Pads 101: A Complete Guide for Beginners

If you're just getting started, pads are a lovely first choice, and honestly there's nothing tricky about them. They stick to your underwear, they're comfy, and you'll feel like a pro after the very first one. Here's everything you need to know.

What are pads?

Pads (sometimes called sanitary napkins) are soft, absorbent strips that stick to your underwear and catch your period blood. They come in lots of sizes and styles, so there's one for every kind of day.

The different types

By absorbency

• Panty liners: for very light days or everyday discharge.
• Light or regular: for lighter flow days.
• Heavy or super: for your heavier days.
• Overnight: longer and extra absorbent, made for sleeping.

By style

• With wings: little side flaps that fold around your underwear to hold the pad in place (a great pick!).
• Without wings: just the main pad.
• Ultra-thin: slim but still absorbent.
• Maxi or thick: more cushion and a bit more protection.

How to use a pad

1. Unwrap the pad.
2. Peel off the paper strip from the sticky back.
3. Press the sticky side onto the middle of your underwear.
4. Fold the wings (if it has them) under the edges of your underwear.
5. Done! You're protected.

How often to change it

• Every 4 to 6 hours during the day.
• More often on heavier days.
• Always before bed and again when you wake up.
• Any time it feels full or uncomfortable.

Tips for staying leak-free

Everyday

• Make sure the pad sits centred in your underwear.
• Use wings, they really help keep everything in place.
• Pick the right absorbency for your flow.
• Wear darker underwear on heavier days if it helps you relax.

At school

• Keep a few pads in your bag, locker, or pencil case so you're never caught out.
• The school nurse usually has spares too.
• Change during bathroom breaks.
• Wrap a used pad in toilet paper before popping it in the bin.

At night

• Use an overnight pad, they're longer for extra coverage.
• Position it a little further back.
• Wear snug underwear to keep things from shifting.
• And don't stress about the occasional small leak at night, they happen to everyone. If you are leaking most nights, or bleeding through onto your sheets, tell an adult, because that is something a doctor can help with.

A few things to know

Pads are wonderfully easy: nothing to insert, and you can see your flow, which is handy for tracking. They can feel a little bulky and may shift during sports, and they don't work in water, so for swimming there's period swimwear, which is made for exactly that and doesn't need anything inserted, but for most everyday moments they're brilliant.

Remember

Start with a regular pad with wings, then adjust as you learn your own flow, it's completely normal to use different types on different days. You'll have this figured out in no time, and Sosô is right here with you. 💛