Periods--tampons... - Page 3

[Teenytoona]

Originally Posted by Sk8ermaiden

:

I've been a tampon user for years and years and never had a problem with any of the brands but O.B. It just sucks not to have an applicator. And I don't have the problem of the above poster. They just always feel like they're going to fall out.

I'm the exact opposite. I just could not figure out how to get a tampon in without hurting til I tried OB when I was 22. I still can't use applicators comfortably. Not that I use them anymore, but the occasion does arise now and then.

[swampgreeneyes]

I had problems the first couple of times I tried tampons, but I figured it out (as most kids should maybe?) and aquatic social situations went unhindered.
My dd hit the age where such discussions are prevalent. I'm 29, she's 9, and she has pubic hair, underarm hair, and training bras. I ALWAYS make it a fun and pleasant conversation, put the emphasis on her growth & developmental milestones (which is where she feels comfortable) and assure her I am here for any of her questions. I have NEVER heard of a mother placing the tampon physically for her daughter, and I consider myself an outgoing, educational mother. My former partner and I always gave dd privacy when she would "explore" her body as a toddler, and simply stressed personal space and privacy. I feel this is the same thing and let her know I'm here for her, but I would never infringe on her body.

As an aside, several moms have been correct in pointing out their own or their dd's concerns over cleanliness and discomfort with menstrual fluids,smells, etc. Tampons can hide what may embarrass or inconvenience an active young woman or girl. There is no harm in hiding your flow, but it should not be enforced to the girl's discomfort.

[delfin]

double

[delfin]

I don't like tampons. I'm not sure if they are more enviromentally friendly than pads.
I'm a bit concerned about inserting a heavily bleached piece of GMO cotton inside my vagina.
I haven't had my period in a while (pregnant, nursing) but i always kinda liked to feel the blood coming out. Don't like to sit on it, but just the tickle of it dripping.
As a teen, i used tampons many times, but for the pool, there was a idea that being in the water "cuts" you menstruation, but i don't know how true that can be.

[interested]

I've been following this thread and have to admit that I am a quite surprised. I only have boys, but was, after all, a young teen myself not so long ago.

If I had a daughter who wanted to use tampons and had grown frustrated enough with trying unsuccessfully to follow the instructions - and was comfortable enough with her body and with me - to come to me for *physical* help, I would not have a problem with helping her. Not.At.All. Even my husband, who is annoyingly squeamish about menstruation, was a little surprised at the responses when I talked to him about the thread.

This would *completely* hinge on her comfort in asking me; I probably would not offer just because I wouldn't want to make her uncomfortable in the slightest. But I remember the tearful desperation of an imminent swim date and my corresponding first tampon attempt - and frankly, the help of a very trusted female is not something I would have balked at.

I'm curious - for everyone here who says they would not give physical assistance - is it about the comfort of your DD? What if she asked you for this sort of help?

[MusicianDad]

For me it's about the lack of understanding related to the female anatomy. Though if she asked for help, it would probably be babymomma being asked.

[sunnmama]

My mother told me that I'd lose my virginity if I used a tampon Yep, whe was "one of those...."

I figured out how to use tampons anyway, with the help of a Playgirl magazine article on female anatomy

On the OB debate, I could only use OB comfortably. I always needed to feel where it was to make sure it was in the right spot, and couldn't get that with an applicator.

[mar123]

My dd is 10 and will be starting AF anytime now. She is so developed physically, she is like a 13 year old (5'0 86 pounds, been wearing a bra for 2 years and NEEDS it), but mentally she is still 10. She still needs help shaving under her arms, so I cannot imagine her putting ina tampon. However, when she wants to, I will talk her through it.

I cannot wear tampons by themselves. They ALWAYS leak, unless I am changing them every hour or two. Also, my body pushes them out. And yes, I am putting them in right. My doc said he has heard that some women have this problem. They start out in the right place, but after a while, they can be 1/2 way out on their own. I always said it was too bad I didn't dialate, I could have pushed those babies out in one push!

[2xy]

Originally Posted by mar123

I cannot wear tampons by themselves. They ALWAYS leak, unless I am changing them every hour or two. Also, my body pushes them out. And yes, I am putting them in right. My doc said he has heard that some women have this problem. They start out in the right place, but after a while, they can be 1/2 way out on their own.

Are you sure it's your body that's the problem?

I used to have this problem a million years ago when I used Tampax. They get longer as they absorb, so they end up protruding out of the vagina sometimes. Other brands, like Playtex and OB, get wider instead of longer.

I'm an OB user. Like another poster mentioned, I have very short fingers and have no trouble using OB. But I do have trouble using Diva cups and such, which is why I don't use them. It's way too difficult for me to get them in and out properly.

[applejuice]

My DD started her period at age ten and wanted tampons. I was against it as I preferred reuseable cloth pads, but that is what she wanted....

I recommended OB for her. That is what she has used ever since.

[bigeyes]

Originally Posted by mar123

My dd is 10 and will be starting AF anytime now. She is so developed physically, she is like a 13 year old (5'0 86 pounds, been wearing a bra for 2 years and NEEDS it), but mentally she is still 10. She still needs help shaving under her arms, so I cannot imagine her putting ina tampon. However, when she wants to, I will talk her through it.

I cannot wear tampons by themselves. They ALWAYS leak, unless I am changing them every hour or two. Also, my body pushes them out. And yes, I am putting them in right. My doc said he has heard that some women have this problem. They start out in the right place, but after a while, they can be 1/2 way out on their own. I always said it was too bad I didn't dialate, I could have pushed those babies out in one push!

That's the problem we have. Dsd is very immature, but physically, very mature. She was completely confused and so far has not been successful with the applicator type and acts grossed out by the OB. This is why I didn't buy the divacup yet, as I wasn't going to waste 35 to 40 dollars on something she wouldn't use.

