OT- Tampon use by teenage girls

[LosingMyMindInGA]

Do you think a 14 or 15 year old girl should use tampons?  My daughter is pretty upset with me because I won't let her use them due to the increased risk of toxic shock syndrome.  What is everyone elses opinions on this?  Did you use tampons as a teenager (before you were sexually active)? Or does anyone have a teenage daughter they let use them? I'm just curious.  I don't use tampons, never have!

[cnj76]

I started out on pads. I got my period when I was 10. I didn't know any different about tampons and such. But, by the time I was 13, I started using skinny tampons. If put in correctly, you don't feel a thing but I had two issues with them.

#1 - If you don't change them in time or your flow becomes heavier than expected, you tend to stain your panties. So for me to fix that problem I would always wear a tampon along with liners.

#2 - when I was due to get off my period, my tampons became dry along with my vagina, so when I'd try to pull them out, it always felt like I got ripped or I'd be sore for a long time afterwards. Best thing to do, is use a pad the last day of your period (just my opinion)

I used tampons for about 8 years but now I use pads. They always seemed to make my cramps hurt worse. I get clots during my periods, it just feels a lot better to use a pad. Once I have this baby, I think it's going to be weird getting my period again after not having it for so long lol

It's a personal choice though. I'd at least offer to let her try them. She may not even like them that much. Or, offer to try a different brand of pads. I use "Always" They're comfortable to me. I want to try "Always - Infinity" once I have this baby to see if I notice a difference. The bigger the tampon, the better the risk of TSS. Always try to use the smallest size if possible. Especially on the last day of the period. Never use a super sized tampon for a flow that's not heavy or constant.

[Clysta]

I looked up the odds, just so you can get an idea. The risk of TSS are 1-17 in 100,000 menstruating women a year.

[dscoqn]

Personally I hate pads - I feel gross when I use them.  I got my first period when I was 11 and a half and used pads for one day and then begged my mum to let me use tampons.  I think as long as you wash your hands before inserting them and change them every few hours, then the risk of TSS is very low.

[sweetpea03]

Well any time you insert something into your vagina(finger, tampons, etc), you can break the hymen, but it can also be broken by sports, riding a bike, or other simple exercises. I don't know when my hymen broke, as I had played soccer and other sports since I was 5, but I started using tampons at 12 and was very far from being sexually active. I didn't have sex until 20 and my hymen broke long before that, which I'm glad it did. She'll probably never recognize when her hymen breaks because it'd be hard to notice. Most girls don't know when their hymen broke. I have no idea when mine broke, no pain and don't remember any odd bleeding.

I have always been very petite and when I began using tampons, I used the ones made for teens(the smallest ones they have). If the tampon "doesn't fit", that would mean the girl is tensing her muscles to not allow it in or she has a physical deformity that wouldn't allow it in or she's inserting it incorrectly. If the tampon does not feel comfortable, that means you did not insert it correctly, because you should not be able to even feel or notice it if you put it in right. I do really think you need to let her decide what she wants to use. I would be so angry at my mother if she didn't let me use tampons. I always felt bad for the girls in jr high and some in high school who had to wear pads and you can see the pads most of the time, since most are bulky and look like diapers. I remember sneaking a friend tampons in 8th grade because her mom wouldn't let her wear them and your daughter might do the same. It'd just be better if you give her the option to choose herself and then you can talk to her about using them correctly and changing them regularly.          

[Ashelen]

SOrry I should qualify the "tampons hurt" thing...they hurt when I was younger because I had an unnaturally small vaginal canal - due to sexual trauma as a child. Then, more recently, due to my daughter ripping me from crotch to groin (lol), I now have a super sensitive scar tissue down there....most people without serious trauma to their vagina shouldn't have a big problem with pain, although I do agree with Brittny that they seem to make my cramps worse.

[Ashelen]

tampons hurt...and feel unnatural to me, lol. Nothing against people who use them, I use them when I'm swimming...and in high school and middle school I was on a swim team so I used them a lot, but I despise them.

However...I'm lucky. when I'm on my period I rarely fill the pads, but every time I go pee I fill the toilet with blood...so I don't have to worry about "sitting in my mess" (thanks for that visual, Audrey...;-) LOL). I also found that using the tampon caused the flow to leak continuously instead of staying in like normal, so I frequently leaked through the tampon even if I changed them every 2 hours because I bleed so MUCH. When I say I fill the toilet, I mean that you can't see the bottom of it because it's so full of blood. EVERY time I pee...but rarely anything on the pad.

THe first time I ever used a tampon I know I used it correctly, but I was so tiny that I laid in bed and cried in pain for an hour before I finally gave up and took it out. Awful, awful.

But I highly, highly, can't highly enough recommend wearing a pad to bed instead of using a tampon, no matter how gross or inconvenient it is. Like it or not, menstrual blood is now waste material and carries bacteria....TSS isn't common, and it isn't something most people are at risk for, but you want to keep your cervix and vaginal canal as clean and NORMAL as possible. which is to say - not forcing it to back up with bacteria for hours on end. During the day is great, they are really convenient and some people just couldn't live without them - but they are not the greatest idea for night time if you want to keep your vaginal bacteria level normal. However...I do agree that it's a personal choice Cass and if she wants to use them during the day I see nothing wrong with that, as long as they are convenient and comfortable to her. I also wouldn't recommend letting her use them at night though.