Does period underwear work for bladder leaks? – Yes and No.
If it's Vivo Bodywear undies, then yes you can wear period underpants for incontinence. For other brands be sure to check three things.
- Absorbency - Often period undies only hold a small amount of liquid because the average female only loses about 30-40mls of blood during her entire period. For perspective, a regular tampon holds 5mls. As such period underpants will often hold 5-10mls maximum.
Vivo Bodywear comes in 4 different absorbency styles - 20mls, 40mls, 80mls and 120ml, which makes them perfect for bladder leaks as well as heavy period flow.
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Fabric – Period undies made with cotton (as the main body fabric used everywhere but not in the absorbent gusset layer) can be very comfy, but cotton is not great for bladder leaks. It absorbs the dampness and can feel wet around the seams. It can also take a long time to dry. Whereas Vivo Bodywear is made from a technically enhanced breathable and fast drying fabric called COOLMAX, which is specially designed to rapidly transport moisture away from your skin to the outer layer of the fabric where it evaporates quickly to keep you cool, dry and fabulously comfortable.
- Composition of the absorbency layer(s) – menstruation blood is thicker than bladder leaks, as such the structure, material, thickness and width of the inbuilt gusset pad can all make a difference on how well the undies retain fluids without leaking, particularly when you sit down.
For the Vivo Bodywear briefs, the top layer, closest to your skin, is a soft stay-dry polyester that swiftly absorbs liquid and keeps it secure within the middle absorbency layers. The absorbency layers are made from a fast-drying microfibre infused with anti-odour properties. The composition of the fabric is designed to allow the liquid to spread (rather than pooling in one spot), as this allows for rapid evaporation. While the bottom layer is a breathable waterproof layer that provides leakproof protection.
Vivo Bodywear was originally designed for incontinence and as such only the lower absorbency briefs will be needed for menstrual flow.