Dear CRIS10,

Tampons are not dangerous. Putting a tampon in the vagina shouldn't be painful, but it may hurt if a girl is not relaxed. A girl should use unscented tampons with soft, tube-shaped applicators when she first begins.

Tampons fit inside the vagina. The walls of the vagina hold them in place. A tampon cannot get lost inside you and move to another part of your body. It stays inside a woman's vagina until she removes it. Each tampon has a string that hangs out of the vagina. Slowly pulling the string removes the tampon easily.

Some girls wonder if tampons will stretch the hymen — the thin skin that stretches across the lower part of the opening of the vagina. Hymens have at least one opening that will allow menstrual flow out of the body. Tampons may stretch the hymen a little bit, but they don't usually stretch it open all the way. A girl may prefer to use a pad if she feels it is important not to stretch her hymen.

When a girl first uses a tampon, she may want to have someone show her how to correctly place it in her vagina. She may want to ask her mother, older sister, or another woman she trusts to help her.

Hope this information helps!

Take care,

teenwire.com^® Editors

This column is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have a medical problem, please call toll-free 1-800-230-PLAN for an appointment with the Planned Parenthood health center nearest you.