Swimming - with Contact Lenses and During Periods

For contacts I prefer the daily disposables so if they get washed out or lost in the water I am not out a lot of money, but to date I have never actually lost one.

For tampons I recommend OB, they are the most comfortable and least likely to leak in my experience, I have never had a leak with them. I started using tampons from the start (could never stand pads) and I never had an issue with using them or any pain even though I was only 11 when I started.

My daughter wears her contacts while swimming. They have come out but since they are dailies it is not a HUGE problem. After they came out a couple times, I had her either not open her eyes under water or wear goggles. Also since they are dailies, no worries about bacteria getting on them.

As for the tampons, there are different sizes, so have her try a couple different ones to see which is most comfortable.

I have had vision problems since I was in the 4th grade. I remember wearing goggles and being able to see very well under water. Fast forward to my late thirties when I'm back to the pool with my own child and wearing contacts. I wouldn't go under much until last year I finally thought to buy some good goggles so I can swim with my contacts. BOY what a difference! I was like a kid again. Get some good goggles (at least $20+) for her and she'll be able to get in the water and enjoy it.

No contacts while swimming. They can float out. I just swim without my glasses or contact lenses and I am careful walking to and from the pool or body of water.

If you are wearing tampons correctly, you will not feel them.
Our daughter only wore pads the first cycle, then she said, ok, lets talk about Tampons.

I had her practice pushing the applicator, with one hand first.

Then I told her to sit on the toilet, legs open. Using one hand find her area where her urine came out, then to follow that back to the next opening, and then to the rear area, where BM was released. I told her the tampon goes into that middle area..

Once she had these put together, I told her push the tampon in but holding the applicator and remove the applicator.. I told her to feel for the string..

You will not leak in the water, because first, your period, usually stops while you are in water, but when you get out of the water, it could gush..

The Tampon works to capture the flow.

Our daughter was 11 and had no problem from the first attempt. She never looked back. Now she uses the diva cup.. as well as Tampons depending on her needs. There are excellent instructions in each box of Tampons.

They will change your life.

I can't wear contacts normally. I just wear my glasses when I go swimming. I need to be able to see my kids while they swim so I have no choice. They work fine and I have never had any problems with them falling off or whatever.
As for tampons. I wear them all the time. First time I wore one was at a family reunion. I went to change into my swim suit when I found I started. It didn't hurt at all putting one in that first time. I never had problems with them leaking or anything. Just make sure to put a fresh one in right before swimming and change it right after you get out. You can use a little higher absorbency if it makes you feel better. If it's an all day activity just change a few times throughout the day. I prefer OB which has no applicator. I find they go in a lot easier and go in with a lot less mistakes then those with an applicator. They are also small enough to hide in a bag and even in your closed hand to get to the bathroom without anyone knowing you have one. An applicator is much bigger so you end up having to drag your whole bag into the bathroom with you to avoid anyone seeing you have a tampon, which for a teen can be super embarrassing when with their friends.

Contacts would pop out while swimming, so that won't work. I've heard you can get prescription swim goggles, but they may be expensive.

Re. the tampon thing - doesn't hurt - make sure you get the smooth plastic applicators, and start with the smaller one first to get used to it. If she puts it in just before swimming, the tampon will absorb and she won't leak. Tampons only "Leak" when they are "full" - have absorbed to capacity.

I swim with my contacts while wearing googles and keep my eyes closed under water. My eye doctor said it is not advisable however to swim while wearing contacts and I make my 10 yo take hers out when we go to the pool. I would be very hesitant about swimming in a lake with contacts. There could be bacteria in the water that could adhere to the lens and cause a damaging infection very quickly.

It has never hurt me to wear a tampon and I have been swimming with them since I was a teenager.

I used to wear contacts and had no problem when I swam with them. But I rarely put my face in the water. When I did, I closed my eyes. I never lost a lens in the water and I always wore them because I'm almost blind too.

