THINX menstrual underwear

It's been almost 6 years since I ditched tampons and decided to use only re-usable menstrual wear. I wish I had the knowledge to start this earlier, but as new "trends" catch on, products become more available, and also more developed.

Starting with reusable pads from Charlie Banana and Lunapads, I instantly fell in love with real cotton. I was tired of noisy plastic wrappers and all the waste. Tampons - although totally convenient - weren't comfortable when they absorbed all the lubricating moisture of those tissues. I also couldn't believe how soft and absorbent cotton pads could be.

Then of course came THINX. A company with a brilliant product that found me on Facebook (damn FB algorithms and cookies... they know what I'm in the market for...). I was a little deterred by the price, but over the years I had already bought three diva cups (lost one during a move, the dog chewed up another - don't ask how she found it... she's a cleaver pup and at the time had an insatiable appetite for socks, underwear, and anything that smelled like dirty socks or underwear.). I also knew that this was something to invest in, for myself and to spread the word to other women.

I bought two pairs of small Hiphuggers and packed them for our trip to Italy when my next period was due to come.
** If you're wondering about size, I'm about 110 lbs, 5'4", the small is a little snug, but it's a good snug!

Well, a few things happened when I wore them:

First, I couldn't believe how comfortable they were! I wished all my underwear were this comfortable and absorbent. Ladies, I'm sure you understand. Sometimes even when we're not menstruating, there are certain days - especially in the time between the end of your period and ovulation - when you feel like you're leaking fluids. It's real and it happens.

Second, I wore a pair during the heaviest day of my period. This wouldn't have been a huge mistake had I timed how long I'd be wearing them for. It turns out, I had a much heavier day that I was expecting. Heavier than I'm used to. I also wanted this to be a true test so I didn't use the Diva Cup this time around.

Thinking about how often I need to change my Diva Cup, I thought I could go 8-10 hours in my THINX or so without needing to worry. I was extremely mistaken. After 4-5 hours I was still completely comfortable. My mistake was thinking I could then go on a 3-4-hour bike ride without the Diva cup or changing my pair of THINX.

The combination of long duration of wear, my heaviest day of flow (and way heavier than usual), and sitting on a bike for 3+ hours was enough for my THINX to leak. I was devastated. It's been a long time since I've felt sad about having my period. But leaking through my Lululemon shorts on a bike ride through the Tuscan countryside with my new husband almost had me in tears.

Luckily my husband works in sports medicine and knows exactly how to get blood stains out of clothing! Seriously... he was a genius. My lulu shorts were saved!

As for my THINX, they are still my most favourite pairs of underwear EVER, and even more great that I can wear them on lighter days with no need for anything else, or as backup with a Diva Cup. They may have leaked, but it was definitely situational.

I've used my THINX since that first cycle and haven't had any issues. They are also fantastic for wearing during sleep when you have your period.

I also want to point out that during this whole experiment, it was rare that I ever felt damp or wet, making THINX not messy at all to use! Washing is also simple. Rinse with cold water right after wear, then throw them in the laundry with your gentles and hang dry. It's amazing how much fluid they actually can hold.

Would I recommend them to other women? Absolutely! But if your periods are heavy, be prepared to change out a pair after 6 hours or so. Get your hands on a zipped water-resistant carrier bag, like this one from Lunapads which has 2 zipped sections, one to keep clean menstrual wear in, and one for dirty. And yes, of course I bought the "Dandy foxes" print... This is "Healthy Fox Adventures" after all!

lunapads.ca

Understanding menstruation and eliminating period shame

I love that this topic is getting more "news feed" action. In many countries around the world, girls are shamed for having their periods. Some people (most commonly men) don't understand that women from puberty to menopause bleed on a monthly basis, why, or what it means. Even in North America, the majority of our advertising for menstrual products is so unrealistic.

Recently, Bodyform from the UK came out with a new commercial entitled "No blood should hold us back." Showing videos of women in different situations bleeding - instead of having a standard commercial demonstrating the absorbency with an odd blue liquid.

So let's be real here. Theoretically, every single woman with functioning sex hormones and a uterus (from puberty to menopause) menstruates (bleeds). I say "theoretically" as those who use synthetic hormones or an IUD may or may not actually bleed regularly or at all. But beyond that, this is part of being a woman - it is part of our biology and our reproduction.

Our bodies and hormones have this amazing synchronized ebb and flow of two tides. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), menstrual blood isn't Blood as it is referred to in pathology, but as "Heavenly Water" originating from our Essence. It represents our ability to reproduce. We can create new human beings. Yeah, how cool is that?

Where TCM describes the menstrual cycle as a flow and exchange of Yin and Yang, Western medicine puts it into terms of an estrogen-dominated Follicular phase and a progesterone-dominated Luteal phase. These phases influence both ovulation and the start of menstruation. With so much going on, it's no wonder we're more complicated than men. But we should celebrate that fact. We should be in-tune with our bodies and understand what's going on.

Cycle tracker apps are one great way to help you. Start with the easy stuff:

1) Track when you get your period and how long it lasts. Learning to cycle track is a wonderful way to understand your body. The first day of bleeding is Day 1 of your cycle each time. A healthy cycle is 26-32 days long. Healthy bleeding should last 4-6 days.

2) Track your symptoms. Take notice when you experience symptoms such as headaches, acne, lower backaches, mood changes (some apps like "Period Tracker" will even allow you to document very specific moods), breast tenderness and cramping. Log these each day along with the intensity of each.

3) Pay close attention to your flow. Begin to understand your periods by paying attention to the characteristics of your flow. For example, how heavy/light is it? Is the colour dark maroon, bright red or somewhere in-between? Do you pass clots? Notice any changes from cycle to cycle.

