We tested more than a dozen pairs and assessed them based on absorbency, feel, and value. To find the best period underwear, we put some to the test. They’re also beginner-friendly and less intimidating to teens and tweens.
“Sometimes people prefer to free-bleed rather than have period blood collected inside of the vagina in a tampon or menstrual cup,” says Wendy Goodall McDonald, MD, FACOG, a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist in Chicago. Mostly, period underwear is simply convenient. Unlike disposable pads and tampons, period underwear is washable and reusable. Period underwear is especially gaining traction for its sustainability and convenience. Pads and tampons are the most popular, but you can also try menstrual cups, discs, and period underwear. To prevent leakage, there’s no shortage of options when it comes to feminine hygiene products. They’re often coupled with uncomfortable side effects, shame and stigma, and complex hormonal changes-and then there’s the blood (which isn’t just blood, by the way).
Though there’s an entire market dedicated to alleviating them, periods aren’t pretty.