Can't give you advice on tampons. Never used them. ;~))

Good luck to you and yours.

When my oldest dd wanted to try contacts, the eye doctor told her that she would not be able to wear them while swimming. She has a friend that almost went blind when she wore contacts while swimming and the chlorine water got trapped between her eye and contact. The chlorine burned her eye.

Depends on what you're trying to do in the pool. My vision is terrible, but if I'm just swimming laps, I might just leave my glasses on the side of the pool and swim... you don't need to be able to see more than a few feet in front of you to swim. Other option is contacts with goggles. I do wear contacts in the pool without goggles, but she'll be so preoccupied with whether or not their going to fall out, she won't enjoy herself (if I lose a pair I don't worry about it. I change them every couple of weeks anyway, and I can wear goggles to make up for the missing days).

Tampons don't hurt! I think MOST women wear tampons when they swim. It's no big deal. Change it before you get in the pool, then enjoy the water. When you shower and get dressed again, change it again so you don't have the wet string wicking moisture... that's it.

Hope this helps,

T.

PS "Short sighted" means not being able to envision the future to see possible consequences of current actions (ie. When people spend their whole paycheck at the casino without setting money aside for bills, they are being short sighted). I think you mean "nearsighted" which is a vision problem that requires glasses. :)

I can't answer to the contacts, never used them.

As for tampons, that is easy peasy for a teen. I think my daughter only wore pads the first month she had her cycle and after that she was tampon from then on and only pad at night.

No it does not hurt, especially if you do it right. She will be forever grateful with her freedom if she can continue her swimming and not let her monthly cycle keep her from normal activities.

I CANNOT swim with contacts - I have tried several times and lost them each time. You can get prescription swim goggles for your niece. These work well.

There is no reason in the world she should not wear tampons. I started my first period as we were on vacation at a lake. No problems whatsoever.

I don't know the answer to the contact question. I wish someone had introduced me to tampons when I was a kids so I didn't have to avoid the pool every month. Instead my mom said, "it will hurt too much." Yes, it does hurt the first time, and it takes a lot of patience and trial and error to get it in right, but if she is willing to try, let her. American Girl has a book that goes over tampons and how to insert them (my 9 yo daughter was grossed out and my 7 yo son snuck a peak and was as well--the pictures are pretty descriptive).

You can only wear contacts in the water if you also wear googles, to keep the water out of the contacts. Otherwise they can float right out of your eyes in the water.

Start with slim tampons with a plastic applicator (like the pearl ones for teens) and she'll have no problem. They will work fine as long as she changes it every few hours so it doesn't get too full. She should not feel it at all once it's in as long as she puts it in far enough.

I've been wearing contact lenses since I was 12. I am extremely near-sighted so I have to wear contact lenses when I do anything. When I swim, I wear goggles or else the lenses end up popping out. If your niece decides to wear goggles make sure she uses sunscreen to prevent a goggle tan.

I've been wearing tampons since I was in high school. Tampons work fine for me when I go swimming, but I try to avoid swimming the first two days of my period because that's when my period is heavy. Your niece should test out the tampons for at least one cycle (on dry land) to get an idea on whether she will leak or not before she goes swimming.

I don't wear contacts, however, the baseball player we have here for the summer does. He wears them while swimming. He doesn't have a problem. If she has a problem, she can wear goggles.

I find it hard to believe you have skipped out on water activities due to your cycle. I believe they have "juniors" tampons - if she uses the right absorbancy, she will not leak. If she uses "supers" when she should be using regulars, it might hurt when trying to remove it, as it would be drier, I believe. If that makes sense.

Contact lenses are great. But not with swimming. You aren't supposed to wear contacts while swimming. To find out more, talk to the contact lens people. They'll explain.

The eye doctor can possibly help with goggles with prescription in them. Swimming without goggles is very h*** o* the eyes. If you watch kids on swim teams swim, they ALWAYS use goggles.

