Should I use pads, tampons, or other hygiene products for my sport, taekwondo

You can use whatever product feels most comfortable and secure for kicking and moving around in taekwondo.

Lots of people do martial arts on their period, and different products work depending on what you like:

• Pads: Stick them right in your underwear. Wings help them stay put when you are kicking, and changing into a fresh one right before class helps prevent leaks. Change your pad every 4 to 6 hours, sooner on heavy days.
• Period underwear: These look and feel like regular underwear but have built-in layers that absorb blood. They stay totally in place during high kicks and don't shift around.
• Tampons or a menstrual cup: These go inside you, so there is nothing bulky in your uniform.

Pads are just as good as anything else. If you do want to try tampons or a cup, pick the lowest absorbency you need for your flow. Change a tampon every 4 to 6 hours and never leave one in for more than 8; empty a cup at least every 12 hours; wash your hands before and after. If, while using one or soon after, you get a fever or feel hot, cold or shivery, are sick or have diarrhoea, feel dizzy or faint, get muscle aches, get a rash that looks like sunburn or feels rough like sandpaper, or feel like you have flu, take it out, tell a grown-up straight away and say you were using one. If it hurts to put in or won't go in after a few tries, tell a grown-up so a doctor can check. It can't get lost inside you, and if you can't get one out, a grown-up or a doctor can help.

You can do sport on your period, and taking it easy when you don't feel well is fine. If cramps are bad enough to stop you, tell a grown-up so a doctor can check: that's not something to push through.