She doesn't like pads, but she doesn't quite get the concept of tampons or diva cups. It's awful for someone's body to be so far ahead of their mind.

[caro113]

About seven or eight years ago I was reading one those teen bop mags and in the section where the girls can write in and stuff one girl actually wrote in saying her mom made her wear tampons and actually put them in her and took them out. She hated it and asked if it constituted sexual abuse. I have to admit that I think it does, if the child doesn't want the help. If she asks for it, then it's a totally different situation.

I think the push for tampons is the same as the push for formula. Your period is gross and just not natural. You should hid it all times and the easiest way to do that is with a tampon, not a pad. Then no one will ever notice it. You must be perfect and beautiful and perfect and beautiful girls don't wear pads. At least that's the way I felt when I was in high school, like I had to hide it and no one could ever know.

Ever since then, I've only worn tampons. I don't always carry a purse and a tampon is easier to fit into my pocket. When I had to start wearing them again for the post partum bleeding, it was uncomfortable and I felt like I was wearing a diaper.

[elephantine]

Originally Posted by Sk8ermaiden

I remember sharing those sentiments among friends in school, and the only girls I knew who didn't wear tampons were ones who were told (by their parents or believed that they weren't virgins if they used tampons. Well, there were one or two who couldn't get them in comfortably.

I never heard of an adult pushing tampons over pads - only the opposite - and I was not in school that long ago.

Yeah my mom was one of these, fanatic religious/conservative... how using a tampon is something dirty/sexual and not using them is "part of being a virgin". : I also remember her taunting me and my older sister about how one day we were going have a period and it horrified me... as she is/was undiagnosed bipolar and frequently blamed her episodes on her period...

sorry though, side tracking.

One odd thing though is I am pretty sure I broke my hymen with a tampon(ironic no?)... I couldn't even get it in properly(I must have been about 15)... I think I have a shorter than average vag canal... so that could be one thing to consider... it stung like hell.

[Bluegoat]

I think putting sonthing in someone's vagina that she didn't want there is infringing on her body.

I don't think physical help with a tampon would be very useful, myself. It seems to me you have to feel what is going on.

As a teen I could never get tampons positioned properly, so I mostly stuck with pads. I bought the tampons myself - I'm sure my mom would have but I was really secretive about my body at that age - and she did ask me when she noticed I had them if I had had any trouble. She said that in some girls the little hole in the hymen was very small and could make insertion difficult.

I have a cup now but I'm not crazy about it either, I find it is uncomfortable if it's not perfectly positioned.

[sunnmama]

Originally Posted by interested

I'm curious - for everyone here who says they would not give physical assistance - is it about the comfort of your DD? What if she asked you for this sort of help?

I would offer literature....give tips and advice....speak frankly about anatomy and all that....but ultimately would tell her that, if she can not insert the tampon herself, she is not ready to use them. That is just the reality, from my pov. No, I wouldn't insert them for her.

[Nautical]

This is an interesting thread. I started my period when I was 8, and we didn't have any pads in the house, because my mom had never used them. So, I read the box of tampons and just started using them. My mom didn't even know that I had started my period for a few more months.

The first time I ever used a pad was in the days after I had my daughter. When she starts her period, I'll present her with both (and a selection of each) and let her choose. I don't really think the decision has anything to do with me.

[SAHDS]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

I don't think it matters if a girl gets her first period at 8 or 15- if she's physically mature enough to menstruate she's probably physically mature enough to wear a tampon.

I do not agree with this whatsoever. I started my period at 14 and didn't feel comfortable wearing tampons until I was at least 25. I remember, before that, only wearing them when I absolutely had to (swimming and cheer) and hating it. TMI, but it felt weird to put something into my vagina.

While I wouldn't assist my daughter (crikey), I have already started talking about anatomy and menstruation. She knows about pretty much everything that has to do with her body, we're very open. If she asks about it, we talk about it. When I used my first tampon, my friend was standing in the bathtub (with the curtain closed) talking me through it because I was terrified. Oh Lord.

[talk de jour]

Originally Posted by SAHDS

I do not agree with this whatsoever. I started my period at 14 and didn't feel comfortable wearing tampons until I was at least 25. I remember, before that, only wearing them when I absolutely had to (swimming and cheer) and hating it. TMI, but it felt weird to put something into my vagina.

While I wouldn't assist my daughter (crikey), I have already started talking about anatomy and menstruation. She knows about pretty much everything that has to do with her body, we're very open. If she asks about it, we talk about it. When I used my first tampon, my friend was standing in the bathtub (with the curtain closed) talking me through it because I was terrified. Oh Lord.

sounds like a mental/emotional issue, not a *physical* issue, and Ruthla was speaking of the physical component.

Anyway, I started my period at 11 and was fine with tampons by 15 or 16.

[SAHDS]

Originally Posted by talk de jour

sounds like a mental/emotional issue, not a *physical* issue, and Ruthla was speaking of the physical component.

Anyway, I started my period at 11 and was fine with tampons by 15 or 16.

The first time, yes. Not after that. I had trouble, physically, wearing tampons until I was around that age too. I won't get into details.

But, DD could start her period now, I guess, as she'll be 10 soon. She just broke 50 lbs. No, I don't think a tampon would be a good choice, physically.

[talk de jour]

Originally Posted by SAHDS

The first time, yes. Not after that. I had trouble, physically, wearing tampons until I was around that age too. I won't get into details.

But, DD could start her period now, I guess, as she'll be 10 soon. She just broke 50 lbs. No, I don't think a tampon would be a good choice, physically.

Menstruation generally starts around 100 lbs.