Period Pants Styles Explained: Thong to High-Waist

What styles do period pants come in?

UK brands sell period pants in eight main cuts: brief, bikini, hipster, Brazilian, thong or g-string, high-waist, short or boxer, and lace, with “seamless” describing the construction rather than the shape. The cut you’d pick for ordinary knickers is a good starting point, because fit and feel don’t change just because there’s an absorbent gusset inside.

What does change is capacity. A longer gusset running further up the front and back can hold more and catch more, so the fuller cuts tend to come in heavier absorbencies and the skimpier cuts in lighter ones. That pattern holds across the UK brands, Annahitah included.

Here’s how Annahitah’s twelve styles sort by cut and absorbency.

Several styles sit in more than one group. Shanti, for instance, is high-waisted, seamless and lace-trimmed, and also appears in the Short collection. Treat the groups as filters rather than boxes.

Which style holds the most?

High-waist and full briefs carry the heaviest absorbencies because they have the longest gusset and the most back coverage. Annahitah’s four Super Heavy styles (Shanti, Odessa, Valentina and Athena), which hold six to eight tampons’ worth, are all in the High Waist and Brief/Brazilian collections. None of them is a thong.

The same pattern shows up elsewhere. Brand A’s Super Heavy level appears in its Midi Brief and High Waist, while its thong is Light only. Brand B’s overnight styles are a boy leg, a high waist and a pyjama short, all fuller cuts.

The short version for choosing a style: if you bleed heavily, start with a full cut.

Are period thongs worth it?

Yes, for light days, spotting and backup, which is the job they’re made for and the reason most brands only sell them in light absorbency. A thong’s gusset is short and narrow at the back, so there’s less fabric to absorb into and less to catch anything that travels backwards when you sit or lie down.

Annahitah’s three thongs (Venus, Nirvana and Eden) are all Light flow styles, and two of them, Nirvana and Venus, are g-strings marketed as invisible under tight gym clothes. Brand A’s thong is Light only, and Brand C describes its thong as a spotting-and-backup option rather than something to wear alone.

So a period thong earns its place on the last day or two of a period, under a fitted dress, or as a dry-feeling backup behind a cup. On a heavy day it’s the wrong tool. If light days and gym days are where you’d use one, the period thong collection is where to look.

What’s the difference between a brief, a bikini and a Brazilian?

The three differ in how much of your bottom they cover and where the waistband sits. A brief covers the most, a bikini sits lower with a higher leg, and a Brazilian cuts away at the back for a more lingerie-like feel.

• Brief: fullest coverage, waistband at or near the navel. The safest first pair for most people, though it can show under tight clothes.
• Bikini: moderate coverage, waistband below the navel, higher leg line. Brand B calls it one of its most popular shapes.
• Hipster: sits on the hips with a lower waistband, somewhere between a bikini and a short.
• Brazilian: low on the hip with a cheekier, cut-away back. Brand B recommends it under sportswear and fitted outfits to avoid lines.

Annahitah groups briefs and Brazilians together. Serendipity is a Brazilian brief with a lacy front in Heavy absorbency; Aurora is a plain Medium brief; Valentina is the organic cotton brief sold as the signature teenage style and the only pair that goes down to XXXS. Any of the seven in the Brazilian briefs collection suits an everyday first pair.

Who should choose high-waisted period pants?

High-waisted period pants suit heavy days, nights, and anyone who wants their tummy covered. The waistband sits above the navel, the back coverage is full, and the gusset has room to run a long way front and back.

That extra back length is why high-waist pants are so often the overnight recommendation. Lying flat lets blood travel backwards rather than straight down, and a gusset that reaches towards the waistband catches it.

Brand B also suggests high-waist cuts for bloated days, because the band sits above the part that swells rather than digging into it, and under high-waisted jeans and skirts, where a lower band would show. Annahitah’s Odessa is sold on this exact point: high-waisted support to give your tummy extra comfort, in Super Heavy absorbency. When heavy days or nights are the problem you’re solving, high waisted period pants are the collection to start from.

What are period shorts for?

Period shorts give full back coverage and a bit of thigh, which makes them popular for sleep, for teenagers who want something that feels like ordinary shorts, and for anyone prone to chafing. Boxer and boy-short cuts are modelled on men’s boxer briefs and sit flat against the thigh rather than cutting into it.

Their one drawback is bulk under tight clothes, so they’re more of a bedtime and lounging shape than an under-leggings one. Annahitah’s Short collection is small, with Shanti and Odessa in Super Heavy and Luna in Medium, so you can pick a period shorts pair for heavy nights or for lighter everyday wear.

Do seamless period pants show under leggings?

No, seamless period pants are designed to disappear under tight clothes, because the fabric is made in one piece with no stitched edge to press a line through leggings. Runners and gym-goers lean on them for that reason, and Women’s Running’s buying guide names flat or absent seams as the thing that avoids both visible lines and chafing.

Two cautions. Seamless fabric can roll at the edge if the size is wrong, so go by the size chart rather than guessing. And “seamless” describes the edges, not the absorbency: Annahitah’s Seamless collection runs from the Light Nirvana thong up to the Super Heavy Shanti and Odessa, so you still choose a level.

If invisible edges under fitted clothes are what you’re after, the seamless period underwear collection has seven styles running from Light to Super Heavy.

Do lace period pants work as well as plain ones?

Yes, because the lace sits on the outside of the pant and the absorbent layers in the gusset do the work. A lace trim at the waistband or a lacy front panel has nothing to do with how much the gusset holds.

Annahitah’s lace styles make the point. Athena, a Super Heavy pair holding six to eight tampons’ worth, is described on its product page as lacy and feminine with black and white elastic edging. Serendipity pairs a lacy front with Heavy absorbency; Lilah adds a lace trim to an organic cotton Heavy brief; and the Venus and Eden thongs put lace on Light styles. So you can pick lace period pants at whatever level your flow needs, from a light-day thong to a heavy-day brief, without trading protection for the look.

Whatever the outer fabric, every Annahitah pair uses the brand’s four-layer gusset, so it’s the absorbency level, not the lace, that tells you how much a pair holds.

Is it hygienic to wear a thong on your period?

Yes, as far as the evidence goes. A 2019 survey study of 986 women published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research found that wearing thongs at least half the time was not associated with urinary tract infections, thrush or bacterial vaginosis. The same study did find a link between non-cotton crotch fabric and thrush, though as a self-reported survey it shows association rather than cause.

The NHS doesn’t single out thongs. Its thrush advice is to wear cotton underwear and avoid tight underwear and tights, and its bacterial vaginosis page says not to wash underwear in strong detergents. So the practical takeaways are fabric, fit and washing rather than cut: choose a breathable gusset, don’t size down, and wash with a gentle detergent, which is Annahitah’s care advice anyway.

Change a period thong as you would any period pant, and if you’re prone to irritation, a cotton-rich style such as the organic cotton Venus or Eden is the sensible pick. Smell, thrush and general hygiene questions have their own guide.

Which style should you buy first?

A brief or high-waist pair in Heavy or Super Heavy absorbency is the safest first purchase, because it covers your worst day and you’ll learn quickly whether you can step down a level. Thongs, lace and shorts are easier to choose once you know your flow.