Full disclosure: In this post, I will be talking about stress incontinence when running, peeing my pants, my private parts, periods, and more. If that is TMI (or we are related), you might want to give it a miss. However, if you want to learn about ways to live with stress incontinence, please read on!
There may be various reasons what you want to try out absorbent underwear for periods and incontinence. Personally, I suffer from stress incontinence when I run (even more so when my hay fever is acting up) even though I have never given birth. It is extremely frustrating and embarrassing. When it first started happening a few years ago with only a few drops, I would wear Runderwear due to how quickly it dries. But the last two years, things how gotten out of control. I am currently waiting for a gynecological referral and am using a Perifit to strengthen my pelvic floor in the meantime. Over the last two years, I have gained 15+ pounds and have read that weigh gain can cause incontinence. Hopefully, the solution will be straightforward enough that I can resolve this soon.
Another reason might be to lesson your ecological impact on the planet. Pads, tampons, and liners normally have plastic and will end up in a landfill. A preference towards reusable options is more sustainable. Although the initial investment might seem like a lot, wearing absorbent underwear can save you money in the long run.
Before you invest in these fancy pants, there are a few things to consider. First is absorbency and related gusset thickness. You will have an idea of how heavy or light your flow is, as well as how much you leak when incontinence hits. I tried to highlight what the brands report below, but I still find it hard to quantify in comparison to my pads and tampons. I usually just go by how the pad/tampon looks and base my judgement around that. None of the products below feel too bulky (do you remember the pads you wore in high school? My Always were at least a centimetre thick!) but you can tell a bit when wearing the very absorbent ones. Most of the absorbent pants I find are black, which makes it hard to tell how ‘full’ they are. Predominantly, I use the pants below for stress incontinence when running as I have reusable pads but now that my underwear drawer is full of absorbent pants, why save them just for my runs?
Second, look at the design of the pants. Do you want a thong, high brief, bikini cut, or boy short? Luckily, there are several different style and gusset shape combinations to choose from across all brands. I have realized that I don’t like to run in pants where the gusset goes up the back to the waistband. While this is good for overnight protection, it just makes my bum hot when I wear a bum bag on a run. It might help you with bladder leaks depending on your situation though.
The last factor to consider when you order period/incontinence pants is how to wash them. Do they need to be hand washed? Gentle cycle? Line dry? This might influence which brand you want to invest in. All the brands above say not to use fabric softener but vary in temperatures and how to dry. If you take good care of these pants, they should last you a while. After a run, I tend to rinse my pants with cold water and a little bit of hand soap if I am not washing them right away (for example, if I ran to work and then showered). If I am on my period, I still rinse after use and wait until the water is clear before stopping. We tend to wash our clothes at 30-40 degrees C anyways and always line dry (dryers are a rarity in the UK and oh how I miss having one). Using a lingerie bag can help protect your delicates too but I usually forget.
One thing I want to say before highlighting products individually below is that every pair of pants still leaked through to my leggings and shorts. My gut feeling is that it is due to the force of the urine stream (when coughing rather than just running) ‘splashing’ out of the underwear or the pants not being able to absorb the liquid fast enough. Think about the consistency of blood versus urine, for example. My flow tends to be thick which will take longer to absorb than urine. If you are worried about this, black leggings seem to hide the leaks best, but unfortunately, they do not cover the odor.
Ready to learn more about my experience? Please remember that preference for products is very individual so please do some additional research to ensure you find the right fit. Most companies will not allow underwear to be returned once opened.
Speax was the first brand that I had heard of whose design was specifically for leaks. It is the sister brand of Thinx, which is a period underwear. I ordered two pairs in February 2020 for $35 and $39 (sent to my mom’s when we were visiting home). The current website says these panties can hold up to 8 teaspoons of liquid (thongs only 3 teaspoons and one teaspoon is 5 ml) and have anti-odour technology. There are four layers in the gusset to ensure they are moisture eliminating and absorbent too. They now also come in a variety of colours and patterns but mine are just black. Individual pants vary in price from £20-30 here in the UK, but there are custom and saver sets that get bring the price down. I consider Speax to be my trusted friend for long runs because I have been using them for so long.
BP3 Underwear I have ordered twice, in May 2020 and May 2022. Each pair cost me £18 which is why they were initially appealing. BP3’s USP is their scallop edging that makes VPL’s a thing of the past. They consider themselves leak-proof pants that can be used for both periods and leaks (I tend to use these for stress incontinence only). They have several styles available and each one has a different absorbency rating. The Sarah Sporty, for example, is classified as light absorbency and is able to hold up to 10 ml, or two tampons, of liquid. With my last order, BP3 kindly included a small lingerie bag to protect my pants in the washing machine. The styles I have (one is even blue!) are lower cut that Speax and the gusset feels thinner. I am still happy with the protection BP3 offers from leaks when on runs up to 1-2 hours.
Iceni Silver* is a brand I discovered on Twitter. It was created by British friends who have sporty daughters that needed a solution to being active females. Their pants are very affordable (£22-£29), very comfortable and made in Great Britian. These are actually period pants but can be used for incontinence as well. Iceni is the only brand I have seen that offers a short-style with a longer inseam than a boy short. The silver lining (come on, I had to!) is Iceni’s USP. SILVADUR (TM) is the anti-microbial fabric layer that minimized microbes and thus the smell that comes from sweat. Iceni pants can hold up to 40 ml of liquid and the cotton layer absorbs moisture 20x faster. I found the Hipster to be super comfortable to run in and very absorbent as well.
Primark has recently launched a cost effective period underwear. My pants were only £6. These have a very thin absorbent layer that continues up the back of the pants to the waist. These were only available in a blush color. The fabric is synthetic which made it very hot when I was running so I only tried them once and said never again on a run. This marathon training cycle has been during the summer and I have been overheating on runs regularly and don’t need any more help feeling hot. There isn’t a lot of absorbency based on how thick the pants feel (Primark says the light to medium flow pants can hold three tampons worth (18 ml) and medium to heavy flow can hold four tampons (24 ml) worth). Because the fabric isn’t breathable enough for me when I run, I now wear them at the end of my period when there is light spotting as I am not sure how much I trust the thin gusset.
Pelvi, an Australian brand, makes period pants, kegel trainers, and moon cups. These were a bargain at TK Maxx for £8 (but also not in my size) and an impulse purchase because I had never heard of this brand. I love the detail of lace on the top as most of my period pants are just black and hard to tell apart, especially before I have had caffeine in the morning. Because I bought one size up, these really remind me of granny panties because they are so darn big. The absorbent gusset wraps from the waistline in the front all the way to the waistline the in back. Pelvi claims their period pants that can also be used for light bladder leaks and sweat. With three absorbent layers, Pelvi offers protection for up to twelve hours. I just wore mine on a 65 minute run. They felt a little warm but I has capris on in 22 degree C heat. I thought the gusset would protect a leak in the front, but sadly not. The lace trim on the waistband was unnoticeable, which was a relief. I worried it would chafe. Due to these pants being a size too big for me, I will probably save for overnights when i am on my period.
If you have any other underwear brands you would recommend for stress incontinence, please let a comment and let me know. Stay tuned because I want to make a short video soon to demonstrate how much water each of the above can absorb without leaking through the material because I really do think it is the urine steam force that causes my leggings to get wet. When I have it on YouTube, I will share the link here, so check back soon.
*Thanks to Iceni for gifting me their pants to trial. All views are honest and my own.
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