If you haven't seen them yet, take a look at reusable, cloth pads.

Yes, it sounds weird. But they are SO much more comfortable than the pads you buy in the store. The pads that you buy and throw away are very plastic-like, and don't breathe. I find them irritating too (though I often use them for convenience).

The cloth pads are super soft, and they breathe. Very comfortable. It sounds disgusting, but you wash them out when you're done and re-use.

There are a few brands out there, but I bought some on Etsy to try out. I use them in 2 situations:

1. If I'm wearing a cup (not as much lately). The cups occasionally has some small leakage, not enough that I want to deal with a plastic pad, but a cloth pad is perfect as a backup.

2. If my period is late, I wear them to bed when I'm waiting. I'm getting near middle-age, so sometimes my period gets a bit wonky and off-schedule (once it was 2 weeks late - I had given up at that point!) I don't want to wear pads for a week before my period even starts, yuck. Cloth pads are much more comfortable, but still give me some protection in case my period starts in the middle of the night.

Though honestly, looking at some of the videos now, I might give them a go for normal use too. I need to do some more research

Anyway, I learned about them when researching cups. A good source of info is the "Precious Stars" YouTube Channel, run by a very knowledgeable young woman in Britain. Here's a video of her answering questions about cloth pads:

Here's a FAQ about them... I haven't read through the whole thing, I found it via google:
https://menstrualcupreviews.net/reus...oth-pads-faqs/

Good luck. I hope you can find something that works and is comfortable for you!