*This post is in partnership with WUKA but all views are my own.

To cut a long story short, after having my second son I decided that two little boys were enough and thought long and hard about my contraception. I changed from the pill over to the implant for the first time in my life. On one hand, it’s been great because I don’t have to remember to take the pill every day but on the other hand, it’s sent my period all over the place! I don’t have regular periods anymore and it’s really hard to know when it’s going to come, how long it’s going to be here and how heavy it’s going to be. It’s really annoying because before having my boys, my periods were spot on in terms of dates and it was so much easier to prepare and deal with!

I know it’s just something I have to get on and deal with. Sanitary towels are fine, but sometimes my period goes on for almost two weeks and my bits don’t take too kindly to being packed up for so long! I’ve tried period pants before but decided to give them another go. I’ve given WUKA (which brilliantly stands for Wake Up Kick Ass!) a go to see how I feel about them. As I sit here at my laptop writing this, I’m on my period and wearing a pair of the high waist pants and they feel flipping good! I’m pleasantly surprised!

WUKA are a UK based brand and almost all of their pants have sustainable material or organic cotton. (unlike other brands). I love the attitude and vibe of WUKA. I feel like they’re a little powerhouse of period pants that actually work!

So, let’s actually talk about the pants then…

Leaking

I know you might be thinking, as I did, where does the blood go? Am I going to leak? Isn’t it messy? Isn’t it a bit gross? Well, I thought all the above but actually, they’re none of the above. The inner layer of the pants has antibacterial properties so don’t smell when you wear them. There are no added chemicals, so your bits are safe on that front and there’s an absorbent layer in the gusset and a second leak-proof layer to stop leaks. So far I haven’t leaked. Which is quite a surprise because I’ve used to getting leaks on my knickers as I run after my little ones so much my sanitary towels don’t always stay in place. So far so good! The great thing is that it doesn’t matter how I move or run around, my WUKA pants stay in place, just like normal pants!

There are various pants with different absorbency levels so you can choose the products that work best for you at different times of the month.

Wearing

Based on that, I know your next questions is going to be about how it actually feels to wear them. Don’t they feel like you’re wearing wet knickers? Does it feel like you’re sitting on a lump of fabric? Nope and Nope. The pants themselves are actually really comfortable. |I opted for the high waist option because that’s how I like my knickers. They’re stretchy and a great fit. The gusset area is a little thicker than normal pants but, I usually wear heavy pads and the knickers don’t feel as thick as those, so I already feel more comfortable. I don’t feel any wetness at all, it can feel a little odd at first, you know when you feel a little bit of blood come out and then you think oh crap I’ve only got knickers on so I went and checked and nope, all good, no leaks! The pants literally just feel like normal knickers with a little bit of extra snugness, that’s the best way of describing it.

Washing

You basically bleed directly onto the pants. Bet your next questions is how do you wash them? Is it hygienic? This has always been my issue with things like period pants and wondering if it was really worth the hassle of having to clean them constantly instead of just throwing something away. Firstly, you can wear the pants depending on your flow. WUKA advise the following:

”Heavy flow pants can hold up to 20ml of blood, medium flow 15ml and light flow pants 5ml. We recommend wearing your heavy pants for UP TO 8 hours, whereas the medium flow for 4-6 hours”

So you’re not having to constantly change knickers. Not like you would with pads or tampons, which is great if you’re out and about quite a lot. A good tip is to have at least three pairs. One to wear, one to wash, one to dry and you can rotate them as and when you need them. Of course, if you want something a little more low maintenance, you can just buy more pairs! In the long run, you’ll save money and the environment. A winning combo really.

In terms of cleaning, the pants are black, which always helps when it comes to stains! You have to rinse them before washing, which you kind of get used to, and then throw in with your dark washing. Just washing powder, no softener and no tumble drying. Just air dry them inside out. You can’t really see any bloodstains once they’re washed because of the colour and the type of fabric. You know they’re there in your mind obviously, but they don’t look like pants you’ve had for 10 years! They stay in shape; the colour stays and they’re generally really great quality pants that DON’T ROLL DOWN!!!!!!!

Size

Size-wise, I’m wearing a 3XL and would even wear a 2XL (I’m a size 24/26) so they have a generous fit and as I said, they don’t roll down which is a massive plus for me. They have up to 45% stretch at the waist! Pants have to be comfortable right?

I wish I knew about WUKA after having a baby because it would have saved me so much time, effort and pain! But at least I can share this knowledge with you. I’ve going to invest in some more because if I can wear these as often as possible, still feel good, protected and not have to worry about my period making me feel uncomfortable AND make my clothing choices more sustainable then I am totally here for it.

You can give WUKA a try for yourself, they are THAT good that they currently have an offer where you can get a refund or exchange for a different size for free up to 40 days after purchase if you’re not happy.

I’m really, really impressed with WUKA and I’m going to purchase a few more pants to try and make the 100% swap to period pants! I’ll let you know how it goes over on my Instagram, so check back soon!