Swimming and periods

well when my DSD is surfing the crimson wave, she avoids swimming completely!! its best to avoid a shark attack!

I agree that it has to be a personal choice. It seems ridiculously prudish to not allow it, and damn near assault to insist upon it.

I don't see why tampons should be such an issue

I couldn't use them until I had given birth (not right after, but when I had a baby)! I still only use them for swimming, very infrequently.

Write a note.

I can understand a girl so young not wanting to use tampons. I was fourteen before I used them and it wasn't easy even then at first.

If she is at the light flow stage of her period she could probably swim without anything but it is really up to her. Do assure her that it is her decision, no pressure (I'm sure you won't pressurise her but others might).

My girls were not ready for tampons when they first started, so I just wrote a note. Not at all uncommon, a lot of their friends didn't do swimming when on their period.
Of course, there was one non uniform day when nearly the whole year was " on their period" ( didn't want to wash off their makeup). I think as a deterrent to dishonesty the teachers tell them if they miss more than half of the swimming lessons they need to make up the time.
DD uses tampons now she is 16. She tried them when she was younger ( wanted to do water activities with Sea Scouts so wore them for a couple of hours) but didn't like them, and wasn't prepared to wear them for school.

has anyone tried the new swimsuits, eg mobibody (or something like that) which you can wear without sanpro?

This is a timely conversation for us as my DD, a competitive swimmer is going through it at the moment. Having just started her periods she is very nervous about tampons and we are taking it at her pace. It’s tricky though because they are expected to maintain a high level percentage of attendance which doesn’t take factors like this into account.

Some girls have very heavy periods and won't be confident about swimming even if they do wear tampons. In my experience (from 1983, so hopefully out of date) PE teachers don't empathise with that situation. Not surprising really - if they had experienced the same condition they probably wouldn't have become PE teachers.

I did competitive swimming (not quite 17hours/week though). Started periods at 11. Like dippy I found it hard to use tampons until i lost my virginity. It was painful - I think due relative size of tampon (i hadn’t finished growing yet) and flow as well as ‘technique’. I guess all you can do is provide different types to try out, but do understand if she needs to skip some sessions.

I find the lacked empathy from some posters towards an 11 year old girl really odd on this thread.

Of course most of us old mothers use tampons, and clearly there are some advantages of tampons, but the reality is that there are at least 2 standard sanitary options and the world over, many girls and women use towels - they aren't stupid or being pathetic, just making a valid choice. And understanding that particularly for a young girl, for whom periods are new and perhaps not keen on tampons seems pretty easy to grasp. No doubt she will move beyond feeling like that, but it's how she feels now, and that's fine - it's not immature or silly for a young girl to feel anxious about putting things up her vagina when she's never done it before, even if more experienced women can say it's not a big deal.

And yes, some mothers do actively discourage their young DDs from using tampons. Personally I would be offering all alternatives and leaving DD to make a choice, but I think that if some mothers feel 11 is too young and it's best to wait a while, then that's their choice to make. It's not possible to say categorically that tampons are always the best choice for everyone - so why do some people ridicule or belittle the choice of an 11 year old to use towels? Baffling.

Yes, simply write a short note that your DD can show the teacher. It won't be long before most of the girls are in a similar position and she feels less awkward about it. Feeling awkward about bodily changes is entirely normal for teenagers - again, it shouldn't be that hard to have some kind of understanding of that, even if most of us are long last that phase.

Why?

I know this is an old thread but in case others Google it. I personally have been using tampons since 11 as I swam a lot and did other sports. That said they were teen tampons, which are a lot easier to use. (Teen pads are also more comfortable, for skinny 11 year olds) You can also use a water based lube which makes it easier to use. Applicator tampons though worse for the environment are easier to use especially plastic ones as they are smoother. I would advise her to miss swimming for the first few months, and practice using tampons just after a bath when she is relaxed and comfortable at home.

My daughter knows I've used tampons for years and wouldn't swap, but she's adamant she doesn't want to use them. I think it comes down to personal choice and lifestyle in the end and for me it's no big deal what others do/don't use.

i would not be happy for my dd to use tampon's at 11 year's . just my own personal choice!

I'm perfectly happy for my dd to use tampons and have bought every brand on the market for her to try. But she hasn't got on with them and I'm certainly not making a fuss about it - she will do what she wants when the time is right. She started her periods at 10.5 and is now 14.5 btw. Swimming isn't compulsory at her school so it isn't an isssue but if it was compulsory and I didn't know the routine I would telephone the school and speak to her tutor and find out what the usual practice was.

Well I have been in situations where tampons did not provide sufficient protection when swimming.
That would be even more embarrasing for a young dd so as far as mine is concerned it will be compeltely up to her if she swims or not with or without a tampon!

Agreed my mom back in the early 80s tried to get me to use tampons as soon as I started but I could not get the hange of them until I was about 17. Very old. Most schools will be used to these. Even the girls I know who used tampons used their period as an excuse to the point that one lesson we were all called in to a meeting on the basis that all of us were saying we were having a period every week and this was biologically impossible!

Domino - I was desperate to use tampons as a teen, but found it totally impossible to insert, despite numerous occasions shut in the bathroom with a mirror! I still remember the swimming teacher's comment of 'haven't you girls heard of internal protection?', I felt like a freak and was mortified. So, it isn't always a case of just not trying hard enough. It wasn't until I'd lost my virginity that I could finally use them.

I do think its personal choice: ridiculing girls for being anxious - or even NOT being anxious, but just not liking tampons - would be as daft as ridiculing those who want to use them straight away.

The point is, milestones and changes can cause anxiety - some may not feel fine shoving a tampon in, and need time. Others need time to overcome worries about speaking in public, getting on stage, heights, spiders, etc etc etc.

I would respect my dd's feelings either way. Tampons and jump in the pool, no tampons and miss swimming.

Personally, I've had times in my life when I've felt great using tampons, and others when I've found them very uncomfortable. Nothing to do with anxiety. As a teen, my periods were often very light, and tampons hurt.

Its personal choice, I encouraged DD to try them and she quickly got the hang. She was a competitive swimmer so keen to use them just found them tricky at first. She used them on her 2nd period. I understand most aren't so keen and find it a big thing..
I do find it silly though when mums make such a big deal of it that the daughters get nervous. I do think it is a bit ridiculous that a year on or so they are still missing swimming for it.

dancer

Really? The way some people talk about them on mumsnet you would think their daughters were being expected to shove a nuclear bomb up their fanjo.

I confess I was very firm that DD1 was going to get the hang of tampons and that was that.

She is a fish and not easily embarrassed so she didn't take much persuasion.

I fear DD2 will be a whole lot more nervous about the whole thing.

I am not sure what schools do about this but I think it's rather silly. Unless there is a specific medical reason I don't see why tampons should be such an issue. In most cases it is the mother who is anxious and makes the child anxious. I had my first period on holiday and there was no way I was going to miss out on swimming so learnt to use tampons in 5 minutes.

I'd send a note in. My daughter finds the thought of using tampons horrendous so I'm not pushing it. Obviously depends on everyone's lifestyle what suits, but missing swimming occasionally won't hurt. My daughter doesn't do swimming, but if someone can't take part in PE/games they take on the role of a team builder/advisor so aren't totally left out of the lesson. Hopefully may be something your daughter's school do, which we would good. At my daughter's primary school non swimmers took a book with them.