Women's Health Community

I'm not much of a tampon user (which makes me able to answer you better, oddly) and if I do use them I use OB so there's not an applicator to mess with when putting it in. As long as you don't leave it in too long they are safe enough. (Change every 4-6 hours I think; the box says). I had to use a few different positions to practice inserting them to find the best way for me but I was doing this as a virgin which may influence things. Most people love them; I never found them very comfortable except on heavy days. I did not find them any less icky than pads and in fact I think pads are a big less icky although that's personal preference. But OB brand, that's the trick. They will say for what flow level and you should always use the lowest flow that contains things for you.

A hint for the first time you try: pick one of your heavier days. It may sound gross but the extra lubrication from the blood will help with insertion. I, personally prefer tampons with applicators; I never got the hang of applicatorless tampons. You may also want to practice with a lower absorbancy at first since they tend to be smaller. Once you get the hang of those and are comfortable, you can switch to higher absorbancy ones.

Back when I first started with my period there were only pads
with the belts there were no wings or tampoons and not many
brands to choose from the top selling was kotex. So I am happy that I never used a tampoon because there would be
months that would be heavy and then there are those light
months, so the pads gave me more room to leave on or take
off depended on month. Now that I am going through the
change of life and some months I do not even get my period
and the month or months I do it is so heavy glad the heavy
day pads were invented. Personal choice there is no right
or wrong answer.

Kathleen

Nymphodora,
I am well beyond my period days( what a pleasure!) but, remember all too well when i first tried tampons. I ,also, was married and 25 years old.The best advice I got is ,if it feels uncomfortable, you have not inserted it properly.
Buy a name brand tampon of medium absorbency,Buy one with an applicator,Clean and easy insertion.
Change every 3 to 4 hours. Do not wear it when you go to sleep,. You will feel such freedom. I know you will be happy you finally tried them. I used them for years, loved the ease of use,the clean feeling.I know you will be glad you tried.them.
Good luck

I love tampons and use nothing else, except panty liners for the really light days. In my opinion they are far more clean, hygienic and environmentally friendly than pads. Also when used properly there are virtually no health risks. I think they are a much cleaner way to get through your period and they provide so much more freedom. I recently helped my much younger step sister through this, and she was very happy with the advice I gave.


I recommend buying Playtex and get a multi-pack so you have what you need when you need it. I like this brand because I find the others are too long and are uncomfortable for me. Also the rounded tip for the applicator is super comfortable, especially for a first time user. Try the plastic applicator as the cardboard ones can stick a bit when you are inserting, this is very annoying.
On your first day use a super as it absorbs the most, I change mine every 4-5 hours on the heavy days. For night time again use a super, and maybe a pad if you are really heavy. You can leave a tampon in for 8 hours. On the third day when your flow is lighter you can switch to a regular and on near the end you can use the light ones. As your flow lessens you can change them less often, 5-6 hours.
Do not buy scented ones, this can lead to a yeast infection in some woman. And I do not recommend using generic brands. Its a trial and error process and will take a few tries before you get it down. But once you do, I feel you may never look back.
I hope my advice helps you, as it was advice and not an opinion you wanted.
Anymore questions I would be happy to help.

Hello,

I couldn't help but chime in here. Being a lifelong user of tampons myself (yes, I have tried everything in-between from toilet paper, to panty liners to pads that pretty much felt like I had a full blown diaper on (and even squished when I walked around which was embarrassing and uncomfortable to say the least).

All in all, the tampons (I just call them plugs in public if I need to, because most folks in public are clueless to what I am talking about which makes it less embarrassing for all involved) are IMHO the better choice.

The biggest problem (and this has been on one occasion only in my 30 years using tampons) besides the possibility of toxic shock syndrome (just Google or ask your doctor about that one) is the rare chance of the tampon string breaking when you're trying to pull it out of your junk. Needless to say, it's a situation that you really don't find much information on how to deal with out there (on the Internet, that is), and I am not sure if you feel comfortable calling your doctor or visiting the ER to tell them that you have a plug up there and don't know how to get it out. Unfortunately for me, it happened when I was getting ready for work and I was already late as it was. Not a good day. Anyway, just my thoughts on the matter. Hope this helps.

Just one more note: I forgot to add that I use Playtex. Always have and always will. I have tried other brands in the past and they all suck and are nasty. Having said that, I must digress that when the string broke on the tampon it was the Playtex brand so it wasn't one of the cheap brands which is why I was surprised it happened. The End.

First off thank you to everyone who has posted. Your input has been very helpful. Now, I have a couple other questions.

I've tried to use them over the past couple days and I'm having some issues. I tried regular Tampax that had a cardboard applicator and today I tried a Tampax Pearl. I had a difficult time getting both kinds in, however the pearl was much easier and I only managed to actually get two of the 4 or 5 that I tried to get in.

The two that I managed to get inside were very uncomfortable and I ended up taking them out soon after putting them in. I tried to give the pearl a little bit longer to see if it was just bothering me because I'm not used to it. However, after a little bit I had to go use the bathroom (I think because the tampon was irritating something and made me need to pee) and when I went to go, nothing was coming out - it was getting stopped by the tampon. Now, I'm not an expert but I'm pretty sure you're supposed to be able to pee around those things. So I pulled it out and it definitely didn't feel good. I'm aware its dry and rubbing against my vaginal walls and obviously not going to feel very pleasant.

I'm thinking maybe I'm not putting it in far enough or at the right angle or something but I honestly don't know how else to do it. My mother never wore them and I've asked a couple friends a little about it but..let's be honest..its kind of an awkward conversation.

Any advice?

You're right - you should be able to pee with them in and you should not be able to feel them once inserted. Try putting them in exactly as described in the leaflet - one foot on a chair and the tampon pointed backwards and upwards. And insert it as far as it will go. The dryness may be due to you trying with several one after the other (and absorbing all humidity) or perhaps you are trying to use a tampon that is too big (absorbent) for your needs. Try with the smallest size possible.

Personally, I found it easier to learn with tampons that didn't have applicators ...