Period Undies Have Officially Changed My Life, and No, I’m Not Being Dramatic

I’ve been hearing whispers about the magic of period undies for months now, but I hadn’t been brave enough to try them myself until now.

Periods have always been a vulnerable thing for me, as I suffer from endometriosis pretty severely. Endometriosis affects each individual differently, but, for me, it involves intense nausea, incredibly painful menstrual cramps and extremely heavy bleeding.

Throughout my late teens and early twenties, my endo pain increased and I had to find remedies and methods to help myself through those few days a month. Finding products and systems that work for you is always such a journey and so I was hesitant to add something new into the mix.

On the days leading up to my period, I could feel PMS coming on — the slight nausea, dizziness, pre-cramp feeling in your tum that you can’t describe but you just know — so I put a call-out on my Instagram to see what the women in my sphere thought about period undies.

It was almost all rave reviews. 82% said they were a total vibe, while 18% weren’t so sure.

“Use them! Game changer! I thought I would hate them but they are the best thing ever. So much better than pads! I still use tampons and cups at different times but they have been great and even use them in combination.”

This was just one response, but it pretty much sums up the general tone.

A few people were more cautious, warning me about potentially toxic chemicals, not breathable or sustainable fabric and their potential to smell yuck after a few uses, which led me to do a little research.

I found a few brands that seemed really good, such as ModiBodi, Scarlet, Thinx and Bonds, but I settled on a few pairs from TOM Organic. Their branding is super cute and they focus on sustainability, which felt like another really important reason to make the switch.

My bathroom bin needs to be emptied daily during heavy periods, not to mention that although periods are beautiful and should absolutely be more normalised in conversation, having a bathroom bin full of dirty pads and tampons isn’t a vibe.

To date, I’ve worn pads almost religiously. Due to my endo, I find tampons to be really invasive and painful. When they’re in, my lower stomach feels like it’s under a lot of stress and pressure, and the moment the tampon comes out, it’s a moment of relief. Sometimes I can’t get away with not wearing them, such as at work (modelling) or in bathers, but I’ve always avoided them as much as I can.

Wearing pads has never bothered me, but the amount of waste they cause has. Pads also really accentuate the smell of a period, which is again, super normal and really okay, but it can make you feel a bit gross sometimes.

Sometimes, you just want to forget that your uterus lining is shedding cells and you just want to go about your everyday life as normal, but every time you go to the toilet, you’re reminded of your reality.

My biggest concern with wearing period pants, was leakage. I was afraid that I wouldn’t feel when they were leaking and that I didn’t have any back up.

So that you can decide if period undies are for you, I documented the five days of my period just gone, all while wearing period undies.

Day 1

The first day of my period always starts off light and then gets super heavy in a matter of hours. I put on the TOM Organic Period Brief in the mid-rise style, because I always like my undies to cover my tum during the first few days. There’s just something so comfy about a high-waisted knicker. First day was great, no leakage. I put them on a rinse cycle in the wash and hung them out overnight and wore a clean pair to bed.

Day 2

This is a pretty heavy day. I’m still in my usual amount of pain and taking meds to help with that, but I definitely feel less stressed knowing that I don’t have to change my pad every hour or two. I also feel a lot more comfy, with a less heavy feeling in my undies. Still no smell today. The pair I wore to bed has been washed and hung out, and I’ve been wearing this current pair for seven hours so far. Could use a change soon.

Day 3

This is my heaviest day. I have faith that the undies will be okay as I haven’t had any leakages yet. I had to change pairs twice today, which is a little more than the first two days but I think to be expected. I’m loving that I have minimal waste and I feel a lot cleaner down there, as though there’s less build-up of discharge than what you usually get with a pad.

Day 4

Things are starting to chill out. I am wearing a different style today, which is the bikini cut, and I feel a little sexier in them. The TOM Organic Period Briefs aren’t lacy or anything, but they just look like cute black knickers. I almost forgot to change them today because I forgot that I was wearing period undies! I’m usually so aware of having a pad on, like when I sit down or get changed etc, so not having to worry about that has been really nice.

Day 5

Just a bit of spotting today, but am wearing them just to be safe. I’ve switched to the bikini cut now, as I don’t need as much coverage and security and this style is definitely cuter looking. I’m exceptionally impressed at how comfortable these period briefs are and how well they’ve worked. They wash well, they don’t smell when they’re used and they’re comfortable and stretchy to wear.

The verdict

Overall, I would absolutely recommend making the switch to wearing period undies during your period. I can only speak for the ones I’ve tried, which were the TOM Organic Period Brief in the bikini and the mid-rise style, but there was no leakage, no wet feeling while wearing them, no smell — they were easy to clean and super comfortable to wear.

I actually can’t believe it’s taken me this long to try them, but now, there’s no going back.

I know that periods can be scary and make us feel super vulnerable and on edge, but these are definitely worth a try. And if you decide they’re not for you, that’s okay, too.

I think anything to alleviate our stress and anxiety during those sometimes really yuck couple of days per month is absolutely worth giving a go.