Incontinence underwear for women

How do I choose the right incontinence underwear?

If you don’t know your level of incontinence, I suggest you read through the whole text and find out before you buy any underwear. Below each category (light, moderate, and heavy) there’s an explanatory text. Choose the one that correspond to your situation and go from there.

Types of incontinence

There are basically 6 types of urinary incontinence.

• Stress – you leak urine when you perform an activity, like jump, sneeze, lift, and cough
• Urge – when you suddenly and occasionally need to urinate, can also happen throughout the night
• Mixed – usually refers to a combination of stress and urge incontinence
• Functional – has nothing to do with problems with the urinary system, but a mental or physical impairment are stopping you from making it to the toilet in time
• Overflow – symptoms similar to stress incontinence, but here you got a constant dribble due to problems with emptying the bladder efficiently
• Reflex – this is when an involuntary reflex causes your bladder to contract, also called spastic bladder

There are more terms and conditions but I think most fall within these types. No matter if you are recovering from surgery or just have an infection, the symptoms can usually be grouped together with those descriptions.

Deciding on your level of incontinence is important when choosing what product to order. Incontinence is simply uncontrollable urine or bowel leakage. How much is lost during a short period of time determines your level of incontinence.

The ability to make it to the bathroom without leaking is the ultimate goal for people that still have bladder control. Try to figure out how much time you have once your body signal that it’s time to pee. That way you can make plans for reaching the toilet in time when it’s possible.

Super Light to Light incontinence underwear

Light incontinence means less than about 120ml per event or episode. This is usually caused by stress incontinence or when the bladder is full and the overflow can’t be controlled. There are a lot of options for lighter incontinence underwear for women, and it’s easy to find a style that you like. I will show some of my favorites, but all brands have many more styles to choose from. There are links to their shops beneath each presentation (affiliate links).

Thinx

Thinx is one of my absolute favorite when it comes to underwear for light incontinence. There are a lot of colors, styles, and patterns to choose from. They truly look like your regular underwear. That’s so important because it helps to bring your confidence level back up again.

Thinx incontinence underwear hold between 1 and and 6 tsps worth of fluids. That’s equal to 15 to 100 ml.

The underwear in the picture is a Hi-waist in a blush pink. There are 7 more colors/patterns to view. If you don’t like Hi-waist underwear Thinx have bikinis, hiphuggers, french cuts, and thongs too. The bikini style has a low cut and are great to wear during and after pregnancy.

Thinx also makes period panties. They also have Thinx BTWN, which is period underwear for teens and tweens. The period underwear is generally the same as the incontinence underwear. The difference being it holding a little less fluid. I think about 20ml or so. There’s probably some kind of difference in the design as well.

Go to Thinx to see all products →

Absorbency: up to 100 ml

Modibodi

Obviously Modibodi isn’t for women who deal with bigger leaks as they only hold up to 50 ml. But they’re perfect if you experience little accidents here and there, or maybe need to work on your pelvic floor. Maybe you have had a baby or two. Or maybe you’re pregnant.

The underwear in the picture is one of their most popular pee proof bikinis. They’re pretty low cut, which make them easier to wear if you do got a bun in the oven. But they also have leak proof maternity underwear.

Modibodi underwear are underwear made for any kind of leaks. We’re not just talking about pee, but periods, heavy discharge, and sweat. I love them. The quality is great and their designs even better. If you take care of them, they will take care of you just as long as any regular underwear.

They also have leakproof underwear for Teens and Men.

Go to Modibodi to see all products →

Absorbency: up to 50ml

Wearever – regular absorbency

If you make a search for incontinence underwear, you’re bound to get across Wearever at some point. They offer price worthy, ok looking incontinence underwear for women in good quality. The only thing I want to complain about is the awful pictures they use. Jokes aside, it’s a little hard to see what the product actually looks like. The one in the picture is a nylon and lace panty. Pretty, soft and silky.

Wearever incontinence underwear have a built in pad that traps all liquids and lock them away. The antimicrobial fibers stop bacteria from growing, which prevents embarrassing odors. Since they hold up to 150 ml, you can comfortably use them all day. They will last about 200 to 250 washes.

Go to Wearever to see all products →

Absorbency: up to 150ml

Knix

Knix is all about comfort and beauty. They have designs for all stages in life and for all shapes and sizes. I think there are both classic and unique styles to choose from. They only hold up to 60ml, so they’re obviously for light incontinence problems.

The leak proof underwear in the picture are specially designed to stay in place at night. They have a thicker waistband and are made of body adaptive 4-way stretch material. Truly comfortable and made to hug your body.

I also want to mention their High-rise underwear that are both gorgeous and have smart compression zones to give you extra support and stability.

