Can Period Pants Be Used for Bladder Leaks?

In summary, yes, you can use period pants for light to moderate bladder leaks and we would recommend choosing heavy flow period pants for this purpose.

Urinary incontinence, stress incontinence or bladder leaks, affects up to 14 million men and women in the UK according to NHS England.

The severity of symptoms ranges from slight leaks during a laugh, cough or sneeze to more severe symptoms like losing urine unexpectedly. For anyone experiencing bladder control issues, it can curtail their lifestyle, so finding the right protection is crucial.

As often is the case with our content ideas here at Cheeky Pants, this article came as a result of a customer review on Trustpilot when a customer told us that our period pants had changed her 9 year olds life for the better:

'The periods pants have changed my 9 year olds life, she suffer with an over active bladder and often leaks, we have tried everything before hand and nothing helped, (all be in I have to get them in the smallest adult size for her but to be honest the fit perfectly and most of all they are discreet, comfortable and look like normal plain black knickers.

The only downside is I wish I found them sooner!Thank you so much cheeky wipes ❤️'

Let’s look in more details at whether period pants are up to the task for handling bladder leaks....

Absorbency Levels

Period pants are designed for menstrual blood, which is thicker and flows more slowly compared to urine.

They have multiple layers of protection which can absorb and lock in menstrual fluid, however bladder leaks present a different challenge due to both the volume and potentially rapid release.

The fabric in period pants is designed to be breathable and moisture-wicking, but this may not be enough to cope with a full flood of urine.

Most period pants can manage light urinary leaks or occasional dribbles, they may not be suitable for more substantial or continuous incontinence. We'd definitely recommend our heavy flow pants for incontinence purposes as they have an extra layer of absorbent materials.

Fluid Consistency

Urine and menstrual blood are very different in their composition and how they leave our body.

This means that products designed specifically for menstrual blood might not efficiently handle urine, which can seep through more quickly and requires a different absorbent technology.

Disposable incontinence pants and pads are designed to quickly draw in a larger volume of liquid, with disposable incontinence pads and pants using super absorbent polymers (plastic based) to trap it away from the skin and leave you feeling dry and avoiding prevent discomfort.

However many people find that wearing these type of disposable products can leave them sore and uncomfortable, which is where reusable pants or pads are definitely better:

'Love these, I’m past menopause, but use light liners daily for hygiene reasons. The Minky liners are very soft and pliable, barely there. The cotton liners are a little heavier, but once either are in place, they are forgotten. Even in the snuggest of jeans. No more sore spots from the chemicals used in disposables, it’s adhesive stickiness transferring to me. Or finding it has ‘moved’ or ‘rolled up’.

The poppers are very robust (not going to ping open and drop off for sure). They are very well constructed, so will last. I hand washed and dried them overnight whilst on holiday. Wish I had had these in my youth. No more spending money just to throw away. Just wash, dry and wear. Brilliant! �� Well worth trying.' Trustpilot Review

Odour Control

Another aspect to consider is odour control. If urine soaked pants aren't quickly removed and replaced, the stale smell of urine may soon build up.

In addition, with reusable absorbent pants if they aren't washed correctly, it is possible to get a build up of ammonia. Read our blogpost over at cheeky on how to get rid of the urine smell from pants.

Disposable incontinence products, however are often specifically formulated with advanced odour control technologies to handle the stronger smell of urine. Again, these chemicals can cause adverse reactions for some people.

Style

One of the huge benefits of using period pants for bladder leaks is that they look just like regular underwear, so they're much more discreet than incontinence pants or pads.

'I love the Cheeky Wipes underpants! Feeling fearless does what it promises. I have overactive bladder syndrome (OBS), so partial loss of bladder control is a big issue. On some days worse than others, but it’s unpredictable. So I wear my Feeling Fearless everyday.

Like with all underwear, it’s a good idea to replace them after about a year, from hygienic viewpoint as well because they lose efficacy over time. Absolutely worth it, though, not to feel as stressed about leaks as I used to.' Trustpilot Review

Can You Use Period Pads for Bladder Leaks?

Yes, you can use period pads for bladder leaks, but it's a good idea to choose heavy flow pads or extra long pads which have extra absorbency.

Conclusion

Period pants can be a good option for those with light bladder leaks, providing a comfortable, less bulky alternative to traditional incontinence products.

However, for moderate to severe bladder leaks, you may be best to use specialised incontinence wear, which is tailored to handle urinary leakage. Luckily, Cheeky offer a 100% happiness guarantee, so if you try our reusable pants and pads for incontinence and aren't happy, we'll refund you without quibble.

Our team all use the products themselves so are well placed to answer any questions you may have before ordering - nothing is TMI! Please do drop us a line if we can help.

In addition, you may also find these articles interesting:

• Best Incontinence Underwear for Women
• Bladder Incontinence and Your Period: What's the Connection?
• Incontinence Pants vs Pads: All You Need to Know
• Can you Use Incontinence Underwear for Periods
• Can You Wear Period Pants Overnight?
• Are Period Pants Hygienic?
• Do Period Pants Really Work?
• How Mindfulness & Meditation Can Help an Overactive Bladder

About the Author: Helen Rankin founded Cheeky Wipes, the original reusable wipes kit back in 2008 after disposable wipes caused her eczema to flare up. 4 kids later, internal period protection such as tampons or menstrual cups were no longer an option for her and she went on to develop their range of 'Simple Reusables' to include period pants, reusable panty liners and reusable sanitary pads.

The Cheeky customer services team pride themselves on providing honest, friendly advice and just LOVE to chat pee, poo and periods all day long, helping people make the switch to reusables! The Company was recognised for their hard work in developing environmentally friendly products with the Queens Award in Enterprise for Sustainable Development in 2021.