Tampon Age?

[coconotlove.livejournal.com]

If you use/used tampons, how long after you started your period did you start using them and how old were you?

My cousin is almost 13 and has had her period for a year and a half but my aunt won't let her use tampons! This isn't like a religious/moral issue, but my aunt just thinks my cousin's body is not "ready" for that? The reason I'm asking is cause my cousin was complaining about using pads when having a heavy flow and how her mom wouldn't let her try tampons.

Comments

[cbackson.livejournal.com]

I started my period when I was twelve, and I don't think I used tampons for a year or two. I think that my mom thought that a) my body wasn't ready (like your aunt), and b) that I might not be quite old enough to remember when they needed to be taken out and all that (TSS stuff, you know?). I'm not sure what the "body not ready" think is supposed to mean, because even a year or two later, it hurt like f*ck the first time I put one in--maybe she thought that the scariness of starting my period and then the scariness of trying a tampon would be too much at first?

I can see an advantage to going a while without using them, because I think that you do get a better sense of what your cycle is like when you're using pads (just because you don't so much see the blood with tampons), but the responsibility with regard to changing them properly is the main reason I can think of for not having a very young girl use them.