AD | WUKA Period Pants – Review

Disclosure: I was gifted two pairs of WUKA Period Pants in exchange for an honest review)

(A little disclaimer before we start, if you’ve found this post, chances are you are looking for information on period pants, but just incase, a warning that this post may be a bit TMI – although if you follow me, you’ll know I’m a total over sharer and comfortable with it.)

I’ll be honest, I dread my ‘time of the month’ – I feel it creeping up  – is it just me or does it come round quicker every 28 days? – and its miserable. I started my periods very early – when I was 10, nearly 11, and at 34 I’ve now had a considerable amount over the years – probably over 250, not including my pregnancies! I suffer badly with PMS, definitely more so since having the children, and it makes me incredibly anxious and grumpy. Then come the cramps – I’ve always suffered horribly with cramps – when I was in school, once a month my mum had to come and collect me, as I felt sick and faint. To be fair the cramps have actually improved slightly since having babies, and I can usually get by with some painkillers and a hot water bottle, but then comes the actual period – I hate sanitary towels! I find them uncomfortable, sore, and just unpleasant. However they have been my preferred option to tampons – which I’ve never used as I remember being freaked out about toxic shock syndrome when I was younger – I was petrified I’d forget about one and get poorly, and so I’ve never felt the need to use them. I was actually excited to find that whilst browsing the website they also make swim briefs – that would be life changing for me as I’ve always avoided swimming during my period. 

I’d heard a lot of people talking over the last year or so about reusable period products – I love that so many things now are becoming more eco friendly, and was keen to try them out. I’d heard from friends how much more comfortable period pants were than sanitary towels and how easy they were to use. When WUKA (which stands for ‘Wake Up Kick Ass – love that) got in touch and asked me to review some of their period pants I jumped at the chance. WUKA as a company sounded fab to me  – 100% British designed and founded and their products are Vegan, Ethical and Sustainable.

I was sent a pair of both the Heavy Flow Midi briefs and the Medium Flow Bikini Briefs. Personally for me, I wish I had gone for the high waisted briefs – as after five pregnancies my tummy, especially with period bloat can use all the help it can get, but they were comfortable and didn’t feel bulky like I was expecting. As I mentioned, I can have very heavy periods, for the first two days of my cycle, but the pants coped well. I did change them halfway through the first day, not because they leaked but I had the fear! For the five days of my period I didn’t experience a single leak. Its worth noting that whilst reviewing them, we were in lockdown, so I wasn’t leaving the house. I think if I had been, I would’ve taken a spare pair with me just incase, in a waterproof bag, but I am confident in that the heavy flow pants would be ok to wear for up to 8 hours as the WUKA website suggests – however I think its definitely down to personal preference and knowing your own body/your own periods. 

They were easy to wash – I rinsed them quickly and threw them in the machine on a quick wash and popped them on the heated towel rail. I am planning on purchasing another pair so that I have enough on rotation to change them, wash them and get them dry as its currently not nice outside – in the summer they would line dry in next to no time at all. 

I asked on my Instagram if anyone had any questions about periods pants, and thought I’d answer them in this post…

How do they cope with heavy days?

I consider myself as having a very heavy period for the first couple of days, and I honestly felt that they did a great job. I did change during the day the first two days but I think the heavy flow pants would have been fine if I hadn’t. 

Do you feel dry/clean in them? I’m worried I might feel damp?

Yes! This was my worry too, and part of the reason I’d put off trying them, but I definitely felt cleaner than I did with sanitary towels – I also felt like because the pants are black and I couldn’t see anything, I ‘felt’ cleaner.

Are they less bulky than a pad?

Definitely (see picture below – these are the heavy flow) – and I always found pads made me sore towards the end of my period which wasn’t the case for the WUKA pants.

How long can you wear them for?

WUKA recommends up to 8 hours for heavy flow and 4-6 hours for medium flow. As I mentioned the first two days I did change them, as I was worried they would leak, but they didn’t. I wore the heavy flow ones overnight with no leakage too. 

Maybe TMI, but do they smell?

No – I didn’t find that they smelt at all. The absorbent layer has antibacterial properties that prevent any smells.

Are they easy to wash?

Yes you can either rinse and hand wash, or rinse and wash in the machine – just don’t use any fabric softener. I then dried them on the heated towel rail in the bathroom. 

In conclusion, I really felt like the WUKA pants, made for a much happier period. I also felt like I had a slightly lighter period whilst wearing them, however this could just be my mind playing tricks on me as you can’y actually see the blood in the pants. I love that it is also another way to help our planet – and cost wise, you will spend considerably less in two ears than you would on disposable products. An all round win for me!

Thankyou so much to WUKA for the chance to review their period pants – definitely life changing! As always all photographs and opinions are my own.