Are Leakproof Underwear Worth It? I Wore Them For 30 Days. Here's My Honest Review

Did you know about half of women over 50 have bladder leaks?

Most of us never say a word about it. Not to our friends, not to our husbands, not even to our doctors. We just quietly buy another pack of pads and carry on.

I was one of those women for almost nine years. A sneeze, a laugh, picking up my grandson, lifting the laundry basket. Nothing dramatic. Just enough that I never left the house without a liner on and a spare in my purse.

Lately I kept seeing ads for something called leakproof underwear: regular-looking underwear with the protection built in. They claim to do everything a pad does, without the bulk, the crinkle or buying them every month.

As a 64-year-old retired school librarian who had made peace with pads, I was skeptical. So I tried them for 30 days and kept notes.

Do they actually work? Are they worth it? Here is my honest review.

Before the review, here's what I learned about how they're made.

Leakproof underwear is regular underwear with a thin lining sewn in that runs from front to back. That lining does three jobs:

(1) A silky top layer pulls moisture away from your skin so you feel dry.
(2) An absorbent core in the middle locks the liquid in.
(3) A breathable leakproof barrier underneath keeps it off your clothes.

Because it's built into the underwear, there's nothing to stick on, nothing to shift around and nothing that rustles. And because they're washable, you wear them again and again instead of throwing money in the trash every day.

The pair I tried are from a brand called Gracenest. My order arrived in a plain, unmarked bag, which I was relieved about. Nobody at the mailbox needs to know my business.

Inside were 5 pairs in 5 different colours: mocha, nude, blush, lavender and black.

My first reaction, honestly? These are far too thin to work. They felt like nice regular underwear. Soft, smooth, with a wide waistband. I couldn't believe there was any protection in there at all.

Before trusting them in public, I did what I call the sink test. I held one pair over the sink and slowly poured water onto the lining, with a paper towel underneath.

I was shocked. The water disappeared into the lining almost straight away and spread out from front to back. I kept pouring. The paper towel underneath stayed completely dry.

The inside was damp to the touch, but the outside was dry. Okay, I thought. Maybe there's something to this.

I washed them the night before (I always wash new clothes) and put a pair on in the morning.

Three things I noticed right away:

The fit was good. I'm usually an L or XL, so I followed their size chart and took the XL. The waistband sat high and stayed put. It didn't roll down when I sat.

They were comfortable. No plastic feeling, nothing scratchy.

I forgot I was wearing them. No bulk, no crinkle when I sat down, nothing showing through my slacks.

Then, around lunchtime, it happened. I was cutting onions and had one of my sneezing fits, the kind where you can't stop at three. That is always a leak for me.

I went to the bathroom to check. The lining was a little damp. My slacks were completely dry. I didn't feel wet at all.

Day one at home was one thing. The real question was whether I could wear them out of the house and stop worrying.

My sister Carol came to town and we went out for lunch. Carol is the funniest person I know, and within ten minutes she had me laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes. Normally that's the moment I go quiet, cross my legs and excuse myself.

This time I just kept laughing.

When I checked later, the lining had clearly done its job. My skirt was perfectly dry. Not a single drop had come through.

After two weeks and a few washes, I hadn't had one leak come through.

The real test was a three-hour drive to my daughter's house. Before, I'd plan every rest stop, skip my morning coffee and wear a pad plus a dark pair of pants just in case.

This time I had my coffee. I wore my light-coloured jeans. I picked up my granddaughter and swung her around in the driveway without thinking twice.

I kept one spare pair in my handbag instead of a whole pack of pads. I never needed it.

Before the trip was over I ordered the 10-pack, so I'd always have a clean pair while the others were in the wash.

After a full month, they've been a complete game-changer for me.

They do everything my pads did, but they're more comfortable, nobody can tell I'm wearing them, and I'm not buying pads every month anymore. I honestly can't believe I waited so long.

The thing I didn't expect was how much the worrying had been running my life. The clothes I chose. Where I sat. Whether I said yes to a lunch or a trip. It was like a little cloud that followed me everywhere, and I didn't notice it until it was gone.

If you're a woman over 60 dealing with little leaks, I honestly can't think of a reason not to try a pair.

I was worried about ordering from a company I'd never heard of. Here's what made me comfortable:

✓ Free shipping, and it came in a plain package in about 5 days
✓ If the size is wrong, they send a new size free and you keep the first pair
✓ Real people answered my email the same day when I asked about sizing

Gracenest was started by a woman named Grace, who made the first pairs for her own mother after watching her give up her morning walks and her church choir because of leaks. Her mom loved them so much that her friends started asking for pairs too, and that's how Gracenest began.

When I ordered, they had a deal running: 5 pairs for $59.95, which works out to about $12 a pair, less than most of my regular underwear. The 10-pack brings it down to $10 a pair.

I don't know how long they'll keep the sale price, so if you want to try them I'd grab it today.

Thank you for reading.

Margaret L.