Diva cup for 11-12 year old?

[Kindermama]

My dd is about to become a young woman. I have been putting a basket of goodies together to give to her on her first moon. I, myself, literally just started using a Diva Cup and I'm kicking myself for not using it sooner (I've had it in my bathroom drawer for over a year and was too intimated to try it!).

Would the Diva Cup be too big for a young girls body? I'm excited to offer her menstrual protection that she doesn't need to think about once she is at school for the day! I got her cloth pads and Sea Pearls too but this Diva Cup is awesome!

Thoughts?

[sapphire_chan]

They make two sizes of diva cup. I think giving her a choice of things is best. Even if she doesn't use a cup right away, it's not like they go bad.

[SashaBreeze]

I'm curious about something. What is the game plan for the cloth pads when she is at school? We (my 13yodd and I) have been talking about switching to cloth and she has only been really firm about one thing, that when she goes to other peoples homes she is wearing disposable pads. That may be in and of itself a reason for your dd to want to try using the Diva.
Which thank you for posting this question, I am curious to see the responses you get cause this may be a solution for my own dd for out of home trips when we make the switch.

[Mirzam]

I have heard that the Diva Cup even the smaller size, is likely to be too big for a young girl. Evidently, the smallest menstrual cup is the Lady Cup. There is quite a bit of info on the web, mostly in forums which I can't link here, so do a google search on Lady Cup vs Diva Cup.

[Breathless Wonder]

Regarding cloth pads in public- a lot of people have a bag made out of the waterproof fabric they make diaper covers out of. They just put the pads in the bag until they get home.

[Kindermama]

Originally Posted by Breathless Wonder

Regarding cloth pads in public- a lot of people have a bag made out of the waterproof fabric they make diaper covers out of. They just put the pads in the bag until they get home.

Yes, this is what I bought for her basket. I bought it from the same site I got the cloth pads from: partypantspads.com

Evidently, the smallest menstrual cup is the Lady Cup.

Thanks! I'll definitely check it out!

[Kindermama]

Originally Posted by SashaBreeze

I am curious to see the responses you get cause this may be a solution for my own dd for out of home trips when we make the switch.

Menstrual cups can be worn up to 12 hours....so I think it's the perfect solution for trips away from home!

[Teensy]

That would have been fabulous back in school, not to have to feel like you were announcing exactly why you were going to the bathroom when you had to carry your purse with you (at least I was self-conscious about it).

[alaskaberry]

I do not have a teen, but I got my moon for the 1st time when I was 10. Just wanted to give you props for getting her a Diva Cup. I used (disposable) pads and they were awful...I felt like everyone could tell. She could also use tampons (is that what Sea Pearls are? or the unbleached ones by 7th gen) at friends houses.

[Kindermama]

Originally Posted by alaskaberry

(is that what Sea Pearls are?

Sea Pearls are sea sponge "tampons"....another great option away from home. You remove and rinse and replace or if there is no private sink, bring a small container for the used one and and extra clean sponge. They don't hold up to 12 hours of flow like a menstrual cup but they do work really well! They last for 3-6 months with sterilization.

[Surfacing]

subbing to come back later and read

[BirthIsAwesome]

I don't have personal experience with this, as I adore my cloth pads and have never used the Diva or Lady cup, but I've heard that virgins can't really insert a menstrual cup comfortably. Apparently their hymen is in the way and their vagina is too small and rigid for it to fit properly. I have no idea if this is true, just be careful and make sure and warn her that it may not fit and it is NOT supposed to hurt! She can always keep it for later...

[Kindermama]

Originally Posted by BirthIsAwesome

I don't have personal experience with this, as I adore my cloth pads and have never used the Diva or Lady cup, but I've heard that virgins can't really insert a menstrual cup comfortably. Apparently their hymen is in the way and their vagina is too small and rigid for it to fit properly. I have no idea if this is true, just be careful and make sure and warn her that it may not fit and it is NOT supposed to hurt! She can always keep it for later...

good point

[Llyra]

I used tampons while still a virgin, with an intact hymen, at a very young age, with no issues whatsoever, other than needing a bit of lube. And when I fold my Diva, the size of it isn't much bigger than a tampon. So I wouldn't necessarily suppose that it will be too small. Definitely provide some lube, just in case. The worst that can happen is that she tries it, and it doesn't work properly or she doesn't like it, and she wants to put it away for a few years.

A young girl old enough to be menstruating is physically mature, isn't she? Is the vagina really much smaller at that age? I never would have thought of there being issues besides the hymen and it being an obstacle to insertion.

[Magelet]

I don't know about the diva cup, but with all the points re: a hymen getting in the way, I wanted to provide an alternate view. Over time, I have come to the conclusion that the concept of a "hymen" as generally perceived (a membrane cover most of the vagina which is torn upon first intercourse, or other activities) is complete bunk. It's a mythological invention by people who held so tightly to the idea of virginity that they invented/changed anatomy to "create" a way to tell if a woman is a virgin.

(Apparently, the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education is now calling the folds of mucus membranes which remain around a woman's vagina her whole life a vaginal corona, instead of a "hymen" which could be broken. an article talking about this their booklet about the vaginal corona)

I realize that this is a controversial point of view, and EVERY medical and midwifery and anatomical textbook portrays the hymen as a fact, however between my own experiences with my body, and much reading, the concept of a vaginal corona seem much more accurate. (and also inconsistencies in general perception: Women have a membrane which covers the vagina and will be broken upon sex or other actions, and yet, no one can tell if you have had sex? so this membrane is invisible?)

anyways, I don't know whether an 11-12 year old would be so much smaller than an adult woman as to cause a problem with a diva or lady cup, I imagine some are and some are not.

[Storm Bride]

I don't know about the Diva Cup, but I do know that when my mom was in school, "everyone knew" virgins couldn't use tampons (which I used with no difficulties whatsoever as a 12 year old virgin). I tend to highly skeptical of this kind of thing.