Yes, that is what they are called. There is no way around it. If you can't bear the thought of needing or wearing them then find some other euphemism that you can live with. "Protection" might be a good one.

Purchasing the correct size, absorbency, and style can save you no end of embarrassment, lower your laundry bill and reduce cash out of pocket. Medicare doesn't cover adult diapers. My secondary insurance doesn't either. Yours might. Check.

I'm not going to talk about all the forms of incontinence that are out there. You know if you need an adult diaper. The first consideration is absorbency. How much do you go over a given period of time? Some folks wear them for "just in case" situations like club meetings or having dinner out. Others require them constantly for light but constant leaking. There are also the heavy duty continuous users.

If you purchase the wrong type of absorbency then you'll be wasting your money because you will be changing too often or not utilizing the full capacity of the diaper before changing. Often many women try to get by using a sanitary napkin. If it works for you then, by all means, go in that direction.

Next, you want to think about how often you want to change the diaper. Most folks don't want to be up every two hours at night dealing with this problem. That goes for caregivers as well. However, a diaper left on too long will soil the bed and cause skin breakdowns that can lead to bed sores.

Whichever diaper is chosen must be appropriate for the volume of urine to be expelled over a given period of time and still be pulling moisture away from the skin when it is changed. Leaks are inevitable and accidents happen. The idea is to minimize these problems.

Absorbency will have a profound effect on the thickness of the diaper. They expand as they absorb. It's important to understand how much larger the diaper is going to get when fully wet. This will affect your comfort and appearance.

There are a variety of styles and accessories available. Briefs can mean an open diaper with Velcro tabs on either side. This works for fine-tuning the fit and for checking the overall wetness of the diaper. There are "pull-up" type diapers that work like underwear. These are generally for light users.

Many commercial brands sell one type of diaper for men with the padding in one area and a different type for women. Others will make no distinction in design. Some come with wings, like sanitary napkins. Most diapers have a plastic backing that will make your backside very warm. There are more expensive types that have a "fabric like" backing that allows more air inside the diaper to cool things off a bit.

Each brand of diaper uses a different method for sizing. You need to know your stomach/hip measurement and the distance from your waist in front to your waist in back. Even so, it may take a few tries to get the right type for you.

If you are a light user, then many of the brand-name diapers available from Wal-Mart to home healthcare specialty stores will probably do the trick for you. Order over the Internet if you are shy about buying them in public.

You can also purchase booster pads that may or may not have a plastic backing. Booster pads fit inside a diaper to increase the absorbency. Be aware that they will also increase the thickness of the diaper when wet. Finally, you can buy a plastic covering for the diaper that fits like underwear. Once again, this will trap heat as well as moisture.

Finally, you need to be aware of "press out." That is the amount of liquid that the diaper will expel with weight pressing on it. In other words, how much is going to leak out as liquid when you sit on it and the diaper is at full capacity. Some diapers will give you this information and some won't. Unfortunately, experience is the best teacher.

On a personal note, if you are a heavy or continuous user of adult diapers, I would recommend a diaper made in Europe called Abri-form. They are not cheap and I have never seen them in any store. They are the most absorbent and longest lasting of any I've tried. I found them two places on the Internet; XP medical.com and eBay.com.

Unfortunately, changes in my medical condition have forced me to become an expert in this area over the last few months. Although my need is intermittent, finding these diapers have given me a peace of mind I thought was gone. When I first began searching for an adult diaper to meet my needs, I found good advice from an article at Slate by Justin Peters called "What is the Best Adult Diaper?" and I recommend it to you.