If you or your parents are wearing sanitary pads, pantyliners or adult diapers for ‘just in case’ moments of urinary leakage, here’s why you should consider stopping. Wearing hygienic pads are like band-aid – it will not treat the issue and worse still, lead to other side effects.
Here’s why you shouldn’t use hygienic pads for urinary leakage or incontinence:
- They cause skin irritations which could get real serious
If worn for a long period of time during the postpartum period, adult diapers can result in a localised allergic reaction as a result of dryness. This occurs when adult diapers become unclean as a result of absorbing sweat and other bodily fluids such as urine, trapping moisture, and creating a potential environment for diaper dermatitis and bacterial infections. In severe cases, it can even lead to the development of dysplasia and cervical cancer.
Individuals with sensitive and tender skin may find themselves more susceptible to rashes when wearing adult diapers. In addition, certain fabrics such as plastic may also increase the likelihood of dryness and rashes. - You’re training yourself to become more reliant on them
The continued wearing of adult diapers during the postpartum period creates a greater reliance on them to prevent urinary leakage. This reduces your degree of neuromuscular control, which is when your brain sends signals to train a response in your bladder muscles to induce voluntary urination.
Subconsciously, your mind knows that you have protection from incontinence’s unpleasant effects, leading to a reduced urgency in re-establishing neuromuscular control. This can result in a greater reliance on adult diapers to handle the regular bodily functions of voluntary urination, reducing the likelihood of a full recovery or prolonging the duration taken for your body to recover. - You’re not breaking the vicious cycle
While the long-term wearing of adult diapers can manage incontinence during the postpartum period, it runs the risk of leading to poorer social and emotional health, which can lead to other negative health conditions. Adult diapers are bulkier and less discreet than other sanitary alternatives, making them more noticeable when worn in public.
This can result in reduced confidence for fear of being caught in an embarrassing situation, particularly when interacting with strangers or people of influence. In turn, this can lead to social withdrawal, decreased physical activity, as well as increasing the risk of depression that can lead to long-term sequelae.
What can you do to avoid leakage or stop it?

While we have covered some negative effects of long-term usage of adult diapers during the postpartum period, we also acknowledge that they play an important role in mitigating the negative effects of urinary leakage, particularly in the days immediately following childbirth.
At Orchard Clinic, we recommend the usage of other techniques to reduce your reliance on adult diapers, such as Kegel exercises, consuming a diet that is lower in diuretics, and managing your fluid intake. These techniques aim to strengthen and re-establish your body’s neuromuscular control over your bladder muscles. In turn, this helps you lessen the time that you need to utilize adult diapers.
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