Go to Knix to see all products →

Absorbency: up to 60ml

Moderate incontinence underwear for women

Now we’re talking more than just a dribble. Although, still not an entire bladder. Usually that means about 120 ml to 300ml. That requires some serious protection. It’s also better to be safe than sorry. Stains can be so embarrassing and the fear of it will make you feel less comfortable and self-confident.

Wearever – super absorbency

Wearever seems to be the only brand available online with incontinence underwear for women with moderate incontinence issues. When we’re dealing with larger amounts of fluid it gets more challenging to make comfortable washable underwear. The product easily becomes bulky and unattractive.

Fortunately Wearever has solved the problem. And they’re quite nice looking. High-rise, feminine and soft. They come in both beige and white. I prefer white because then you can bleach them if necessary and keep them crisp. I think they tick all the boxes.

You can expect antimicrobial fibers that reduces unpleasant odors, an outer waterproof layer for extra safety, and machine washable lasting up to 250 washes.

Go to Wearever to see all products →

Absorbency: up to 300ml

Ladies underwear for Heavy incontinence

Heavy incontinence means the possibility of complete bladder loss. This can happen both during days and nights. It’s normally not more than 450ml, but you know yourself best. If you’re not sure how much pee the underwear needs to handle you can measure by peeing in a plastic container or put a plastic container in the bedside commode.

Wearever – maximum absorbency

Like for moderate incontinence, the only brand offering a decent product is Wearever. Or at least, what I have found so far. But note this, these underwear are not for severe or total incontinence. They’re for heavy incontinence (see description above).

Some people really like them, but a lot of people aren’t happy with them, and I think that’s because they expect too much of them. Complaints about leakage at the legs and bulkiness are quite common. I guess it all comes down to how well they fit your body and how much you normally urinate. As there are no other options available, I think they’re worth a try if you really want washable incontinence underwear.

Except for great absorbency you get, a nice feminine long-lasting design, a waterproof outer layer protecting your clothes, and odor reducing antibacterial fibers.

Go to Wearever to see all products →

Absorbency: up to 600ml

Disposable underwear for severe and total incontinence

If you’re experiencing total or severe incontinence the best option is disposable incontinence underwear. You can of course combine washable incontinence underwear with pads as well. But if you’re looking for the easy answer, I think disposables are the way to go. There are tons of great and trustworthy options. I think they’re quite similar but as usual, people tend to care more for one brand than another. I’ve tried to describe them briefly here below.

Always Discreet Boutique – the prettiest?

I don’t know if it’s at all true to call a disposable incontinence underwear pretty, but they do have a something a little cute about them. They’re also one of the absolute top selling ones and an Amazon’s Choice.

You get a super-absorbent core, double leak guards that keep wetness away from edges, discreet and comfortable fit, and odor lock technology.

Read more and buy here →

Depend Silhouette Incontinence Underwear

Depend is one of the most popular brands on the market. Most people who have tried them, really like them. They feel like underwear, and actually looks a little bit like regular underwear. They will keep you safe and dry. And super comfortable.

If you’re skimming through reviews of products you will notice that all underwear have both bad and good reviews. That means that we all have different bodies and different needs. You’re you, and you have a certain body and certain needs.

Try to understand which ones will fit you. If a lot of people are complaining about something that is important to you, move on to the next.

Read more and buy here →

Tranquility – best overnight underwear

Tranquility’s disposable underwear are definitely the best overnight underwear I’ve ever come across. Their absorbency and fit is probably the best on the market. If you sleep for long periods and urinate a lot, you can wear two over each other. Just make a hole in the inner ones outer plastic layer. That will be way more comfortable than using pads or going up to change.

Read more and buy here →

Waterproof Pull-on Pants – extra protection from leaks and stains

If you’re living on the edge, a pair of waterproof pull-on pants can be a life saver. Are you worried about embarrassing leaks and stains, these will give you and your clothes that extra protection and peace of mind. They’re lightweight, waterproof and stain proof. The pants are made of nylon which make them durable, environmentally friendly and great if you’re allergic to plastic, rubber, vinyl, or PVC.

You can wear them over both reusable and disposable underwear and during both days and nights. They’re noise free and breathes. Plastic and vinyl can become very hot and stuffy, which also creates more skin irritations.

If you’re having trouble with rashes you should read the research review “What is the most effective method of preventing and treating incontinence associated dermatitis“. It’s not exactly light reading but it’ll give you a great overview of what methods and results of different studies.

Like many other incontinence products, they’re not exactly sexy. But neither are stains. Make sure to use the things that make your confidence go up, not down.

Read more and buy here →