Period underwear is still a relatively new phenomenon, some people can’t remember the days before they made the switch, and to some people it’s an entirely new concept, and to be honest, a little daunting. Trusting in a product to protect you from a still very taboo natural bodily function women have, is a daunting thought. So, what is it? How does it work? And what are the many benefits of making the switch to period underwear?

WHAT IS PERIOD UNDERWEAR?

Period underwear is underwear, with built in period absorbent protection. The built-in additional fabric in the gusset of the underwear absorbs the period flow and wicks away the moisture to keep the wearer dry and comfortable, and with a waterproof backing to stop any leaks or drips through to your clothes, so you are fully protected, whilst bleeding freely and comfortably all day or night. Period underwear comes in different flow levels so that you can wear the right level of absorbency for the amount of flow you have on certain days of your period, keeping you fully protected and comfortable.  

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF USING PERIOD UNDERWEAR?

Period underwear has multiple benefits that more and more people are seeing and making the switch to using period underwear slowly as their only protection, or instead of pantyliners as a backup to their cup, or fully converting to use only period underwear, but what are the benefits? And how are they so much better than tampons & pads?

#1 PERIOD UNDERWEAR IS HEALTHIER FOR YOUR BODY & YOUR VAGINA

Tampons & pads can be made with a heavy amount of plastic, chemicals, pesticides and are not required to disclose their ingredients on the box and packaging, so we don’t always know what is coming into contact with the most intimate and absorbent part of our bodies. Tampons are designed to absorb everything around them, so if you’re wearing one that is too heavy for your flow day it can often end up drying out our vagina, which can then lead to micro tears in the vaginal wall, which in turn can be a lead to TSS. Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) can occur due to the build-up of bacteria on and around the tampon when left in our bodies for too long, these bacteria can then absorb into our bloodstream through any micro tears in the vaginal wall, if this happens the bacteria can get into the blood stream and cause the potentially fatal TSS reaction. This is rare, but it can happen with using tampons, and inter-vaginal period protection.

Therefore, using period underwear is so much safer for your vagina, and as it is breathable and natural, it is so much healthier. Our vaginas self-clean, and maintain a delicate eco-system, by letting our bodies bleed and breath freely with period underwear, we are helping our bodies maintaining the delicate ecosystem and letting our bodies breath naturally.

You can read more about TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome) here in our previous article.

#2 IT’S REUSABLE

Period underwear is re-useable, so once you have them, you can keep wearing them & they will keep protecting you time and time again without you having to worry. Just wear them, wash them, reuse them! So simple, no more running out of tampons or getting your period a day early and not have anything with you to protect you. You just rinse them at the end of the day or whenever you take them off, and then they can go straight in the wash with your regular load or they can be left to dry and wait for your next load of laundry. Then just wash them on a delicate cold cycle, with no fabric softener or bleach (Rosaseven period underwear is advised to be washed in a laundry bag or wash bag to protect the undies for longer), then just hang them to dry once they’re done. Simple, and then ready to be worn again and again.

#3 MUCH LESS WASTE, & MUCH MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY

In a lifetime one menstruator can use over 6000 tampons!! All that end up in landfill or waste streams, not to mention the individual packaging that each one comes in that also adds up and ends up in landfill. Tampons aren’t designed to break down in water, infact, they’re designed to do the exact opposite when in your body, so when flushed away they don’t break down in water and end up in our waste streams, beaches and with our marine wildlife. A conventional menstrual pad can be made up of the equivalent to 5 grocery bags worth of plastic and It takes 500 years for a menstrual pad or pantyliner to break down and decompose! Which means that every single pad ever used is still somewhere on the planet. Plastic tampon applicators also take up to 500 years to decompose and are in the top 5 items that are washed up on our beaches every day!

Period underwear is a natural and reusable form of period protection, which eliminates the waste from individual tampons and pads ending up in landfill. Rosaseven period underwear is made from TENCEL™ Lyocell & organic cotton fibres, which are natural, breathable, fabrics, which are derived from trees and are certified biodegradable and can fully revert to nature. With period underwear being able to fully replace all other disposable protection, and are reusable time and time again, month after month, it is a better solution for the health of the planet & the environment, as well as for you.

#4 PERIOD UNDERWEAR IS MUCH MORE COST AFFECTIVE

Over the course of a lifetime one individual menstruator can spend over $6000 on disposable period protection! Which is a lot of money to throw away every month – literally! Period underwear is far more cost effective, adding up to around only $800 over a lifetime, based on buying new period underwear every 5 years.

By investing in period underwear up-front, you can save yourself thousands of dollars over the years by wearing and reusing your period underwear month after month after month!

#5 THEY’RE MUCH MORE CONVENIENT

Our periods aren’t always predictable, sometimes we think we’re into a flow or routine and can have a pretty good guess when your period will start, especially if you are calendar tracking or have a cycle tracking app, but equally something small or un-noticeable to us can throw our cycle slightly and we can start bleeding a day earlier than expected, we can be 2 days late, or we can be completely out of sync for no visible reason! Carrying tampons with you the days before your period is usually a normal practise for most menstruators, but sometimes you forget to stock up, you come on 2 days early or you’re in a meeting when you just know it’s started.

Period underwear is far more convenient, you can start wearing your lighter pairs the day or two before you’re due to start, so that you’re fully protected for when you do start, without the panic or worry of not being protected, ruining your favourite undies, or feeling like you need to wear a tampon too early or be sitting in plastic pad for an extra day just to be ready and prepared.

Wearing a tampon before you start bleeding can be harmful to your vaginal wall and cause your vagina to dry out due to the tampon soaking up regular vaginal fluids that your body needs. Wearing a pad before you need it is subjecting your most delicate area to a sweaty, non-breathable environment when unnecessary. Whereas wearing your natural, breathable Rosaseven period underwear when you’re not menstruating yet is just like wearing any other regular undies, but with peace of mind built in!