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Getting Comfy with Tampons
by Aimee Pelletier, 11.19.03
When it comes to your period, comfort is key. Some girls prefer pads, while others swear by tampons. But some girls looking to make the switch to tampons may find them hard to use at first. No worries! This is actually pretty common, and it's usually something that can be overcome with a little practice. Read on!
Anatomy of a Tampon
Tampons are made of cotton, rayon, or other synthetic fibers. A girl can insert the tampon into her vagina using an applicator or her finger. A string is attached for easy removal. Tampons come in different sizes and absorbency levels, and you choose which one is right for you based on how heavy your flow is and what size fits your body best. If a girl is trying tampons for the first time, she may want to start with the smallest size.
How Do I Work This Thing?
If you feel very comfortable with your mom, your sister, or another woman relative, you can ask them to show you how to use a tampon. Though instructions are included in the box that tampons come in, they aren't always easy to figure out. You might want to examine a tampon before trying to insert one in order to understand how it works.
Applicators have two cardboard or plastic parts — one that the tampon is inside of, and another that is used to push the tampon out of the top of the applicator and into the vagina. You insert the applicator into the vagina before pushing the tampon through. It's a good idea to use tampons with soft, tube-shaped applicators when first beginning to use tampons.
Tampons fit into most women's vaginas, but sometimes girls who are first beginning to use them have trouble inserting them. It's easier to insert a tampon when you are relaxed. It's also helpful to remember that the vagina doesn't go straight up into the body — usually it angles toward the small of the back. So, when a girl inserts a tampon, it's best for her to relax her vaginal muscles and angle the tampon a little bit toward the small of her back to make insertion easier.
If a girl wants to practice inserting tampons, it's a good idea for her to do it while she has her period, because menstrual flow lubricates the vagina and makes insertion easier. (Remember — don't wear a tampon unless you have your period.) Also, it sometimes helps to hold the vaginal lips open for easier insertion.
Tampon Troubleshooting
Some girls have a hymen — the thin skin that stretches across the lower part of the opening of the vagina. Usually the hymen has an opening that lets menstrual flow out of the body, but sometimes this opening is small, making it difficult to insert a tampon. Some girls find it helpful to insert a clean finger or tampon into the vaginal opening and move it slightly from side to side, slowly, to stretch the hymen a bit.
There are also two somewhat rare medical conditions that make using tampons difficult and even impossible for some girls. One of these is called vulvar vestibulitis, which is when the tissue of the entrance of the vagina is inflamed and painful.
Another medical condition some girls and women suffer from is called vaginismus, when vaginal muscles contract involuntarily when insertion is attempted. The causes of vaginismus are usually psychological. If a woman thinks she may have vulvar vestibulitis, vagninismus, or a vaginal infection, she should have a gynecological visit with her health care provider.
If you've practiced and still find it impossible to insert a tampon and using tampons is something that you want to be able to do, talk to your clinician. You can learn a lot from your own body, but sometimes speaking with a clinician will explain things you wouldn't have otherwise known. |
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