As far as tampons are concerned, it's a matter of learning how to use them. Teens everywhere use them, mom, so it's not an unusual thing. Putting a fresh tampon in before getting in the water prevents the leaking you are worried about. Using some vaseline on the tip of the tampon will help prevent pain during insertion, and getting it past the pubic bone will help her not even feel it when she's wearing it. Since you don't know how this works, someone else should work with her. (It was my girlfriends who helped me, LOL! They had me pee on a mirror and that's how I found the right place to put the tampon.)

Good luck.

My advice is to not wear contacts while swimming because a few things might happen if you do that. One....the contacts can and will get swept out of the eyes by the water or movement in the water. There goes money and your lenses right down the drain! I've learned this lesson the hard way and believe me, when you lose them in a pool, they are impossible to find. They are gone! Secondly, let's say they actually stay in your eyes. They will be discolored from the chlorine in the pool. The silicon that the lenses are made of do not respond well to chlorine and will turn yellow. Now you have yellow lenses that will irritate your eyes and also be seen on the white part of the eye when you wear them as well. My advice....don't wear the contacts in the pool, and especially underwater. You can get sport goggles made in the same RX as glasses or contact lenses. We are avid divers and snorkelers and my husband and my daughter have prescription dive masks and swim goggles to wear. They aren't cheap but if you love the water like we do....it's worth it!
As for the tampon issue, I don't know how a pad would ever work in water. It would be soaked and god forbid it came loose and actually floated out of the swimsuit....OMG.....that would be awful. Tampons are a must for swimming. I cant see a pad working out in a positive way with water of any kind. When each of my daughters were ready to try tampons, I bought the Slender Lites with the plastic applicators for them so they would not have such a hard time using them. One of my daughters had some difficulty with insertion and pain so I got her a very small and discreet tube of KY lubricant and had her use a little bit of that to help ease the applicator in until she got used to it. After a few times, there was no need to do this anymore and she was fine. I have four daughters raging in age from 15 to 19, the oldest are twins, and all of them refuse to wear pads unless they are sleeping at night. During the day, they will not wear them. They tell me they are uncomfortable and gross. Oh boy! I guess to each his own! As long as they are healthy and feel protected during their time of the month, I support their preferences and continue the great open dialogue I have with all four of them. I hope this helped you guys.

Contacts - I had LASIK a while back, but prior to that I wore contacts. As others have mentioned, there are many different types of contacts (Hard, soft, daily, monthly, etc.). My soft contacts (at the time) cost about $25 for a box of 5 contacts (each eye had a different strength, so both eyes cost $50 altogether). We're talking about $5 per contact when all is said and done. I did swim with my contacts and usually didn't have much trouble. If she opens her eyes at all under the water, then she'll probably lose the contact. Goggles are a great idea to help with that. Now, if she has really expensive contacts, then it might not be so feasible to wear her contacts in the water.

Tampons - Could YOU and your sister both do your niece a huge favor and TRY them out on your next periods? I started using tampons around age 12 and rarely used pads after that. I say for you to try them out first, because it is hard to instruct someone on something you have never tried. Tampons should not hurt, and the only time I could even feel that it was there was if it was starting to slip out.... Sorry, I know that's TMI....but if the tampon is not large/wide enough or if it is getting too full on a heavy day, you might feel the edge of it....it means it is time to change it! Now, obviously, you don't only change it when it starts to slip...that's usually NOT the norm...and on regular flow days, most women can wear it for the full time without any problems. You should be changing it before the recommended time is up (check the box, I don't remember the exact recommended # of hours). Size wise, your niece is not going to need to worry about how big the tampon is (she hasn't gone through childbirth, etc.).

I don't currently use tampons anymore, because I am pregnant with baby #3, but I switched to the Soft Cup (which I love!) probably 2 years ago, and I love it! It is also great for swimming during that time, but I wouldn't yet recommend it for your niece though (who I am assuming is much younger).

