Can You Wear a Thong on Your Period?

The easy answer to this question, is yes, you can absolutely wear a thong on your period. However you can't wear bulky sanitary pads, so your options for period protection are slightly more limited than usual:

• tampon
• menstrual cup
• thong liners
• period thong

For many people, thong underwear is their daily 'go-to' from their underwear drawer. There's no VPL (Visible Panty Lines) and if you get them to fit right they're super comfortable. But how do you wear them on your period?

How to Wear a Thong on Your Period

If you want to wear a thong on your period, we’d recommend that in the majority of cases you just use your 'normal' period products. For tampon and menstrual cup wearers, this is easy as the internal period protection remains unchanged and if you find that you don't have particularly heavy flow this is sufficient for you to wear your regular underwear, even a G-string!

However if you usually wear a sanitary towel or panty liner alone or as a back-up to your tampon or menstrual cup, you may have to tweak your period habits. That's because standard period pads won't fit a G String or Thong.

Standard disposable sanitary pads which have a sticky backing don't have enough material to attach to. And pads with wings have the same issue. And even the slimmest cotton reusable pads aren't suitable for wearing with thongs.

So what are the options if you can't or don't want to wear internal period protection?

'Been looking for ages for thong style period pants and these are great. Really good price and super comfy. I am an 8-10 but went for a 10 and it’s just right. Exercised in them, no leaks or chafing. Customer service was also great over online chat when I had a question. Going to get some “my first period” pants for my daughter too. So impressed.' Rebecca, Trustpilot

Period Liners

Period liners are disposable panty liners made specifically for wearing with thongs. They're thin and triangle /wedge shaped to fit into your knickers. However because they're quite thin, they're not really suitable for anything more than very light flow.

And, of course they're disposable which isn't great for the planet either.

Can you get period thongs?

Yes you can get period thongs from many brands of period underwear. Like normal period pants, period thongs have got a moisture wicking layer, an absorbent layer to catch the blood and a waterproof layer to stop leaks.

'Absolutely love these for lighter days or wearing with my menstrual cup. Great quality and fit. Highly recommended'

Period thongs are just like normal high-waisted period panties. All period knickers are super comfy compared to wearing pads. They're easily washed in cold water just hold off on adding any fabric softener.

However because there's much less material in a thong than regular period underwear, period thongs are only suitable for light flow. They're perfect at the start or end of your period, but if you're heavy for a day or two, you'd be better off switching to regular pairs of period pants.

'I literally love this company! I recently discovered it when I was browsing for cheap period pants. The quality is actually better than some of the really expensive competitors and I much prefer the styles that cheeky wipes have. I’ve told all my friends about it and even told the nurses in my hospital. More people need to switch to these more sustainable period products and after sampling various different companies, I can happily say this is the best company for them. The period thong is so stylish I’ve just ordered 3 more. I would really recommend just trying a pair even if you’re sceptical about leaks etc with period pants because I guarantee you’ll be pleasantly surprised.' KB, Trustpilot

Cheeky Wipes have a range of period pants and period swimwear to cover the whole of your period. From High-Waisted to Heavy Flow, with specific styles for teens and tweens, we've got period knickers for everyone. We also have a fantastic questionnaire to help you make the switch to reusable period products. Simply complete a few questions and our expert team will provide you with a tailored recommendation to help you make the switch!

We hope you enjoyed this article. If you're interested in any further reading we recommend:

• Can you prevent leaks on your period?
• Is it OK to swim on my period?

About the author: Helen Rankin is a Mum of 4 and founded Cheeky Wipes,  the original reusable wipes kit back in 2008 after disposable wipes caused her eczema to flare up. She went on to develop their range of 'Simple Reusables' to include period pants, reusable sanitary pads and reusable makeup removing pads. The team pride themselves on providing relatable friendly advice and just LOVE to chat pee, poo and periods all day long! The Company was recognised for their hard work in developing environmentally friendly products with the Queens Award in Enterprise for Sustainable Development in 2021.