Best Sanitary Napkins

Are pads the right choice for me?

There are benefits and drawbacks to using pads, and knowing them can help you decide for yourself whether they’re the right option for you.

If you don’t think pads are for you, then you might want to consider opting for tampons or menstrual cups. They’re inserted into the vagina, so you can swim in them and you don’t need to worry about them being bulky or visible to others. In the case of menstrual cups, they’re also more cost-effective and environmentally friendly.

Just as pad-wearers may use different types of menstrual pads within a single cycle, some people also choose to use a mix of feminine hygiene products - many people use pads while sleeping regardless of their day-to-day preference.

Types of sanitary pads

• Regular pads are suitable for medium flows, offering a moderate level of absorbency to support you when your flow isn’t too heavy.
• Super pads (or maxi pads) are highly absorbent, and are suited for days when you have a heavy flow.
• Night pads are more absorbent, offer more coverage, and are often less discreet, as they’re designed to be able to control leaks for a longer period of time (so you don’t need to wake up in the middle of the night to change your pad).
• Maternity pads are thicker and longer to cover a larger area, to help accommodate a larger belly, and are used for anything from when a mother’s water breaks to postpartum bleeding.
• Incontinence pads are used for those who experience bladder leakage, and are designed to absorb the rapid dispersion of urine rather than a slower menstrual flow.
• Panty liners are thinner, shorter pads that are generally used when you’re expecting or ending your period as a precautionary measure against the odd leak. Plenty of people also wear them with a tampon or menstrual cup for extra protection - particularly when they’re wearing white bottoms.
• Period underwear absorbs blood, and is washable and reusable. It can be a more eco-friendly option to pads for those who don’t want to insert a menstrual hygiene product.

Because it’s common to have different flows on different days of their period, you may find that you need a variety of pads and panty liners to suit both your light and your heavy bleeding.

What to consider when choosing sanitary napkins

Absorbency

Menstrual flows differ from person to person - sometimes they can be light, sometimes they can be heavy, and sometimes, it can be a mix of both. Luckily, pads come in different lengths, fits, and thicknesses to accommodate your flow regardless of what day of your period you’re on.

Absorbency is mainly determined by the length, rather than the thickness of the pad. This is why super or maxi pads tend to be longer than regular pads, offering more front or back coverage to absorb more moisture.

Pad packaging will usually state the level of absorbency, but you can also tell by looking at the amount of ‘droplets’ on the wrapping.

Should I get pads with or without wings?

Wings are flaps on the side of the pads that fold over the sides of underwear. They help keep the pad in place (making them useful for when you’re playing sport) and can help provide more leak protection by drawing blood from the side of the pad to the centre.

While they’re commonly found in pads (except for panty liners), it’s up to you whether you want them. They do often make the pad bulkier, so may be overkill for days when you're spotting or only have a light flow.

Comfort

You deserve to feel comfortable on your period. A pad shouldn’t feel wet when you wear it - it should absorb moisture straight away from the top layer of the pad to the layer or layers underneath it.

If you have sensitive skin, you might need to be more picky with what you wear. There are pads on the market which are less irritating on your skin; they’ll usually be hypoallergenic, unscented, or made from organic cotton - or all three!

It is difficult to tell how comfortable a pad is before you wear it, but before you do this, you can read through reviews to see first-hand accounts of how comfortable users found a particular pad.

Environmental friendliness

When it comes to figuring out how green your pads are, there are a few things to consider.

Pads are typically made from synthetics such as rayon or SAPs (Super Absorbent Polymers), the latter of which usually contains plastic. These materials are also often bleached to make your pads white.

This means that for the most part, the production and disposal of pads are harmful for the environment - those containing SAPs can take anywhere from 500 to 800 years to decompose.

While you’d be hard pressed to find a pad that is truly “eco-friendly”, there are a few things you can look out for if you’re shopping with the planet in mind:

• 100% organic cotton pads
• Biodegradable pads
• Unbleached pads
• Plastic-free packaging
• Vegan, cruelty-free pads

Other considerations

Pad manufacturers might also claim that their pads have certain features, such as being breathable, having odour control, or having flow guards that help prevent leaks. Some may also say that their pads are suitable for sport, meaning that they’ll generally be less bulky and more well-fitting.

It’s difficult to say whether pads with these claims are actually effective at what they say they do until you try them. Don’t worry if you try out a brand and it doesn’t work for you - we all have different preferences, prefer different fits, and have different flows, so it may take a bit of trial and error before you find something right for you.

Price

The tampon tax (which included all feminine hygiene products) may have been axed at the end of 2018, but the costs of buying pads can still quickly add up.

A 16 pack of pads can cost you anywhere from $1.80 to $7.25. Generally, the larger packs you buy (you can get anywhere up to 30 in a single pack), the lower cost will be per pad. In different packs across different pads, a single pad can range anywhere from 6c to $1.50 each.

Super, maternity, and overnight pads will usually set you back more than regular pads, while period underwear can cost you anywhere from $15 to upwards of $45.

Common questions

Wrapping up

Regardless of your preference, no one should shame you for your choice. Everyone is different, and if what you choose feels good for your cycle and lets you make the most of your life, then it’s likely the right product for you.