You don't say how old your niece is, but if she's younger than 12 or 13 I wouldn't suggest tampons. If she is old enough, they make them in all sizes, start with a light day or mini option. Using a tampon shouldn't be painful, but if they are not used correctly they can lead to illness (TSS, etc). I mention that since you say you and your sister never have used them, so please be sure that you understand how to correctly and safely use them before teaching her. I have never experienced a leak, and begin using them around 12 when we were going to the beach during that lovely time of the month.

I have also used contacts since around 11. Swimming in them is a hassle, if she is going to be going under alot, there is a good chance she may lose one (or both). I haven't noticed any difference between beach, pool, river, etc. Mine do fine as long as I don't get my eyes and face wet, if I do, they tend to hurt or come out. I use daily contacts for swimming, so if one gets lost I am only out a day's worth (I normally wear monthly contacts). As a kid, I swam without contacts for this very reason. As an adult, I am not doing much diving or underwater swimming, so I wear them. My husband has daily contacts just for swimming, he rarely wears them otherwise. She will need to wear them awhile to get used to them, it's an odd feeling when you are putting things in your eyes, and if she is not mature enough to care for them properly then it might not be a great idea.

I don't wear contacts, but I'll put my 2 cents in on the tampon issue.

My daughter wasn't sure she wanted to try tampons, but now she can't live without them. She likes the Playtex Sport ones. They are thinner and have a plastic applicator.

The *only* word of caution I have about swimming with a tampon--which, in this case, is probably not warranted, but just throwing it out there--my periods have always been too heavy to NOT wear a tampon. If I only wore napkins, I would not only be in the bathroom at least once an hour, I would have points at which the napkin simply did not handle the outflow at a particular moment, and have spots through my clothing. BUT, that's after 3 kids. :) So, IF she is swimming for, say, more than 3 hours, it might be wise to change out her tampon. They do, just like pads, get soaked, and while there's the possibility of them leaking a little, it wouldn't be a ton, and it would only be if she was, say, spending the whole day at a beach. I do just fine for a couple hours, even on my heaviest day, in the water with a super tampon, and I have very heavy periods.

My vision is so bad, I always swim with my contacts in, and I've never had a problem. But I don't really go under water. I'll close my eyes at the end of a waterslide if I'm at a waterpark, and it works just fine. I've never lost one, but I use disposables, so not a huge expense if one did get lost.

I've never used tampons, just avoided swimming on my 1 or 2 most heavy days. My 13 year old, however, loves them. She is way too active, and I bought some for her when she started to shy away from sports and activities during her period. Now she never misses an activity due to her period. Just look for the tampons made for teens.

I have not had much to do with contacts but I have friends that swim, sleep, shower, && everything without taking them out. It could make your eyes dry && you could loose the contact in the water. They haven't had much problems with that though.
On another note, I have used tampons since I was 12 && it is no big deal at all. It will not hurt her unless, she has it in wrong then it could cause a little bit of pain. Nothing bad, just some pressure. But I have swam with them in && ive never had any problems whatsoever. Just be sure she changes it after a couple of hours or however her period flow is.

No one I know who wears contacts leaves themin while swimming - too easy to lose them.

Tampons while swimming are fine. I used to put a fresh one in just before hitting the pool and had no problem with leaking. If you put them in right, they do not hurt, but sometimes it takes a little practice to learn how to get them in right.

My daughter got her period when she was 10 and was in competitive swimming at the time, so had to learn in a hurry! She prefers the Kotex Uby Click tampons. They are really small and easy to hide at school. They are also wrapped in neon colors! I am a nurse and just coached her through the bathroom door the first time... it worked. The biggest tip I can offer is to insert at an angle, pointing the tampon toward the small of your back. Inserting straight up is going to cause discomfort. My mother had never used tampons, so got me the o.b. without the applicator initially. I thought they were horrible. I can use any kind, but a lot of girls prefer plastic applicators. Not as environmentally friendly, but possible smoother than cardboard or no applicator. Good luck to her!