4) Learn to track your ovulation. Some women experience mittelschmerz: a pain or discomfort from ovulation. It will be noticeable on one side (one ovary) and may switch to the other the following cycle. But a better predictor of ovulation is tracking your cervical mucous.
Cervical mucous is sticky and stretchy with a consistency like raw egg-whites. It begins to appear about 3-5 days before ovulation, occurs on the day of ovulation and then stops.

Tracking your cervical mucous can also help you understand your most fertile days. If you're interested in using fertility awareness-based methods for preventing pregnancy - or for trying to conceive - understanding which days you are fertile can help you with this. I highly suggest getting practice with your tracking first and practice logging your vaginal/cervical mucous type (ie. each day log if you experienced a "dry" day, a "wet" day, or a "sticky/tacky" day).

Another tool that can help you become more familiar with your body is using a menstrual cup instead of pads or tampons. Using a menstrual cup forces you to become very comfortable with your anatomy as you're using your hands/fingers to insert it and position it properly. It can also help to locate the anatomical position of your cervix. We might have the same organs, but we're all individuals. Your cervix may be located more left, more right, or more posterior (towards the back). Of course, you don't need the cup for this, you can explore your anatomy all on your own. Most women can reach their cervix with a long finger - it'll feel slightly firm, like the tip of your nose.

There is no shame in having a period. We just have more going on than men, and that's a good thing. We're special and different and we should own that. You own your uterus. It's yours. Understand your body and take care of it. Some of us need some extra help - a naturopathic doctor, fertility specialist, gynaecologist, Planned Parenthood and other wonderful sources can help you with this. I love teaching my patients cycle-tracking. As well there are so many alternative ways to support your cycles: acupuncture, botanical formulas, specific diet changes, seed cycling and maintaining a healthy body fat percentage (20-24% depending on age).

And how cool is it when your cycle is sync'd to your friends, roommates or co-workers? It reminds us that we're all experiencing this together. Even cooler if you can sync yourself up with the lunar cycle (New moon - menstruation, Full moon- ovulation)! Seriously, you can be in sync with the moon. As Neil Pasricha would say: Awesome!

The love/hate with menstrual cups and why you should say goodbye to tampons

When I first heard about the Diva Cup I was really taken aback - What? You put a cup in you and it collects your menstrual flow?!  This concept was truly weird to me, especially in a culture where we're told how happy we will be using tampons with braids so that we can run and jump in the air as often as we like.

Don't get me wrong, I love running and jumping, but there were downsides to tampons that no one really told me about. We're well aware of toxic shock syndrome: You leave an absorbent material internally, it absorbs moisture, it sits there, bacteria grow, bacteria start "shooting out" toxins (so-to-speak) and your body goes into a toxic shock. Bad news bears. But I never really thought about how the "absorbing" part really affected my body.

The vaginal canal is lined with healthy mucous. It's a natural lubricant produced with the help of estrogen to keep the area moist. It also acts as a "vagina cleaner" by carrying away bad bacteria and allowing good healthy bacteria to flourish. Your tampon, although it absorbs your menstrual flow, is also taking up a lot of space internally, and while there, absorbs your normal vaginal mucous. So the loss of that great mucous can mess up the bacterial flora and your vaginal pH (which helps prevent infections!).

So now what? You can use pads; they make for a healthier vagina, but many women hate dealing with "the mess". Well-known brands often use bleaches, synthetic fibers and chemicals/additives which make them super absorbent, but they are in constant contact with your lady parts which can potentially take up the chemicals and additives.

Your best option would be a 100% cotton pad like Natracare or Organyc. They're less irritating than conventional pads for both regular menstrual use and postpartum when that area is particularly sensitive.

Another great option is the menstrual cup. I personally am a Diva Cup user, and if there's one thing I've learned it's that women either love it or hate it:

The Pros:

• No waste! You're saving landfills by keeping your cup in good shape.
• With good care, it can last up to 10 years. This means cleaning it with a gentle fragrance-free cleanser (or Diva Wash) after each emptying, and boiling in water for 5 minutes at the end of your period.  
• You can monitor your bleeding. You can measure the volume of flow, the colour, clots, etc. This can reveal a lot of information about your cycles, which your naturopathic doctor can help you with. 
• You can run, jump, swim with it in and never even know it's there. Swimming becomes more enjoyable when you're not worried about strings showing.
• You don't feel it. When inserted and positioned correctly, you shouldn't feel it. It also shouldn't leak, unlike most tampons.
• You only need to worry about "changing" it twice per day (with normal bleeding volume). Empty once in the morning and again before bed. No worrying about changing pads and tampons throughout the day. 

The Cons:

• It only comes in 2 sizes so many women found that it just wasn't a good fit for them. This may be because of differences in a woman's anatomical structure, or due to the position in which the cup is inserted.  
• If you suffer from major dysmenorrhea (painful periods) the added internal pressure of an object close to the cervix may increase cramping/pain.
• If you have really heavy periods, there is a chance it can overflow.
• Because you have an object inserted, there is added pressure on surrounding structures. You might notice that your urine is flowing a little slower than normal. 
• Be aware of it during a bowel movement. The same muscles that help with bearing down vaginally also help with bearing down for a bowel movement. When you're in the bathroom, beware that the cup might be pushed down and may need to be readjusted. 
• Yes, you have to empty it into your toilet and then clean it in the sink. Some women hate this part of it. But you should only have to do this 2x per day. 

Every woman should find the menstrual method that works best for them. I love my menstrual cup but realize it's not for everyone. We all deserve a happy, healthy vagina, so listen to your body.