Apparently, I’m on the absorbent underwear beat. In November 2013, I wrote an article about "fart filtering" underpants called Shreddies – yes, they actually work – and last week I received a ready-for-review, spanking new pair of Dear Kate undies in the mail.

Dear Kate is a relatively new line of undergarments with a built-in lining made to absorb menstrual blood like a panty liner. New York City-based chemical engineer Julie Sygiel developed the patent-pending panties and launched the business in 2012.

Dear Kates aren’t meant to replace pads or tampons, but rather serve as a back-up in case of leakage or overflow. The undies are also worn by women with bladder issues and pregnant women or women experiencing postpartum dribbling.

Professional and athletic women are also consumers of these sopper-uppers.

"We've had an overwhelmingly positive response to the brand and our fashion-meets-function undies, especially from athletes and new mothers," says Isabella Giancarlo, Dear Kate's creative and marketing coordinator.

There are a variety of styles and all are made from a "wicking, stain releasing and leak resistant" material with extra material in the crotch.

The company will expand its line to include yoga pants and raised the money to do so in the first hour of a recent Kickstarter campaign. The yoga pants will be available starting the end of October.

The undies range in price – most are between $32 and $36. "Bralets" are also available for $48.

Dear Kates are sold in about 15 stores in the United States – primarily in New York and Rhode Island – as well as Canada, Barbados, Bahamas and United Kingdom. They are also available online.

Currently, there are seven different collections of briefs, hipsters and thongs. The collections are named after famous women in history, including the Ada line, a tribute to Ada Lovelace, who created the first computer algorithm.

Unlike other types of lingerie, Dear Kates are not usually bought by men for women so the marketing is aimed more toward gals then guys. However, Dear Kate’s ads garnered a fair share of controversy recently after launching a campaign splashed with female tech professionals wearing undies (and not much else) while working on laptops and tablets.

The models were of a variety of shapes and sizes, as well as real IT professionals, however the ads were still criticized by media outlets and individuals as being anti-feminist.

Recently, I received a pair of "peacock" Ada hipsters and, when the time was right, took ‘em on a test drive to Aunt Flo’s.

Briefly (punny, I know), I found them cute and comfortable. However, I probably would not buy another pair of Dear Kates based on the cost ($50 for skivvies?!) and the fact that I don’t really need them.

Don’t get me wrong, I have a few pairs of "period panties" tucked away in the back of my underwear drawer, but I usually have a low crimson tide. However, women who routinely deal with a crime scene in their undies will probably find Dear Kates really useful. And they are certainly worth the money if these absorbent intimate things save expensive garments and embarrassment. Period.