As a woman who menstruates, mother nature making an appearance will never be something I look forward to. Although, I've recently made some lifestyle and health changes that make my period more tolerable in every aspect. These changes are something that I never realized would have such an impression on my health, especially my period; I'm living a lifestyle that not only helps me feel better, but I'm also making a powerful impact on the environment. That's why I decided to write about the first brand of period underwear that I ever purchased, The Period Company.
I feel like I had a pretty average understanding of my period and the different period products I could use from pads, tampons, cups, OTC mediations, etc. As a teenager I primarily only used pads and my mom influenced that. Rightfully so, as pads are much more reliable than tampons can be and the idea of sticking anything 'inside' of me at that age was out of the question. It wasn't until the age of 17 or 18 that I started regularly using tampons, mainly due to it being the more "acceptable" form of coverage among adults (well at least young adults). I distinctly remember a classmate asking for a tampon, and when I offered a pad she scoffed at me and said "you still use pads? gross."
I know that her saying that stook with me because, from that point on, I told myself "yeah pads are gross arent they? you're just sitting in your period blood for a few hours like a diaper". Not realizing the side effects of sticking industrialized cotton up your vagina can range from an off-balanced pH, bacteria growth, and even death from toxic shock syndrome.
As the years went on, I predominantly stayed with tampons while at the same time, I tried a couple of different birth controls as well that affected my menstruation cycle. Not to mention, I was at a point in my life where I thought intense nausea and harsh cramps were normal. Now that I'm in my twenties, I prioritize my health and body more than I ever had, and one of the things I needed to figure out was how I can better tolerate my periods. I had heard of the growing period panty trend and I even followed a few accounts on Instagram that claimed to have the best and safest period panties. The word 'safe' stuck out to me because how in the world can period panties be harmful? Upon doing some research and reading a few articles I was now educated on the harm that some menstruation products can cause and the residual parabens and carcinogens that they contain. Not only that, but some period panty companies have these same issues in their products too! Luckily, this is when Period came into my life.
Period was the first company I saw that offers affordable products, prioritized safety, and did a wonderful job at educating consumers as well. I've purchased 6 panties from them thus far, (1) Sleeper, (1) Highwaisted, (2) Bikini, and (2) Thongs, all ranging from heavy flow to light flow. The thongs are the only product I tend to not use, but I simply bought a size too big for me; user error! After using the other products for over a year now, I can confidently say that they've not only improved my period experience, but I feel better protected and extremely comfortable, and my period cramps have ceased completely. I can't guarantee scientific proof that switching to period panties is what fixed my periods, but I can guarantee that I no longer dread my period, and it's improved my lifestyle to the point of my writing this post. I hope that this reaches people who may be skeptical about making the switch over to reusable period panties. If I were to give one minor warning, is that you have to be comfortable with your bodily fluids. When you change out your panties you must rinse and ring them out before tossing them in the washer. As long as you can handle that, then you're free to have a very rewarding experience.
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