Periods And Additional Needs
Periods can be especially challenging for young people with additional needs and their parents. If your child has moderate to severe intellectual disability, they might not understand why theyre experiencing changes to their body and mood.
Your child still needs to know about periods and the menstrual cycle at a level they can understand. Your GP, or other health professionals involved in your childs care, can recommend resources you can use with your child, like books and visual aids. You could also speak to your childs school about support.
Period Cup For Teens: Our Top Tips For Parents
Hello parents. Whether menstrual cups are entirely new for you or if youre already using them, youre probably wondering how you can help your teen understand if a menstrual cup is the right choice. You may also wonder if youre ready for this next stage in your teens life. Weve put together our top tips for parents of teenagers who may or may not want to use a menstrual cup.
- Be supportiveif theyre ready. You may think your teen is too young. However, if they feel theyre ready and understand the responsibility of cleaning and sterilizing their cup, then let them start. Their maturity may surprise you.
- If theyre not ready,dont push. Some teens may not be ready to get so familiar with their bodies. Respect their wishes if youre the one who prefers they use a menstrual cup. They may change their mind later on, especially once they see their friends being so carefree while theyre on their periods during gym class, in the pool, or at camp.
- Explore the options together. There are more alternative period products today than when you were their age. Discover the options together, help them narrow down their choices, but let them choose. If you let them take responsibility for choosing a menstrual cup, theyll feel more comfortable and empowered to use the period product of their choice.
- Help them create healthy menstruationhabits. In the beginning, you may have to remind your teen to empty their cup every 8 hours and sterilize it between periods.
Period Symptoms And Pain
When your childs period is coming, they might have a range of physical symptoms, including sore breasts, pimples and greasy hair. Your child might also have a sore tummy, feel sick or have diarrhoea.
Period pain and these associated symptoms are common. If your child gets a sore tummy, back or legs before or during their period, your child could try:
- taking pain medication
- putting a hot water bottle on their lower stomach
- walking or other light exercise
- eating smaller meals more often
- resting and relaxing, particularly with their legs elevated, or lying on one side with knees bent
- lightly massaging the lower stomach
- having warm drinks like hot milk or herbal tea.
Very painful periods are common, as are symptoms like nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. But if your child has period pain that disrupts everyday activities, they should see their GP. Hormone treatments that regulate periods or even turn them off for a while are safe and very effective.
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Is It Hygienic To Swim On Your Period
Most people pay close attention to their hygiene during their period. Depending on your comfort level, you may feel more cautious about swimming at this time. Nevertheless, its absolutely possible to swim during your period.
Both indoor and outdoor swimming pools add a halogen to the water either chlorine or bromine.
What do these chemicals do? They kill the bacteria and other microbes that accumulate in a warm, wet place where lots of people swim. In treated water, the chance of getting an infection when swimming in a pool is, thankfully, low. Some doctors recommend avoiding lake or ocean swimming due to a greater risk of infection, as these bodies of water cant be treated with a halogen.
If you wear sanitary products, make sure to keep any used ones out of the water because they could pose a health risk to other swimmers.
What If I Do Bleed In Waterwould People Be Able To See It And Would It Attract Sharks
Nope and nope! Those are only myths. If youre planning to get into the bathtub or go swimming without using a tampon or menstrual cup, rest assured that there will be no red, bloody trail behind you, says Dr. Haughton.
Most women bleed only 60 milliliters over five whole days, says Dr. Haughton. Even if youre free-flowing into the pool for five hours, theres no way that water is going to turn into the Red Sea with the amount of blood coming out of your body. Even a whole pool full of people on their periods wouldnt give the water even the tiniest pink tinge.
And theres absolutely no chance that this tiny amount of menstrual blood will attract every shark in the ocean , so lets put that theory to rest right now. Whenever I hear the shark myth I think, How much do you people think youre bleeding? Its not like youre waving around a bloody arm, says Dr. Haughton.
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Pe Swimming And Periods
Its natural that your daughter might be anxious about taking part in PE or swimming lessons when she has her period, especially as young girls who have only recently started menstruating are less likely to be using tampons.
