Periods are one of the most miserable experiences that many of us go through on a monthly basis. It's a massive annoyance and nearly impossible to navigate the sea of products out there promising to make the experience better. Lucky for you, I'm a person desperate for comfort and solutions - especially when it comes to my period.
I have a condition called PMDD, which is a mood disorder directly connected with the menstrual cycle. PMDD symptoms and severity vary from person to person, but generally begin one to two weeks leading up to menstrual flow and end around the onset of the period.
Symptoms include feelings of despair, suicidal thoughts, increased anxiety, panic attacks, mood swings, irritability, and physical symptoms like bloating, cramping, chronic fatigue, and muscle pain. For more info, click here.
In short, PMDD is absolutely horrible and makes the days leading up to and during my period a complete hell. The start of my period signals the end of my mental symptoms, but often I trade them for a slew of physical symptoms I get to endure while bleeding out all over the place.
Since my first period, I was a dedicated tampon user, but I always found them to be painful, extremely unreliable, and usually pretty messy. This post is about periods so I have no problem throwing out there that I generally have a monstrous heavy flow. A tampon could last less than an hour for me on a bad day. Within recent years, I gave up the tampon game and switched to pads, which I feel is an outdated solution to period troubles. Sure, they're more comfortable than tampons for me, but now I'm basically bathing in blood. Not fun or comfortable.
I saw an ad for THINX and figured it was way too good to be true. I asked around and my friends agreed - there was no way this could work. I found a coupon and decided to give them a try. I actually bought them in February and have been using them for the past few months to get a good idea of how I like them and how they fit into my arsenal of period survival supplies.
THINX come in a variety of styles and absorbency. I went with the hiphugger in black because I liked the style and it promised the most support. The website says they can be used on their own or as a backup. I wanted to put these to the ultimate test so I wore them alone.
At first, I wasn't sure I liked the lace band at the top, but I later found that it helped keep pressure off my pelvis, which made me more comfortable than I normally would be on my period. I was also surprised at how well these are made. Even when I wasn't totally sure if I was dry or not in the beginning, I still felt relatively comfortable and not like I needed to check my outfit. I've worn these for a full day or night on many occasions and they continue to keep me dry and comfortable.
I was honestly really worried about laundering these. My husband and I take turns doing laundry and he always just tosses everything in together with no specific setting. Amazingly, these have survived every toss in the washer and dryer. They've come out so fine that I don't even remember the original care instructions, but please wash at your own risk.
For someone that is totally miserable for most of my period, I have found THINX to be a magical bit of relief. They're comfortable, discreet, and have not yet caused a spill or stain, which is more than I can say for any other product I've tried. I seriously recommend them.
Get $10 off your first purchase! Click here.