By Megan Willis

[image: modibodi]

You wake up and you’re spotting. You make a mental note to put a tampon in before you leave for work and proceed to rush around in a valiant attempt to be on time.

After throwing on some clothes and flattening your hair into an acceptable shape, you brush your teeth, grab your tote – checking inside for phone, purse and keys – and hurriedly feed your cat before heading out the door. It isn’t until an hour later, mid-chat with a customer, that you feel a warm rush between your legs and remember the tampon. You know, the one you didn’t put in.

More than once I’ve been caught out in the above situation (silver lining: I now have a killer poker face), forced to rush to the shops to buy sanitary products even though I’ve plenty at home. Other times I’ve gone to bed with a towel on and had it spontaneously give up its absorption powers in the middle of the night, leaving me to wake up feeling like Stephen King’s Carrie. RIP white sheets.

I was too forgetful for tampons. Towels weren’t cutting it. Something needed to change. I’d known about period underwear for a while but had never ventured into that territory. Honestly, I was sceptical. Surely the underwear would leak? And if they didn’t, just how big and bulky were they?    

After much internal debate, I decided to give Modibodi’s products a go. Although they were a little more expensive than those made by high-street brands, they seemed like the best quality and I figured it would be an investment for the long run.

Like other period pants, Modibodi’s products are designed as a reusable alternative to disposable pads, liners and tampons. They’re meant to fit and feel like regular underwear – except they come with a built-in patented 3mm lining to absorb any liquid. Or, to put it in their own words, period pants as leak-proof as a chat with your bestie (it was this line that sold me).

I opted for two different styles: the Classic Bikini in a no-frills black and the Seamfree Hi-Leg Cheeky in bright yellow – variety is the spice of life, after all. All that was left to do was wait for those tell-tale cramps.

Boy, did they come. And boy, were these period pants life-changing! They really do feel like you’re wearing a regular ol’ pair of undies. They didn’t feel bulky at all, and I never felt like I was sweating or that there was perceivable moisture like I have with sanitary towels. I did spend the first day compulsively checking things were all okay down there, but the proof slowly calmed that initial scepticism.

After the first day or two, when the bodily discomfort subsided, I actually forgot I was on my period until I’d go to the bathroom. I’d been expecting some small spillages, but there were no leaks!

Gone are the days of forgetting tampons or leaking through pads; all I have to do now is put on my Modibodis in the morning when I get dressed. These totally take the stress out of my period for me (and the positive impact on the planet is a lovely bonus).

One small caveat to add is that I wore one pair each day while I was out and about – roughly nine hours – but it’s recommended by some to change them as little as every four hours, with others going right up to twelve. There are different absorbency levels available, so like most things, I think it’s a case of personal preference and seeing what works for you.

My Carrie days are officially behind me – and my sheets are whiter than ever!