If this is the case, speak to your childs teacher about how the situation can be handled. Shes likely to be encouraged to take part in as much of the lesson as she can, but some allowances might be made for example, she might be given permission to watch swimming from the spectator seats, or hand out and collect sports equipment instead of taking part in the game herself.
The Family Planning Association runs Speakeasy courses for parents and carers, helping prepare them to talk to their children about sex and relationships. Contact your local family information service or education authority to find out about courses in your area.
Keeping Track Of Periods
Its good for your child to keep track of their periods with an app, calendar or diary. If your childs periods are fairly regular, an app or calendar can help your child know when their period is likely to come. This way your child can prepare for things like sleepovers, school camps or swimming carnivals.
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What Menstrual Cup Is Best For Teenagers
Theres no special menstrual cup thats best. A teen cup is just a marketing ploy. Your weight, height, and build do not influence the type of menstrual cup youll need.
Instead, to find the right menstrual cup for you, heres what to consider:
- The heaviness of your flow
- The height of your cervix
Menstrual cups come in different sizes with different fluid capacities, higher for heavy flows, lower for lighter ones. And youll need to know the height of your cervix to find your cup size. Consult our full sizing guide to discover how to measure your cervix and understand which menstrual cup is right for you.
*If your menstrual flow varies during your menstrual cycle, get both size cups and use the one that matches your daily flow.
Once you find your size, try a Ruby Cup. Its one of the best menstrual cups for beginners and teens. Heres why:
- Zero-waste and cruelty-free. Our vegan Ruby Cups are made from 100% medical-grade silicone and are plastic-free. With the right care, one Ruby Cup can last for up to 10 years.
- Life-changing donation program. For every Ruby Cup purchased, our Buy One, Give One program provides a second Ruby Cup to a person in need of safe menstrual products. You can change two lives with one Ruby Cup.
- Fuss-free. Wear your Ruby Cup for up to 8 hours for a leak-free period. Go for a chafe-free run, swim for hours without worrying about emptying your cup, and enjoy carefree outings with friends.
Read A Brief Summary Of This Topic
swimming, in recreation and sports, the propulsion of the body through water by combined arm and leg motions and the natural flotation of the body. Swimming as an exercise is popular as an all-around body developer and is particularly useful in therapy and as exercise for physically handicapped persons. It is also taught for lifesaving purposes. For activities that involve swimming, see alsodiving, lifesaving, surfing, synchronized swimming, underwater diving, and water polo.
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How Can I Take Care Of Myself During Puberty And Throughout Life
Sleep
Your changing body needs sleeplots of it. Puberty takes up a lot of energy. Most teens need at least 9 hours of sleep each night. Some need even more.
Food and exercise
Since a growing body needs food, you will often be hungry. Eating a balanced diet that includes all food groups and being physically active are important to your health. Try to make physical activity part of your daily routine. Here are some ideas to get you started:
If you are worried about your weight, or want advice on healthy living, talk to your doctor. Your doctor can suggest a healthy eating and exercise program for you to follow.
Period Pads For Swimming
If menstrual cups arent an option, you may still be wondering how to swim on your period without a tampon.
Getting into the water with a pad is a bit trickier when compared to using tampons or a menstrual cup. Pads are super absorbent if they come into contact with water, they will become useless.
When disposable pads get wet, they can slip out from under your swimsuit.
A pad without wings will be the most discrete, as it wont peek out from your clothes. Instead of getting your whole body wet, you may decide to sit at the edge of the pool with your feet dangling in the water. If youre at the beach, you can wade through the water, which will keep your pad dry.
If you do choose to get in the water, you can wear dark-colored shorts over your swim bottoms. This will make the pad less obtrusive and hide any leakage.
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What If You Leak Blood Into The Water Anyways
If you’re concerned about seeing your blood in the water due to a leak, put your mind at rest it should be diluted pretty quickly.
“Any small amount of blood that were to get into the water would either be neutralized by chemical treatment of the water or vastly diluted by a large body of natural water ,” says Meyers.
