Period Talk: How to Use a Pad

Talking about periods is sometimes uncomfortable for parents and/or girls. Pediatric and adolescent gynecologist, Dr. Shanna Combs, is here to help with her Period Talk series. In this episode she shares simple tips for using a pad during your period.

Meet the speaker

Get to know Dr. Combs

Visit Dr. Combs’s practice

Related information

Filling the Unmet Need: Cook Children’s First Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology Department Opens

When Should I Take My Daughter to See a Gynecologist?

Period Talk: What’s Normal, What’s Not and How To Go with The Flow

11 tips that could save your daughter’s life

The female athlete: What makes her different?

Transcript

00:00

Music

00:09

So you might be wondering why I'm holding a pad and a tampon? Well, one of the things I wanted to talk about in our period talks today is what products to use. So first and foremost, the question I always get, well, should I use this or should I use that or should I use this? And truthfully the question, the answer is, you should use what you feel most comfortable with. A couple of things, pads. They come in these discreet, lovely packages, but we always like to try and hide it in our pocket. Unfortunately, it doesn't matter. A pad is a pad is a pad and it's okay to talk about your periods.

00:43

So first off, pads, they usually have two sides. One side is the sticky side. You don't want to put that side up. The other side is the pad side. And as you can see, it kind of looks a little like a diaper, and it absorbs fluid or menstrual blood. On the backside, you see the sticky side. That's where you can stick it to your underwear so it'll catch the blood.

01:09

Really, it's a comfort issue. If you're bleeding over your pad and bleeding on your clothes, you'll probably want to change it sooner. But if the blood is just in the middle of the pad, it's every few hours or at your comfort level. Some people don't like having a lot of blood on their pad, and it makes them feel like they're wearing a wet diaper so they may change it more frequently.

Back to Ask-a-Doc