Waxing Lyrical About Menstrual Underwear
It's true. The biggest quality of life upgrade I've gotten myself this year is making the leap from pads to menstrual underwears. Now, if you're still reading, you may be thinking "but there are so many menstrual solution out there, how is this so revolutionary?". Which is great, honestly. That means you're bound to find something that suits you. It's revolutionary for me, because it works for me.
These panties aren't cheap. I'd been hesitant to buy them because they cost way way way too much for my poor Asian soul, bless my heart. But they're comfortable, non-intrusive, non-invasive, will not fuck up my hormones, easy to clean, and most importantly, they work. The first time I tried it, it felt like magic. Today, it still feels like magic. It doesn't leak out no matter how restless I've been in my sleep.
I've always had a fraught relationship with my womb. It screws me up regularly to turn me into a surly grump but irregular enough that it's difficult to anticipate. And depending on my stress level of the month, I bleed heavily, which was why I'm not sure it would work. I've also had constant problems with side leaks, and if you've ever experienced having to wash your sheets the morning of a really important meeting for which you're already running late, sometimes it feels like the universe just hates your species.
No, birth control pills aren't a thing here. It does exist. Tampon is also uncommon. Menstrual cup feels too intrusive and it's a hassle to remember where I misplace it, so it's these underwear or reusable pads. I'm more inclined towards the underwear. I haven't needed to stock up on pads ever since I gotten these, so they do eventually pay off. But they already pay off in terms of everything else. Not worrying about the way I should sit/sleep means I could work and sleep better, which in turn means I stay fairly sane throughout (to the relief of my friends and coworkers). It doesn't magically fix my endometriosis, but it makes it so much more bearable. They also happen to be comfortable for daily use, but last I checked I'm not an oil baron so I'll stick with supermarket store brands for the rest of the month.
This is technology, no battery or cable in sight! When I envision progress, this is what I think about, and I keep thinking that we as a society have advanced enough that we are now able to make all these wonderful materials and we pour endless money on... glorified autocomplete?
I don't think I can muster enough words to describe this properly. This post feels too TMI and I'm not sure I want to publish this, but at the same time I think we should normalize talking about it in general. People of my parents' generation would pretend this doesn't exist, that it's a shame to hide, a disease you carry, but it's part of a normal bodily function (somehow. I swear the womb complex is horribly designed). No one I talk to would choose to undergo this every month if they could.
If you've been sitting on a QoL upgrade for a while (that you could reasonably afford), maybe give it a go.