When it comes to feminine hygiene and protection during periods, there are many options available in the market. While some use only one product throughout their period, others may use a combination of products to meet their needs.

Two of the most common such products are tampons and pads. Both have their advantages and disadvantages but if you wish to pick up the one among them, you can go through the following given points of comparison between the two:

tampons vs padsTampons

Tampons are one of the most popular sanitary protection items and have been around since the 1930s.  Tampons are basically tube shaped products which are inserted into the vagina and soak in all the menstrual blood.  Women choose tampons because they offer more physical freedom to them and come in various sizes and levels of absorbency.

They are more discrete as compared to pads and may also be easier to carry around with you in a bag or purse. They don’t show through the clothes and are more suitable for swimming as well. They are mostly used by athletes and swimmers.

The disadvantage of using tampons is that they may not be very easy to insert for some females and the risk of getting an infection while wearing them is also higher as compared to pads. Another disadvantage of tampons is that they cannot be used between periods, unlike sanitary pads. Moreover it is important that women change tampons within every 4-8 hours whereas this may not be true for pads which can be changes according to the level of menstrual flow.

Pads

Pads on the other hand are also a very popular and commonly used form of sanitary protection and are available in a huge number of sizes and levels of absorbency.  What makes them slightly better than tampons is the fact that they are easy to use and also offer external protection.

Moreover, they come in variety of sizes and levels of absorbency which makes them suitable for girls with different levels of menstrual flow. While some pads come with wings, others may be simpler in design. While some are thin and flexible, others may be thick to absorb more flow and so on.  One of the benefits of pads is that they also come in various kinds of scented variants which prevent the smell.

The disadvantage of sanitary pads may be that they may be uncomfortable while performing certain physical activities like playing sports, doing swimming etc. while in the case of tampons, women beyond 41 years may not prefer them, pads can be worn by women of any age bracket, according to their comfort level.

The decision to choose from pads and tampons is totally yours and may depend upon how comfortable you are. But in a lot of cases, women prefer to use a combination of both. They may use both tampons and pads for added protection or may use tampons for a few days and then pads for a few days, depending upon level of menstrual flow.