Morphological Classification of Female Abdominal-Hip and Crotch Regions for Menstrual Pants Design

Abstract

Existing menstrual pants often suffer from poor fit, which can cause side leakage. While research on female lower-body is crucial for structural design, studies on abdominal and crotch morphology remain insufficient. This study therefore aims to analyze and classify the morphology of women’s abdominal-hip and crotch regions. Anthropometric data were collected from 143 female subjects aged 18-50 years wearing size L menstrual pants. Factor analysis identified four key factors: circumference, crotch length, width, and crotch depth. Cluster analysis classified abdominal-hip morphologies into three types (flat abdomen-flat hip, thick abdomen-flat hip, slender abdomen-prominent hip) based on abdominal-hip difference and hip protrusion degree; and crotch morphologies into three types (H-shaped medium crotch, A-shaped short crotch, V-shaped long crotch) based on the crotch width-length index. The bottom crotch points were categorized into anterior type (51.75%) and posterior type (48.25%). These findings provide an anthropometric basis for the structural design of differentiated menstrual pants.