Does My Teen Need Teen-Specific Period Products?

I am so grateful that the way we talk about periods — and period products — has changed over the last few decades. Growing up in the ‘90s, even with “girl power” and anti-shaming language available, I still remember my guidance counselor suggesting that we put our pads and tampons in “brown paper bags” in our lockers so nobody knew we had them in there. And with this change in period talk, there are also a lot more period products than there were when we were kids. While a lot of us were just using the pads and tampons our moms had in their own bathroom, there are now tons of teen-labeled period products, from period underwear and pads to cups and tampons. But do teens and tweens need age-specific period products?

Like everything product-wise, there is simply more to choose from these days. And for teens and tweens, this can be a great thing. While there’s nothing wrong with using a traditional pad or tampon, teen-specific period products can bring both confidence and comfort to a situation where there’s usually not much of either.

Kim Rosas, founder of Period Nirvana, says this kind of impact from a period product is where teen-specific items matter. “Period products designed for teens and tweens are a mixed bag. Some are purely marketed towards teens without any changes to their design, only the packaging and verbiage have changed. Other products have been designed for teens in their sizing and form. Period underwear for teens, for example, will offer youth sizing and color choices that appeal more towards tweens.”

Menstrual cups might be helpful to buy your teen, she notes, as their main feature is a smaller overall diameter size that will fold to be narrower. Rosas says this helps make insertion easier for first-time menstrual cup users, and that using these teen sizes may feel less overwhelming than traditional size small menstrual cups. (Although teens can wear those, too.)

But when it comes to pads and tampons, the selling point is often just the different packaging. “Teens are anatomically compatible with regular sized pads and tampons, and should always match their flow to the product’s absorbency,” says Rosas.

Above all, it’s more about the overwhelming experience of getting your first period and having to navigate how to use products. It’s less about the products themselves. For instance, menstrual care brand Viv for Your V’s number one rated video on their site is “How to Use a Tampon.” The brand shares that it’s not so much which tampons to use that overwhelm teens, it’s the lack of comprehensive period education.

(Honestly, I would’ve felt a lot better about using a tampon if I had something other than that little fold-out pamphlet from the box that really just terrified me about Toxic Shock Syndrome.)

You may also find “first period kits” available from some brands, and Rosas says these aren’t necessary, but can be nice to buy as a gift to make the milestone feel extra special. Empowerment is key in this space. For instance, Scarlet, formerly known as RedDrop, is a feminine hygiene brand for school-aged children that focuses above all on it. While the brand does carry teen-sized period products, it’s mostly in an effort to help tweens and young people feel confident and able to advocate for themselves.

At the end of the day, the only teen-specific period products that will work better than any traditional period products are period underwear. Beyond that, ask your tween or teen what they’d feel most comfortable using. If their worries and fears about their period are leakage or something similar, talk to them about absorbency and the different levels on products. Knowledge will empower your kids, and it won’t matter which period product they’re using — as long as they know how to work and how to use them.