Women trading sanitary napkins for adult diapers

Adult diapers are flying off the shelves but the users are not always those suffering from incontinence. A number of women are using the product to contain menstrual flow stating that they are more comfortable and reliable than a regular sanitary napkin.

"It works for me as I am a messy sleeper, that is, whenever I sleep in regular or overnight pads, they tend to shift and my bed linen gets soiled. I had this same problem at work so there are days when I would be afraid to get up especially if I feel a rush coming down," Kenisha told THE STAR.

Kenisha began using adult diapers as an alternative close to three years ago after reading an article on Google.

"It felt awkward at first and I remember just feeling really weird when I looked in the mirror. I also checked myself very carefully when I put on my clothes to see if it was bulging. After a few wears it felt natural and I don't have to be rushing to the bathroom every minute to change. Normally, I would use close to two packs of pads during a cycle but now I use like eight pampers," she said.

According to Ashley, she decided to jump on the diaper wearing train shortly after giving birth to her now two-year-old daughter. The practice she said is extremely cost effective as instead of buying feminine products, she is now able to share diapers with her toddler.

"Mi stop waste money on pads long time. In fact, I have a baby and we started to share her diaper together. What I do is cut the sides off and use the padding part and it works perfectly and is very absorbent. It works well for me because I can wear it for the entire day and don't think about staining and I am one who have a heavy flow for the first two days. A run mi run out of money one day and mi period come and mi try it and mi nuh stop," she said.

Founder of HerFlow Foundation, Shelly-Ann Weeks, says the wearing of adult diapers and period pampers has become more popular over the past five years.

'Some women flow are so heavy that they easily flood through overnight pads in a hour or two. This proves useful for especially women with heavy flow like those suffering from fibroids and so on. Back in the day when I use to bleed heavy, I use to have to use a super tampon and an overnight pad and that would just give me enough coverage for about two hours," Weeks said.

"While the regular adult diaper is not so much for periods and more incontinence, a lot of women are using it for their cycle as it is more affordable. People just need more support and women have to function while they are on a period and they may not be in a position where they can go and change every two hours," she added.

Weeks however, stated that she does not recommend the wearing of adult or period diapers for extended hours and that general hygiene practices should be considered.

"While the diaper gives females the support for a longer period of time, it is not ideal for Jamaican climate. Whether we like it or not it is a fact that we sweat between our legs whether you are fat or you are slim, and we have to remember that within the area we have four bodily fluids inclusive of vaginal discharge, sweat, urine and period and all of those things mix together bring their own set of bacteria. An overgrowth of bacteria can cause infection," she said.