‘My daughter wants to use tampons – is she too young?’

Ellen Fitzpatrick

A mum has shared her concerns around her 12-year-old daughter wanting to start using tampons.

Explaining how her daughter started getting her period a few months ago, she has been using pads and period underwear consistently but has expressed wanting to switch to tampons.

As the summer has arrived and her daughter is swimming more, she requested a box of tampons to make her time of the month easier.

While the mum herself had no issue facilitating the request, the girl’s father had a lot more concerns around the topic.

The mum revealed she grew up with three sisters and her own mother was a medical professional, so the conversation around periods was always an open one and she had raised her daughter the same.

Taking to Reddit, the mum wrote: “She visited with him tonight (her father and I split a number of years ago) and she brought the tampons with her. Cue angry texts. He wasn’t ready for her inserting anything and feels I should have discussed this with him.

“In my mind, I DID, when he asked me if I was discussing her options with her as she was nearing this age and I confirmed yes, I was. For a number of years before he asked me in fact…. Why those options would not include tampons in his mind is a mystery to me.

“He insists she’s too young to be inserting anything. I think what he thinks about how a girl/woman chooses to deal with her period is irrelevant. Tampons are safe at any age with the proper use and changing times. She was instructed on it all, and she made a choice she’s comfortable with.”

Asking if she was in the wrong or if there was something she was missing by allowing her daughter to start using tampons.

One person replied, saying: “Tampons are safe to use at any age so long as a girl has begun her menstrual cycle. If the reproductive system is developed enough to menstruate, it has developed enough to safely use a tampon.

“Outside of rare vaginal health issues (for which you should be speaking with a doctor), there is no reason your 12 year old is not old enough and physically matured enough to use tampons.

“You should in no way restrict her access to menstrual supplies for your own reasons. If she is comfortable enough to try them, she should be given access to them.”