Another concern that may come to mind when swimming with your period, especially if you’re swimming in the ocean or another large body of water, is sharks. If you’re concerned that sharks will swarm around you, it likely won’t happen.
“There is no data that shark attacks increase while a woman is on her period,” says Millheiser.
Your regular flow shouldn’t prevent you from swimming. In fact, it can even benefit your body. “Swimming and exercise may be helpful for period cramps as well,” says Ho. Just make sure that your cramps aren’t too bad when you first get in the water and that you can swim comfortably without much pain.
Risks Of Taking The Pill
The biggest medical risk that comes with taking the pill is an increased risk of blood clots but that risk is low. If we follow 10,000 women for one year then one will have a clot on the pill, that risk rises to 3 to 4.
There can be an impact on height when a person is exposed to estrogen too early. By two years after the first period, most teens have stopped growing, however, the younger a girl starts her period, the longer she may continue to grow. Most of the data suggests the birth control pill with estrogen has no impact on stature, but for adolescents who start their period early, a discussion about height with a pediatrician or pediatric and adolescent gynecologist may be in order.
Many people of all ages prefer not to have a period for a variety of reasons, even Ob/Gyns. The risks associated with the medications used to regulate or stop periods are generally very low, but only an individual can decide if the benefit to risk ratio is worth it. Your daughters doctor should discuss the impact her period is having on her life and review all the options to help her weigh the pros and cons.
Dr. Jen Gunter, Twitters resident gynecologist, is teaming up with our editors to answer your questions about all things womens health. From whats normal for your anatomy, to healthy sex, to clearing up the truth behind strange wellness claims, Dr. Gunter, who also writes a column called, The Cycle, promises to handle your questions with respect, forthrightness and honesty.
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Talking To Your Child About Periods
Not many of us relish having the talk with our children, but its important that they know what happens during puberty before it happens. The girls who cope best with periods at primary school tend to be the ones who are well prepared, and that comes from the parents, Claire says. Indeed, the Family Planning Association recommends talking to children about periods between the ages of five and eight.
Puberty is covered in schools its part of the National Curriculum for science but not until Year 5. By this stage, many children are already going through these changes, so you cant leave it up to the school to tell them everything they need to know, Claire adds.
The best way to talk about periods is to make it an ongoing conversation rather than a one-off lecture. The talk should be progressive with age, and cover all physical changes, including breast development and discharge, says Claire.
You could answer questions as they arise, use tampon or sanitary towel adverts to kickstart a discussion, or simply ask your daughter what she already knows. Make sure you talk about the emotional changes she might experience, as well as the physical ones. Boys also need to be told about periods, as well as the changes that will affect them during puberty: it shouldnt be a girls-only subject.
Pads 4 Dads a quick overview of menstruation by dads, for dads offers information and tips to help you have positive conversations with all your kids about periods.
Is Pregnancy Possible
It is generally safe to assume that most females who get periods can get pregnant.
The first period usually means that ovulation has occurred. Ovulation means that pregnancy is possible. However, both periods and ovulation can be irregular during the first few years after the first period, making it difficult to predict fertility.
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How Does It Start
The first period typically occurs after a female first ovulates. This happens when the ovaries release an egg into the fallopian tube.
When this happens, the womb lining thickens in preparation for the egg to be fertilized. If fertilization does not occur, the lining sheds, as the body no longer needs it. This is where period blood comes from.
In most females, this cycle continues regularly from the age of the first period until menopause, which is when periods end.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , the average age at which females began menstruating in the United States in 20132017 was
For The Teen Who No Longer Wants A Period
A reader asks how best to advise her child who wants to stop getting a monthly period.
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My very active 12.5-year-old daughter hates getting her period, which she began having twoyears ago. When can young women begin to use hormonal birth control methods that reduce the number of periods they have each year? Are there reasons young women should wait until they are older?
Jessica Jimenez, Texas
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How To Use A Menstrual Cup For The First Time If Youre A Teenager
Learning to use a menstrual cup is the same for everyone, at any age. While you can read our complete guide on how to use a menstrual cup, weve put together a few tips on how to use your menstrual cup for the first time if youre a teenager.