How to Talk to Your Daughter About Menstruation

A young girl may find the onset of menstruation both an exciting and an anxiety-provoking time, and it's important that she enter this phase of her life with the information she needs.

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Feminine Cleansing Washes
• Sanitary Napkins
• Tampons

1. Make sure to talk to your daughter early so she won't be surprised when she gets her first period. Some girls can begin menstruating as early as age 9 or 10, so age 8 can be a good time to discuss it. If your daughter is beginning to develop breasts and pubic hair, menstruation is probably coming soon.

2. Approach the subject tactfully. Girls just entering puberty are often sensitive and easily embarrassed.

3. Make sure she knows you are proud of her. Make it clear to your daughter that entering womanhood is a wonderful event and that there is no reason to feel uncomfortable or ashamed of the changes in her body.

4. Be realistic. While menarche is an important rite of passage, menstruation is also a physical event your daughter will go through every month throughout her childbearing years. Let her know what to expect physically and emotionally. Tell her in as straightforward a way as possible, without either overstating or sugarcoating the facts.

5. Discuss her options. Present the pros and cons of pads and tampons, and discuss how to deal with any premenstrual symptoms or cramps. See if she wants to chart her cycle on a calendar or in a journal.

6. Reassure her. On a practical level, menstruation won't change her life all that much. Women of earlier generations may have avoided certain activities during menstruation, but it is now common knowledge that women can swim, exercise and go on with life as normal during their periods.

7. Talk about the implications. Once your daughter begins menstruating, she has the ability to bear children. Hopefully, you have already discussed sexuality, reproduction and contraception with her, but if not, now is the time.

Tips & Warnings

• Prepare yourself in advance with any books and materials you may need to help you explain the more technical aspects of menstruation to your daughter.

[ruthy7]

on 2/24/2009 It is also good to provide her with some quality pads. If she will use poor quality pads she will feel very frustrated from the very beginning and discouraged, so try to make her experience a pleasant one. I know Always is a very popular brand, but I had bad experiences with it (it doesn't keep you dry and doesn't allow air flow, and all these made me feel very uncomfortable and irritated). A high quality brand I have tried and I totally recommend is Love Moon Anion Sanitary Napkins produced by Winalite. I get them from wellnesspartners.com

on 3/21/2006 I know that when I got my first period it was hard to talk to my Mom about it and I pushed her away. Later on I wanted to talk to her about it, but I found it hard. So I think that talking to her about it, even if it is uncomfortable, is worth while. Keep trying, because even if she appears to be uninterested she really does want to know.

on 11/22/2005 1) Tell your boys about menstruation as well! It's amazing how many grown teens and even adults are unaware of even the basics of menstruation and think that periods will only last a few hours or a day, or it all rushes out in one go.

2) Teach them to be sensitive. Cramps are nasty, and the last thing a girl needs when she's feeling rough is for anyone (male or female) to tell her she's overreacting. Make sure she knows that if over the counter pain killers or simple self help treatments (like a hot water bottle) aren't enough to control cramps and they are interfering with her life, then she needs to seek medical attention.

Despite what many people believe, medical conditions such as endometriosis can and does affect teenagers as well as grown women.

on 11/22/2005 I was 16 and 4 months before I got my period for the first time. Even though I was prepared for it, I was still unsure of what to expect. Make sure your daughter knows that she can tell you if anything is wrong. Make sure she knows what it should look like and be like when she gets it for the first time.

on 11/22/2005 Begin by talking to your daughter about sex at a young age, but in a casual way. This is how I was raised. Let your daughter see you changing your pads when she is very young, and answer her questions. Once these things become normal to her, she will not be embarrassed about them, or think that they are abnormal in any way.