How to Choose a Menstrual Pad

Here at U by Kotex® we know that everyone has their own journey when it comes to being introduced to menstrual products. Maybe you were excited for this stage of your life or maybe you felt embarrassed. You might have picked something to try yourself or perhaps a parent did for you. However it happened, for most of us that first experience included menstrual pads. Since pads are a key piece of our period preparedness, we thought they deserved a little extra love and attention. Whether you or someone you love is close to getting their first period , or you’re stuck in a rut when it comes to pads and you’re not certain where to turn, allow us to provide a little guidance.

We would love to give you a simple one word answer but the truth is a lot will depend on you, your flow, and what day of your period it is. For example, your Day 1 might be light enough that you only need a Barely There® liner, whereas on Day 2 you might be going through five or more of your CleanWear® pads in a 24 hour period. The most important thing is that you are comfortable. Feeling wet? It’s time to change! Certain activities like exercising can temporarily increase blood flow (and sweat!) so bring an extra pad to change into after your gym or workout class. Changing your pad regularly will also help prevent leaks.

Similar to tampons, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend that you change your pad every four to eight hours¹. This is to help keep you as leak free as possible and feeling fresh. With pads however, unlike tampons, you can stretch that timeline out, especially overnight. Finding the right fit, length and absorbency will allow you to sleep in Sunday morning without waking up to extra laundry. Hint: our Allnighter® pads can help you out with that one!

Quick note: if you’re soaking through a pad in an hour or less for several consecutive hours (i.e. more than two), it’s a good idea to check in with your doctor. Menorrhagia ² is the medical term for heavy bleeding and there are treatment options available to you!

Now that we’ve (hopefully) piqued your curiosity we can get to the good stuff.

You might have heard some of the lingo: maxi pads, ultra thin, wings etc., but in case you still have questions we're here to demystify and for simplicity’s sake we’ll use U by Kotex® Security® pads as our example. Let’s get started.

When you hear “ultra thin” you might be thinking this is a light days only pad and there was a point in time that you would have been right. Now, however, thanks to pad technology, ultra thin pads have a compressed core that’s super absorbent, despite feeling so light and flexible. Check this out: U by Kotex® Security® Ultra Thin pads come in four absorbencies. The Xpress-Dri technology that each contains will keep you dry for up to nine hours for regular absorbency, up to ten hours for regular/ heavy, eleven hours for overnight, and up to a full twelve hours for a luxuriously long sleep with extra heavy/overnight.

There are days and occasions, however, where you need that extra sense of security that only a maxi pad can provide and we get that. Enter U by Kotex® Security® Maxi Pads. These soft, extra absorbent pads are perfect for your heaviest days as well as postpartum care. Also featuring Xpress-Dri technology, they will keep you feeling fresh for up to nine hours in regular, ten hours in heavy, eleven hours in overnight, and up to twelve in extra heavy/overnight. Plus the soft touch cover feels super gentle on skin!

One feature we want to mention is wings. This is definitely up to personal preference, and we like to make sure you know all your options. Security® Ultra Thin Pads and Security® Maxi Pads both come with and without wings in every absorbency. Wings are extra material which fold around the gusset of your underwear to help keep the pad in place and occasionally absorb any extra liquid/ overflow. Since we know some people prefer with and others prefer without, we provide them both and let you decide!

Within our teen years navigating menstrual products can be a challenge especially our bodies are going through changes. But did you know U by Kotex® has a solution? We’ve developed the number 1 teen pad in Canada, Teen® Ultra-Thin Pad, uniquely sized for teens with up to 100% leak free protection so teens can get back to focusing on their days and not their periods! For extra peace of mind overnight, our Teen® Ultra-Thin Pad Overnight Protection is the only night time pad sized for teens (based on dimensions of Teen variant vs. regular absorbency pads) featuring Xpress-Dri ® Core technology to lock in liquid overnight – so you can get back to your beauty sleep!

For any period that comes your way, U by Kotex® is here to save the day!