A woman says she will 'never use tampons again' since trying £18 pants from Primark and M&S. The woman, who was sceptical at first, compared period underwear from the two high street giants.
Period underwear is said to be better for the environment than sanitary pads and tampons, as it can be reused. However, many people are still sceptical of using it, as the thought of wearing absorbent pants is still alien to a lot of us.
But now an increasing amount of period underwear, specifically period pants, is appearing on the UK high-street - making it difficult to ignore as a viable alternative to tampons and sanitary towels.
Stores like ASDA, Marks and Spencer (M&S) and Primark are all selling period pants. But which are best and provide the least leakage?
In a bid to find out, Emily Collis, a reporter for our sister site Birmingham Live, compared period underwear from high-street giants Primark and Marks and Spencer.
Here's what Emily found:
Primark
It took me a while to find Primark's period pants as they were hidden in a corner next to the underwear section, but I was impressed by how many there were to choose from. I was expecting them to be all black and bulky but some of them were actually quite pretty. They had hipsters, seam-free, high-waisted and different colours and patterns.
There were cheaper options, but I went for a pack of three 'seam-free ribbed period underwear mini briefs' for £18. It contained two 'medium flow' pairs, which the helpful packaging told me held the equivalent of three regular tampons, and one heavy, which was the same as four.
A common gripe of mine with Primark clothing - the knickers came in small, medium and large, rather than numbered sizes. I'm a pretty bog standard 14 so went for the large/14-16 and hoped they wouldn't be too big.
When I put them on at home, they actually felt quite snug, but I figured they'd need to be to avoid any leakage. The fabric was quite bulky between the legs, which took some getting used to, but after a couple of hours, I forgot I was wearing anything different.
They weren't the sexiest knickers in the world but they were inoffensive and looked like standard pair of comfy pants - not like a nappy, as I'd feared. I could tell before I'd put my jeans on, though, that they weren't really seam-free. As expected, you could see where the pants cut in through my jeans - not so much of an issue if you're wearing something loose-fitting, though.
I wore the grey pair all day and found them to be really comfortable. There was no leakage and - something I was very conscious of after reading discussions about period pants online - no odour. As instructed on the packaging, I washed them before use and swilled them under the tap before washing afterwards and they came out good as new.
The advice I found online about how often you should change your period knickers differed, but I changed into the heavier flow pair before bed and couldn't feel the difference in terms of comfort. There was no leakage overnight either.
M&S
M&S's selection of period pants was a lot smaller than Primark's, but the knickers looked prettier. There was even a pack of lacey, high-waisted ones that didn't look like period pants at all. There was a bigger range of sizes at M&S and it was numeric, which made my life easier. I went for a three-pack of colourful 'moderate absorbency period bikini knickers' in a 14. I was expecting to pay more at Marks but these ones cost the same as Primark's at £18.
The pack didn't say to wash them before wear, but I did anyway. When I put them on, they didn't feel any different to regular knickers, although it was another case of VPL.
I thought, because of the thinner fabric, that they'd be more comfortable to wear, but I quickly noticed they were slipping down as I moved about. The knickers sat a bit awkwardly on my hips and I found myself yanking them back up throughout the day.
Mostly, M&S's period pants did the job, but on a day when my period was slightly heavier (though I wouldn't say heavy), there was some leakage along the seam. Thankfully, they washed well.
So which was better?
After initially being very sceptical about period pants, I can now say I'll be making the switch from tampons. I'm no expert, but in my view, wearing period knickers felt no less hygienic than pads or tampons.
Primark's were comfortable to wear and they seemed to be made to last. Compared to M&S's, they were a more secure fit and showed no sign of leaking after 12 hours of wear.
I might have faired better with a different style from M&S, but the ones I bought were an awkward fit and I'd say they were better suited for a light flow, rather than moderate. For the same price, Primark's felt like much better quality. Period pants won't be for everyone, but if you don't mind a bit of VPL, I'd definitely recommend giving them a try.
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