**UPDATE** I have now ordered some of the protective pads also. I like the quality and protection of these underwear so much that I figure why not give the pads a try? I will use the pads for daytime use and continue using the underwear for nighttime when I am feeling especially incontinent. Seriously, ladies, the underwear will change your life if you have been relying on the usual brand pads. I never used Always brand for mentrual protection, but their underwear are the best. I am hoping that the pads will be as good. I want to try them because the price is so good for the quantity and because I want something for daily use when I'm feeling more confident but still want some "backup". Just in case... These underwear a seriously a must-have for things like traveling or anytime I will need be unable to get to a bathroom at regular intervals. I will NEVER travel without them again or attend long meetings and seminars. I just wish I had learned about them sooner. I hesitated to write this review because of the sensitive nature. However, I like this product so much that I have to tell other people about it. Like a lot of women, I suffer from incontinence brought on by medication and a health condition. Also, I admit, age! LOL Before taking certain medications, I had "normal" age-related incontinence. Sneeze-and-leak, laugh-and-leak, you know - the usual stuff. I was able to wear the various pads from my local store. Now though, I have problems just making it to the bathroom without having heavier accidents. It doesn't help that I am also now trying to drink a gallon of water each day. I understand that the "urges" to pee every 5 minutes will pass in a few weeks as my body gets used to the additional fluid intake. We'll see... In the meantime, I have to deal with saving myself embarrassment from these urges to pee all the time. My best friend told me about another brand of underpants, but I didn't find them. I saw these on here and decided to give them a try. I'm glad I did. For one thing, they are affordable. The biggest thing though, is that they really are discreet. I felt a little weird about wearing these instead of my regular underwear. With pads, I still wore panties and that just felt more normal to me. The first day that I used these, I did feel kind of silly putting them on. They don't look like regular panties and my first thought was that they looked like something a hospital or nursing home would give someone to wear. Or that they looked really big and a lot like a diaper, So I was a little sheepish about trying them on. Once I did get them on though, I realized that they look very much like regular underwear. This "classic" cut isn't very sexy looking! LOL They are more like the plain panties I wore back when I was having a period. They don't look that bad once you get them on The most important thing is how well these work. I can only compare the protection and comfort to Poise pads and cheaper/store brand versions of them. Here is how these compare, in my opinion: 1) These are more comfortable to wear. I don't have to worry about pad lines showing. I wear a lot of yoga pants and these underpants do NOT show any kind of outline underneath. Even when these get damp, they still don't show. With the pads I used, I have to be very careful about placement and, when the pads got the least bit damp, I had to worry about them "swelling" and bunching up. I was always making sure to keep the seat of my pants covered until I could change to a fresh pad. 2) These keep my body smelling fresher. The pads (especially Poise brand) would get a rank odor after wearing them a while. Even without urine dampness, there was just a weird and embarrassing odor that I noticed when using the bathroom (when the pad was exposed). I have noticed that even when these get a bit damp, I don't have to rush off to the bathroom to wash up and change. 3) These keep the wetness away from me. That sounds weird, but when I was using pads, if I did have the smallest accident, I could feel the uncomfortable wetness. I ended up using a couple of pads a day at least. That adds up. If I couldn't get to a bathroom, I had to just worry about being smelly and uncomfortable. That kind of defeats the main purpose of using something as a safeguard. I could almost forget that I had a small accident while wearing these. I actually was in bed sick with a virus and wore one of these after a pretty big coughing induced accident. I was so glad that I was comfortable and clean-feeling enough to continue resting before I got up to change. Anyone who has never had to deal with incontinence just won't understand how much it impacts your confidence and esteem to be an adult having "accidents". There have been times that I wouldn't get close to people because I was worried about odor or appearance. One time when entertaining company, I sat for hours until everyone else left because I was afraid my pad had failed me. Like I said, I have not tried other incontinence underpants, but I am so pleased with these. I ran errands yesterday and today (after drinking half my daily water requirements!) and it was the first time ever that I wasn't worried about being embarrassed by one of my "accidents". These don't bunch up when they get damp and I don't have any of the problems with not being fully protected. I don't care how well you place a pad, sometimes after an accident, you find that you weren't protected - either on the sides of the pad or at the back or front. Then, if you do get a longer length and wider pad, you feel like you are walking around with a diaper between your legs. It's just very uncomfortable and makes you feel self-conscious. These underpants solve all the problems related not just to incontinence, but also with confidence. WARNING: Be careful to change as soon as you get one more than a little bit wet. I was stuck on a car trip for a couple hours before I could change and ended up with the start of a UTI. Thankfully, I was able to clear that up with home remedies (mainly drinking water Ceylon cinnamon water for a couple of days) but this was a lesson!!!
