By then I had already stopped wearing tampons anyway and was purely wearing various types of pads mainly because-
1. I don't like the idea of an unnatural object "stopping up" the blood flow.
2. Letting it out usually shortens my period times. Tampons drag it out to five days.
3. With heavy bleeding, I'm having to change tampons too often and would end up wearing a pad anyway as a backup to prevent leaking.
4. I struggled to insert them without pain due to intense cramping.
Period underwear changes everything! You can still be a tampon-wearing gal and benefit from them too. Even if you strictly want to keep them as your "sleeping undies" either way, save those towels for showering.
Why they're better than pads-
If you experience heavy flow at all, you know that the size of pads will usually need to span the entire front and back of your underwear, especially when sleeping and they still would leak out somehow. You also have to sleep like a stealth ninja, figuring out where the leak might sneak through the sides which can interrupt rest and ruin bedding. It's no way to live I tell ya!
Also-
They stink
They sound like a diaper
They're not good for the environment
They fill up the bathroom garbage and if you have dogs...this is pure hell
What brand I use
I did a little searching around before landing on a particular brand. I read a bunch of reviews and saw so many people mention Modi Bodi. For full transparency, because I loved them so much, I applied to be an affiliate so if you see their ads that's why.
After one night of trying them, I absolutely loved them. I will scream from the mountain tops how much I love them, they have changed my life. I can't believe it took me this long to find them but I'm so glad I did.
Time for a common Q&A
Are they comfortable?
I feel like I have on normal underwear and forget I'm on my period- well if it wasn't for the cramps painfully reminding me of my womanhood. The lining is completely unnoticeable.
How often do you change them?
I put them on the night before I feel like I might start and wake up relieved I have them on. Night one is a doozy so when I get up first thing, I usually shower with them on, then toss them in a light wash cycle. I have three pairs in rotation- two daytime pairs and one night, all heavy flow levels. This gets my nighttime pair ready for the evening too.
Do they smell?
They don't stink like pads. Not sure why, but perhaps it's the plastic in the maxi-pads. Comparatively the smell is very, very minimal with these on. That's also dependent on how often you switch them out though.
Do they leak?
This is honestly the best part. Period sleep has been an issue for me since I began bleeding. The nighttime pair has a liner that runs the entire span of the front and back, giving me the best sleep during my period I've had my entire life. I can side sleep, front, back, whatever, and never worry about leaking. EVER.
Is washing gross?
Washing isn't that bad. For some gals, this may be the part they don't like if you are squeamish, but I don't mind. I shower in the morning with them on for a minute or so, then take them off and let them naturally wash down the drain as I suds up. After a while I use a natural soap to finish cleaning them. They don't say to do this on their website, but I still like to pop them in on a light cycle with a dab of laundry soap just so they smell clean and are fluffy dry.
Are they expensive?
I will never have to buy disposable period products again so in the long run, no. There are a lot of dupes out there but it's a "you get what you pay for" situation and my number one goal is to have quality lasting fabric. I would suggest investing in brands offering quality over cost.
I spent $89 total for three pair.
I can always expand my collection and get different ones but I'd be fine with these for a while if my budget feels tight. Think about it this way, you only wear them for a little over half of a week twelve times a year.
With pads & liners I was spending about $15/mo on products, that's $180 a year.
Are they good for the environment?
Saving the best for last, yes it's environmentally beneficial. Most tampons and pads are loaded with chemicals that sit in landfills that inevitably get soaked into the earth becoming pollution in groundwater. Now, why are we putting that inside or near us? Just curious who's a grand idea that was (brow raised).
How Do I Know My Size?
They offer a great guide to finding your size and I say trust that. I sized up in fear they'd be too small since so many people mentioned they're tight at first. I now wish I had one size down in my daytime briefs as they have stretched out just as they said on the website. I can still wear them fine but I have also lost a tiny bit of weight when I quit drinking. My nighttime ones fit perfectly and are what I'm wearing in these pics.
Tip:
I track my period with an app called "Clue" so I know within a day or two when I will start. I prepare ahead of time and just toss these on when it gets close especially when sleeping, the peace of mind is worth it alone.
Needless to say, I've found my solution to the menstrual madness and had to share. Ladies...this is your new favorite underwear. Period.
*Note: Some links are affiliates meaning if you click and buy I get a slice of the pie and it's greatly appreciated!