Is Menstrual Underwear Worth It?

Transcript:

When you go to private company websites like Knix , Thinx, or Aisle, menstrual underwear are pretty pricy especially when you need several pairs.

I can’t tell you how many times I have leaked through my underwear and not only has it led to embarrassing moments, but it’s so frustrating having to pull apart the bed and scrub out stains.

I stumbled across menstrual underwear and jumped right on it.

I was skeptical that they would even work, so I went onto Amazon and bought a pack of six menstrual underwear for only $30. They run on the smaller end, so people recommended buying a size larger than your normal size. They don’t normally come in the greatest of colors, but they definitely do their job. The underwear I have is little thicker than other cotton underwear, but they don’t feel like diapers as one would think and they definitely don’t show through your pants any more than regular underwear might.

The inside is lined with an absorbent bamboo fabric. Bamboo is also stain-resistant so you can see that there aren’t any stains. If you do leak onto the underwear, you can just toss it into the washing machine as-is and it’ll completely wash out.

This leak-proof lining goes all the way to the back which is great for night-time use and for back-bleeders like me.

You shouldn't wear this underwear by itself not just because it may not be able to withstand all your female power, but because there are companies that have been caught using a toxic chemical known as Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the crotch area. If you’re interested in learning more about it I go into detail down below but essentially, you do not want this chemical coming in contact with your vagina. That’s why using menstrual underwear with pads is good.

This is a regular cotton underwear and I’m going to pour a little water on it. You can see the water immediately leaks through.

This menstrual underwear, on the other hand, is pretty much bullet proof. Obviously, blood is thicker than water so it’s not going to be spreading like the water in the demo. Still, the other side is completely dry. You may see little wet spots but that’s just because I didn’t do the greatest job drying my sink.

Since using this underwear, I have yet to have a disastrous accident.

What is PFAS?

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are man-made compounds. While you may not have heard the term, manufacturing industries will frequently use them since they're resistant to heat, oil, and water. They've been detected in our water supply, waterproof jackets, non-stick pans, makeup, sunscreen, carpets, fast food wrappers, and menstrual underwear. The four primary exposure pathways are:

1) Paper packaging and food wrappings

2) Food and water

3) Clothing

4) Dust

Health risks

PFAS don't break down easily which has raised environmental and health concerns since these chemicals have been linked to (testicular and kidney) cancer, endocrine disruption, reduced vaccine effectiveness, and reproductive disfunction. Monitoring by the CDC has shown that more than 95% of the U.S population has PFAS levels over 4 ppb (parts per billion) in the blood which has decreased since 1999 after more state regulations were put in place.

Testing our water

The EWG (Environmental Working Group), tested tap water samples in 2019 from 44 places in 31 states. Of those collected, some of the highest levels of PFAS came from major metropolitan areas such as Miami, Philadelphia, New Orleans and the northern New Jersey suburbs of New York City.

Based on human and rodent studies with PFAS, the EWG says that levels higher than 1 ppt (parts per trillion) can be potentially dangerous. The EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency), on the other hand, has raised the safety advisory threshold to 70 ppt. Additionally, much like how menstrual product companies aren't required to disclose individual ingredients, cities testing for PFAS aren't required to report their results to the EPA or even publicly disclose them.

In EWG's research study, they found high traces of PFAS in places that chose not to report their test results.

The map below indicates sites that tested positive for high levels of PFAS contaminates based on results collected by the EWG.

Purple= Military sites

Blue= Drinking water

Pink= Other known sites

PFAS in menstrual underwear

At the beginning of 2020, a report came out that a University of Notre Dame scientist discovered high enough traces of PFAS in Thinx underwear to claim they were deliberately being used. The company continues to argue that it meets the safety standard, but the study showed Thinx's main line of menstrual briefs had PFAS levels of 3,264 ppm (parts per million) and a line marketed at teens contained 2,053 ppm. Although the EWG advisory level is 1 ppt and the EPA advisory level is 70 ppt, there is still a high a enough concentration of the chemicals that it would be best to use alternative menstrual products if you plan on wearing them without a pad.

Thinx has also been struggling to re-build their image since 2017 after founder/former CEO Miki Agrawal allegedly fat-shamed and sexually harassed her employees.

This is not to say, however, that all menstrual underwear contain PFAS. The same scientist tested LunaPads underwear (now known as Aisle) and found no traces of PFAS. Cosmopolitan has also reached out to well-known brands such as Aisle, Sustain Natural, RubyLove, Rael, Knix, and Intimate Portal. Of those, only Aisle, Sustain Natural, and RubyLove have responded and confirmed they are PFAS-free. If you're wearing a tampon or menstrual cup and you're nervous about leaking through your bathing suit, RubyLove has even come out with period swimwear.

More of the health risks with PFAS clothing come from the manufacturing process as opposed to wearing the product itself. Nevertheless, you don't want to be wearing menstrual underwear on its own because the vagina is lined with a highly absorbent mucous membrane. That's why you shouldn't buy products from companies using/could be using PFAS who advertise that their menstrual underwear can replace tampons and pads. Some companies do say you need added protection.

After doing all this research, I plan on buying a couple menstrual underwear from the PFAS-free businesses because I prefer wearing menstrual underwear by itself during light spotting days.

Works Cited

Evans, Sydney, et al. “PFAS Contamination of Drinking Water Far More Prevalent Than Previously Reported.” Environmental Working Group, 22 Jan. 2020, https://www.ewg.org/research/national-pfas-testing/

Hsieh, Carina. “Three Options for PFAS-Free Period Underwear (If You've Chucked Your Other Ones).” Cosmopolitan, 20 Jan. 2020, https://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/a30570478/pfa-free-period-underwear/

Malone, Noreen. “Former Thinx Employee Accuses Miki Agrawal of Sexual Harassment.” The Cut, 20 Mar. 2017, https://www.thecut.com/2017/03/thinx-employee-accuses-miki-agrawal-of-sexual-harassment.html

PFAS Clinician Fact Sheet. 24 June 2020, https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/docs/clinical-guidance-12-20-2019.pdf

Segran, Elizabeth. Report: Thinx Menstrual Underwear Has Toxic Chemicals in the Crotch. 13 Jan. 2020, https://www.fastcompany.com/90450618/report-thinx-menstrual-underwear-has-toxic-chemicals-in-the-crotch#:~:text=A%20University%20of%20Notre%20Dame,chemicals%2C%20in%20Thinx%20menstrual%20underwear.&text=These%20are%20chemicals%20known%20to,to%20cancer%20and%20fertility%20problems.

“Toxic Substances Portal - Perfluoroalkyls.” Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, June 2018, https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp200.pdf