No, you don’t have to use menstrual pads. People can choose from a few items: pads, tampons, period panties and reusable menstrual cups.
Pads stick onto the inside of the underwear to stay in place and absorb the menstrual fluid.
A tampon is put in the vagina to absorb menstrual fluid before it leaves the body.
A menstrual cup is a specially designed silicone or plastic cup put in the vagina to catch menstrual fluid before it leaves the body.
Period panties absorb menstrual fluid. They can be used with, or instead of, other products, depending on how much menstrual fluid is released.