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At the start of the year I took my first adult swimming lesson. Like many of us, I learnt how to swim initially at the age of 10 during mandatory school swimming lessons. But after a few years, those lessons became a distant memory and any swimming skills I gained were gone.
But this year, I made it my mission to rediscover the joy of swimming and now, almost a year later, I’m doing laps in the pool. Booking those first lessons came with several concerns. ‘What will I do to my hair?’ ‘Will people laugh at me if I get something wrong?’ and the age-old question: ‘What will happen when I get my period?’
When I first started swimming, I hadn’t started my period yet, but as a grown woman in my 20s with often heavy periods, I was worried. But, my concerns were put on pause when I came across Wuka’s swimsuit.
Wuka specialises in period pants and swimwear you can wear during your time of the month. But, as someone who usually gets quite heavy periods, I wondered how comfortable the swimsuit could be.
Nevertheless, I wasn’t going to let my period interrupt my swimming lessons, so I gave it a go.
How does it work?
Every pair of Wuka’s period pants are filled with a super absorbent gusset made up of many layers. The middle layers absorb and lock-in the blood, whilst the outer, moisture-wicking layers keep you feeling secure and dry.
Their period swimwear works in the same way. The material is water repellent on the outside, but period blood-absorbing on the inside, helping you keep worry-free as you swim.
How does it look and feel?
Simple and sleek. I wasn’t looking for a swimsuit with a funky design, I wanted something that would do the job. I’m not a pro when it comes to swimsuits either and to be honest, I wasn’t sure where to look when I was buying a swimsuit of my own.
However, when I put the Wuka swimsuit on for the first time I immediately noticed a difference between the first swimsuit I purchased. I’m normally a UK size 8, but my bum is on the bigger side so I was worried it would feel a bit tight, but it wasn’t. It felt snug but stretchable at the same time, meaning it didn’t feel like I was suffocating. I was also pleased to see it comes in sizes ranging from XXS to 2XL.
It also felt way thicker than other swimsuits, which I was really happy about. The swimsuits absorbency is described on the Wuka website as ‘medium flow,’ so I wasn’t sure how my heavy periods would hold up. Luckily I tried it out on one of my lighter flow days.
When I eventually went into the water I immediately forgot I was on my period. The elasticity of the swimsuit made it easy to swim in and the thickness gave me confidence that I wouldn’t leak once I came out of the pool.
Now, the Wuka swimsuit is my go-to when I go to my lessons. At £49.99 it’s on the pricier side, but it’s become my staple, so I’m getting value per wear.
It’s revolutionary for women and I wish younger me could give this a try.