What's the best period product for me?

For many of us, our first lessons about periods were brief and practical, often limited to learning how to use pads or tampons.

Alongside these traditional options, there's now a wider range of products available, including reusable options such as menstrual cups, period pants and washable pads.

Making the choice about which one is best for you can be overwhelming. You might wonder how these products work and whether they're foolproof enough to put the fear of bleeding through your clothes at bay.

Dr Tempest, a consultant gynaecologist at the University of Liverpool, spoke to Radio 4's Sliced Bread about how each product works and the pros and cons to help you decide which might suit you best.

Menstrual cups are small flexible cups made of medical-grade silicone.

You fold and insert them into the vagina, where they collect blood rather than absorbing it.

Dr Tempest says there are different types of cups available to buy based on how heavy your flow is or whether you've had children.

Hygiene is also really important so make sure you wash your hands before you insert the cup and clean the cup between uses, she adds.

Pros

Cons

Period pants are underwear with built-in absorbent layers. You wear them like normal pants then rinse, wash and dry them for reuse.

They're particularly popular for sleeping or on lighter days.

Leakage worries are normal but Dr Tempest says they are reliable for most people and have a built-in waterproof layer and odour lining.

Pros

Cons

Reusable pads look similar to disposable ones but are usually made from cotton or bamboo and fasten around your underwear with poppers.

Instead of throwing them away, you rinse, wash and dry them to use again.

Pros

Cons

Disposable sanitary pads are the most commonly used period product - they stick into your underwear, absorb blood externally and are wrapped and binned after use.

Dr Tempest advises changing pads regularly (every four to six hours) and they shouldn't be worn for more than eight hours as they can irritate the skin if worn for too long.

Pros

Cons

Tampons are also commonly used and inserted into the vagina, where they soak up blood before it leaves the body.

Dr Tempest stresses that they must be correctly disposed of.

Every day, 2.5 million tampons are flushed down the toilet when they should be placed in a bin.

Pros

Cons