Forgive us for generalizing here but having your period kind of sucks. What's worse? Menstruating while you're trying to enjoy a pool or beach day. As if feeling bloated or just plain blech isn't bad enough, there's that sinking feeling that maybe you'll leak or have some freakish period mishap for everyone to see.
Enter PantyProp's swimwear bottoms, currently available in four different styles with the promise that its absorbent leak guard protection is just what you need to feel confident going in the water this summer. Oh, and you can also discreetly wear a sanitary pad with it—a major coup for those who either can't or choose not to use tampons.
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It's almost like Crystal Etienne, the creator and CEO of PantyProp, heard our concerns and delivered the perfect solution. And priced at either $34.99 or $39.99, the SwimProp bottoms are either on target or even more affordable than a lot of mix-and-match swimwear pieces you'll find on the market. According to Etienne, the swimwear line has gone viral and within two days sold over 3,000 pieces. PantyProp is expecting two more colors to come in from their factory within the next couple of weeks.
"We first only produced the two colors because we wanted to see if people really needed them," she tells MIMI. "I know I needed them since I am so afraid to go to the beach when I am on my cycle, but that doesn't mean that everyone would. The market has spoken and proved that it was definitely an item well needed. Once it hit the market, our Live Chat was filled with mothers for their daughters who dreaded the thought of her child inserting a tampon, people going on vacation who didn't want to ruin good sun fun because of a few leaks. I even had a middle-aged woman at an expo I did last week said she needed it to control her sweaty lady parts while laying in the sun since it has the absorbent liner."
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When Etienne started the company, which first launched period protective panties, she knew all of the categories she wanted to enter into, but though there would be more lag time between introducing new additions to the line. When it was clear that there was a demand for the undies, Etienne wasted no time getting the swimwear into production.
She's obviously thrilled with the response to the product, but does want to warn sanitary pad users to continue following their regular hygiene protocol.
"It is very safe to swim with a sanitary pad, but most important that you still must change your pad," says Etienne. "Especially when leaving the water, you should discard and put in a fresh pad immediately. With our products it is so discreet and uncomfortable that it may make you forget that you are actually bleeding, but the reality is—you are. So I just want everyone to still be very clean and fresh, even though you are now discreet and secure."
This article originally appeared on MIMIchatter.com.