Menstrual Cups and teens?

[crunchymamato3]

Has anyone had any success teaching their daughters to use a menstrual cup? I use a Diva Cup and have for many years. My 13 1/2 year old recently started menstruating and she's been using disposable pads, but I think she'd love to use something else, especially with summer coming up...is she too young???

[boigrrrlwonder]

No-Poo: Crusty Scalp?

I switched to No-Poo about a month ago. My scalp isn't really itchy, but if I scratch it, I noticed that a sort of crust has formed. EW! Any suggestions? Or do I just have to go back to shampoo?

[blessedwithboys]

[blessedwithboys]

ok, to the OP, i would say skip the cup for such a young lady. when i was that age i had a hard time with tampons getting caught on my hymen...ouch! LOL that was soft cotton, I can only imagine how much a cup would have hurt. btw, i've used (and loved) my diva cup for, oh, about 4-5 yrs now.

and the the second poster...try brushing you hair regularly right before you wash. that should loosen up the scales to make it easier to wash them away, you alos might want to try using some jojoba oil on your scalp after washing

HTH!

[Ola_]

I agree with holding off on the menstrual cup. I'm 29 and use the smaller size Diva and it's not all that small. It takes a bit of familiarity with the girly bits to get it in there, positioned, and not hurt yourself.

I think tampons would be fine to try though, as long as you're ok with her using disposable products. Perhaps some of the non-bleached ones like Natracare? I would definitely go with applicator ones too. Once she is comfortable with inserting them and it's going well maybe you could look into a cup then.

Also, how about other alternatives that may be easier for her than a cup, like sea sponges?

[Rebecca]

I'd use the small, organic tampons only for the days she needs them (like pool parties) and encourage pads the rest of the time. I think a cup would be hard to use for a young girl. Heck, I used the smaller sized one in my 20s (before kids) and it was not easy or comfortable. I can't imagine trying to stuff it up there as a young virgin. Ahem.

[MaBear]

I think its a wonderful idea. Let her read up on the topic and see what she thinks. I started using cups when I was 14, and I still use them now.

[lulabelleliz]

Just as I wouldn't start my teenager out on tampons I wouldn't rush the cup either. I would definitely try her out on reusable cloth pads though. I've shown mine off to my niece who's 14 and she was in love! I got mine from Mimi's Dreams where she has tons of great fabric options that teens would love!

ETA: Sponges could be another option, with a cloth back up, they are smaller and less complicated than a cup.

[lifeguard]

It could be worth a try but she may find it "icky" or really uncomfortable. Before my pregnancy I tried & tried & tried a cup but it just would not sit comfortably for me - I haven't tried it since.

I'd definitely work on giving her some kind of an option to allow her to swim & be comfortable. The sea sponges intrigue me.

[crunchymamato3]

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses...my daughter is really just not that good at even disposable pads and I am opposed to tampons for her at her age...I had forgotten about the sea sponges but I think that would totally gross her out. The cup at least is "clean" on the outside. Because I never tried one before children I can't imagine if it would be hard for her to use or uncomfortable. I think I'm going to get one for her and let her try it. I found some videos on YouTube that show how to insert it and remove it correctly that might be easier than me trying to explain it. I'll let you know how it goes!

[tastethestars]

I am 16 (lol not a mom) and I have been using Instead Softcups for awhile now. I think they are a great starter cup, and they are soft and flexible. They are inserted similar to an OB tampon. I love them, so I would start her out with those slowly then maybe expand to a hard cup.

[Treece]

I used Instead for a while before leaping to Diva. I am a mother in my early 30s. I used tampons as a teen b.c i hated pads, now I use a cloth backup on my heavy days. I think you could let her decide. I read there are some smaller cups for teens..... No link of course since this is a new computer.

[starrlamia]

you could get her a smaller cup then the diva to try out, there are a lot of different cup products on the market, here is a comparison chart

http://menstrualcups.wordpress.com/category/comparisons/

[Choose2Reuse]

I agree with the other posters who said that the cup might be uncomfortable and that cloth pads might be better...I also found tampons extremely uncomfortable as a teenager.  But you could let her try it and see what she prefers.

Why is your daughter "not good" at pads--because they leak?  As the dork who always had leaks when she used sposie pads, I can say that cloth pads are way less leak-prone. :)
 

[icanhelp]

I would see how she feels about the idea, If she is into it then let her try it out. Be sure to teach her all of the tips and tricks you use! The first time i would have her wear a liner in case of leakage. If she Isn't up for that yet then you could use cloth pads. Hope this helped!

[goon]

When I was 13 I used a Divacup, and it was perfectly fine! I was even small- framed. Also it was a great convenience to have to change less or not at all at school.

[Adaline'sMama]

Originally Posted by goon 

When I was 13 I used a Divacup, and it was perfectly fine! I was even small- framed. Also it was a great convenience to have to change less or not at all at school.

Are you still pretty young? The didnt have those available when I was a teenager, but Id have loved to have used one. 

[Basylica]

I couldn't get a tampon IN the few times I tried. my mom was totally opposed so I basically used pads until I was 20....

When I lost my virginity at such a late age I figured out why i had such problems. Evidently I had quite the hymen!

Still was never a big fan after that, but did use them esp when flow was heavy at that point.

wanted a cup for years and years and finally broke down and bought one er...3 years ago? kicking myself bigtime now for not buying one 13 years ago! lol.

I think some girls are more mature than others with handling body stuff and all that....so it's different for every girl, but I think i'd probably argue to not try tampons until 16 if *I* had a girl, but thats me and I have boys :P

and if daughter was ready/willing/able to use tampons, I would probably buy her a cup.

But if tampons or sponges would squick her out, Id think a cup would be worse honestly!

I think its kinda cool but dumping out all that blood can be a bit scary, and blood does get on your fingers and the outside of the cup...esp if you have a heavy flow!

[revolting]

I used reusable pads as a younger teen, and then when I became sexually active at 16, I switched to a diva cup. I couldn't stand tampons as a tween or teen.
 

[Lisa Cao]

I'm 16 and I got my period at 13. My mom made me use a period with pads, and another menstrual cycle with tampons after explaining to me the benefits of tampons. She gave me a mooncup. I LOVE MY MOONCUP! It makes me feel clean and lets me do all my sports (track, cross country, volleyball, basketball, soccer, dance, and figure skating), and take my exams without feeling uncomfortable. I don't have the noise of a pad ripping or the smell. I don't have the dryness and the risk of TSS with tampons. I really think that you should tell your daughter that it might break her hymen. I was fine because my hymen was already broken because of all the sports I do. Maybe you should transition her with instead softcups. I personally recommend the Mooncup (UK). It's very environmentally friendly and a lot cheaper than conventional feminine products. You can buy from http://www.mooncup.co.uk/wc.php?u=2772 if you live in the US.