A pad-shaped absorbent article includes a liquid-permeable topsheet, a backsheet and an absorbent body between the top- and backsheets. The topsheet, the backsheet and the absorbent body respectively have an extensibility in the longitudinal direction. The extensibility of at least one of the topsheet and the backsheet is an elastic extensibility. The sheets have first regions extending across the absorbent body in the transverse direction to express an elastic extensibility and second regions having an elastic extensibility in the longitudinal direction lower than that of the first regions. The absorbent body has a plurality of slits extending in the transverse direction and expresses an extensibility in the longitudinal direction, when the article is subjected to tensile forces opposite in the longitudinal direction so as to open the slits and the absorbent body is arranged so that at least one of the slits overlaps with the first regions
