AIBU to rage at knicker gussets - or is it me? (lighthearted!)

[littlebrownbag]

First off, by knicker gussets I mean the double fabric bit that covers your under-carriage. And I've always presumed it has the cottony bit to be kind to your delicate areas and catch the odd drop of fanny juice that may leak out.

Well, my anatomy seems to be that anything liquid that you'd want to be caught in your knickers winds its way through all my labia, to exit at the front. This means it misses the gusset and hits the flimsy fabric - so it's visible. Is that just me it happens to? Am I an outlier, or have all knicker manufacturers got womens' anatomy wrong for all this time?

While this has never been a significant problem up to now, aside from careful positioning of sanitary towels during periods, it's now an issue thanks to peri-menopoause causing my fanny to get quite runny. I really don't want to have to wear panty liners every single day (hot and itchy), but I do because otherwise I'll be washing knickers AND trousers every day and I generally get a 2-3 days wear out of my trousers.

Anyone else?

I too suffer bleachy crotch.

Meant to say as my name would imply.

I've got the bleachy/rusty knickers too and my dh and kids have seen them (dh does the washing, kids have commented when they are hanging on the peg hangy thing, but I was embarrassed not knowing y they kept on turning out like that. glad I'm not the only one.

Why does it happen though.?

Bleached gusset happens when - get this - you produce too much lactic acid.

Ohgod this needs to be in classics.

I'm dying.

I also went shopping for boxer shorts and found this horror:

This thread is pants.

Minivivi have just released a mega pad for exceptionally heavy periods and it's got a lovely big front end. Wondering if they will make lighter pads to the same shape.

It doesn't happen to me! However, when I was at the 'having periods and still wearing towels' age, at night in bed my buttocks used to funnel the flow backwards, so I had to wear two towels, one 'up front' and one at the back, otherwise it would all go up my back, a la poonami.

Yep. I was telling my little sis how much I hate wings on pads as they're not in the right place. She said she loves them! We must have different....geography.

me too. i second sloggi. but am going to check out fabric liners.

I once did a long term survey for sanitary towels. The company in question refused to believe that they leaked, had insufficient front coverage (although they then brought out those extra long ones!) And that the wings were so adhesive they tore when I tried to remove them. I was told it's because my inside bits tilt the wrong way but unless you all suffer the same, I suspect this is completely untrue. Panty liners make me laugh as nothing ever lands on them, only on the fancy knicks I'm trying to protect.

I didn't think this was an issue for me but I am moist of gusset (ovulation in peri-menopause can be quite, um, epic, as well as unpredictable) and just checked - and yes, me too. Though maybe not as much as some posters here. PITA though (pain in the fanny?)

The main thing that really pisses (ahem) me off is when I pee, unless there's some sort of torrential Niagra of pee happening, the pee sort of leaches forward and comes out of the top of my labia. It means me pubes get all wet and pee-y. Not nice. That's only been an issue since DS2 - though both times when pregnant I peed very much up at the front, as if someone was standing on a hosepipe and making it come out wonky.

Yep, both the gusset and the holes issue.
To the many affected ladies - do you work sitting down? Or spend a lot of the day sitting down?
I find things are fine if im standing up, but sitting in my work chair or on the sofa, my hips naturally tilt forwards which then leaves any protection far behind where it needs to be.

Do you think manufacturers of these things assume most women have "standing up" jobs like cleaning, housework, shopwork?

Don't have this problem but certainly don't have super neat barbie fanjo either! And have given birth vaginally.

I guess we're all just different shapes and sizes and perhaps gussets ought to be extended in length?!

Does anyone have this problem the other direction, I wonder??!

This is very interesting. All my moistness and period blood is kind of in the middle, never at the front. Maybe I and the odd one here? Or maybe it's my chunky labia that are directing things backwards rather than forwards?

Lmao Sloggi's for the win! They are soooooooooooooooo comfortable!!! :-)

With regards to the after sex 'juice', I always go loo then wash after sex yet I too suffer with discharge at the front of my underwear, it's so annoying!

I've always though it was a pointless and wrong design. It isn't fit for purpose.

I've always just accepted the fact that the back few inches of the gusset were redundant and the front few were missing. I never even questioned it, not sure why that is.

Until this thread I just assumed I was the "wrong" shape. So reassuring to find I'm far from alone!

I'm almost hoping the Daily Fail does pick this one up. Hey, Shit Rag! Fancy doing something useful and drawing attention to the plight of all us women with soggy drawers? We demand properly-placed gussets!

Pay attention M&S, you could claw back some points here...

For statistical purposes I am minor overweight, have a flat bum, average flaps, and an au naturel bush. I think my vagina used to be a bit more straight up before DC, but is now more front to back diagonal I think. A bit like a staircase.

Dear God, is somebody doing a spreadsheet?

With regards to sex juice, I think I have a shelf in my womb. While it's been great for conceiving, I often get a surprise the day after sex.

I think we've uncovered a gap in the market

Or is it a flap in the market?

Are you wearing the correct size of knickers or even a reasonable style to facilitate your undercarriage. A lot of females wear very scanty bodies knickers that come with a matching flimsy cotton gusset.