You use pads and tampons to keep your clothes and underwear from getting ruined during your period. These products collect the blood and protect your clothes.
Did you know that the blood from your period only amounts to a few teaspoons? After all the pads and tampons a girl uses each month, you'd think it was a lot more!
How do pads work?
Pads are made of layers of absorbent material that collect the blood flow. You usually wear them attached to your underwear. Pads are also called sanitary napkins. Most pads are made with a sticky back so you can simply stick them to your underwear.
Are there different kinds of pads?
Pads come in a lot of different sizes, shapes, and absorbencies:
- Size. Pads come in several sizes for different needs. Small thin pads (also called panty liners) are designed to be worn on your days of lightest flow. Extra-long, thick pads give you more protection from leaks in front of or behind the pad.
- Shape. Many pads are rectangles, but there are lots of other shapes. Some pads are shaped like an hourglass. Other pads have "wings" to prevent leaks on the sides of the pads. Shape is just a matter of preference. You can try different shapes and decide which ones you like best. The best one for you is the one that's most comfortable and gives you the best protection.
- Absorbency. This indicates how much liquid a pad can hold. On the days when you have a heavy blood flow you'll want to use more absorbent pads. These pads are often labeled "super" or "super-plus". There are other pads designed for the days when you have a lighter flow. Thicker pads are usually more absorbent. But some thin pads are very absorbent because they're made of special materials.
Pads are easy to use. You just peel off the paper from the back and put the sticky side down on the inside of your underpants. You replace the pad with a new one each time you use the bathroom or if the pad feels very wet.
Many girls use different pads on different days. They might use larger, more absorbent pads for days when their periods are heavier, and thinner, smaller pads for the lighter flow days, like those at the end of their periods.
How do I get rid of a pad?
When it's time to change your pad, here's what you do:
- Remove it by pulling it off your underwear.
- Roll it up with the dirty side in. When you do this, the sticky stuff will keep the pad rolled up in a ball.
- Wrap the whole pad in toilet paper.
- Throw it in the trash. Don't flush a pad down the toilet because it'll clog up the toilet and make it overflow.
You can buy pads at any drugstore or supermarket.
Can people tell that I'm wearing a pad?
Most of the time, pads aren't noticeable. They may feel strange to you, but only you know that you're wearing one. You can also buy pads that are very thin, but still absorb a lot of fluid. If you feel strange wearing a very thick pad on your heavy-flow days, try one of the thin pads that absorb a lot.
You may also want to think about wearing looser fitting clothes on the days that you have your period and are wearing a pad. The bulkiness of a pad may show more with tighter clothes.
