Female Advice Preferred: Tampons

[George^^]

(ignore more "male" name)
Okay, I've only used a tampon once, and it had hurt and was stiff, so I haven't used another one yet, but I'm a swimmer and I do it instead of gym and my mom doesn't use them, so can someone tell me if their suppose to hurt and be stiff and if there's any way for them not to be stiff and painful?

[Aletheia*]

They aren't supposed to be painful or stiff. You probably just inserted it the wrong way, or the tampon was bad. This has happened to me a few times in the past, and all I had to do was take that one out, and put another one in and I was ready to go! If you feel them, that definitely means it was inserted wrong so read the directions on how to properly insert them. You can either do it sitting down on the toilet, or standing up with your leg on a higher leveled piece of furniture, like the sink or vanity area. Reading the directions will go into further detail for you and tell you the RIGHT way to wear them.

You may also have used the wrong size. If you have a REALLY light flow, use the smallest size they come in, which is "light" I believe. The next size up is "regular" for a standard, more regularized flow. The next size up is "super" for the heavy flow days. You can buy a package of them that have ALL the sizes so you can figure out which one works for you.

[George^^]

^^ Thanks. I'm not sure where the instructions went, but I got the three different sizes from a baggie they pass out in Sex Ed every year. - I did the toilet thing because that was what I've been told. So it's possible it was bad? (I've never heard of that) I'm not the only one that had that happen, my friend did too.

[Aletheia*]

It could have been a bad tampon. It's possible, I swear. A bad tampon means that it doesn't expand once it's been inserted into the vagina. It just stays in a cylinder type shape (the shape of how it is inside the plastic applicator).

If you've lost the directions, you can watch this instructional video I found on YouTube (I promise, no gross stuff. It's simply a diagram or powerpoint presentation!). Here's the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjMBZ0AO99I

Or, you could use this website as well: http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/azh...nsert_Tamp.htm

The tampons may even be expired if you've had them for a long time, so you might want to go out and buy a fresh, new box of them. Try to stay away from the "scented" tampons. Those could be potentially dangerous for you, i.e. giving you infections.

[George^^]

^^ Thanks so much. I'm guessing that's what happened, and it was about a month to a few weeks when I had it. I'll keep that in mind when I buy a few.

[BruceLeeDemarcus]

I was told that they hurt when you first start using them. That's because you aren't really used to it. After that they shouldn't hurt. I haven't used one before, becasue I feel very uncomfortable about it. But I'm weird and have issues.

[George^^]

^^ Not the only one. My mom doesn't use them, and she doesn't because her mom gave her a book and said "if you have any questions, ask me" and then she didn't, because she was shy, so she still doesn't know... (she was actually one of the reasons I made this post... )

[Aletheia*]

Originally Posted by BruceLeeDemarcus

I was told that they hurt when you first start using them. That's because you aren't really used to it. After that they shouldn't hurt. I haven't used one before, becasue I feel very uncomfortable about it. But I'm weird and have issues.

They "feel" uncomfortable, but they aren't meant to hurt you, and you're not supposed to feel them at all.

[BruceLeeDemarcus]

Okay I'm one of those girls that really doesn't know anything about girl things. I'm weird like that. Don't mind me. My mom gets mad at me when I don't know this kind of stuff, thanks for lesson.

[Angel]

Are you inserting the tampon as far back as you can reach? If the tampon sits too low in the vagina, it can get uncomfortable or even painful. If you insert it far back enough, you will hardly feel it. It takes a little practise and getting to know your body and what works for you. If it feels odd, remove the tampon and try again.

[Revolution]

Hurting? No. Being able to feel it at first? A bit. You're not used to something sitting in your vagina, so obviously, the first few times you use them, it'll be noticable if you think about them. I would recommend buying smaller ones and trying there, and gradually go up in size if you get used to that size. Also check out the links Shannon gave you.

Last, don't feel obligated to use tampons when you're uncomfortable with them if they just don't end up your thing. Obviously, if you're doing it for swimming, that's fine, but when you're not swimming, you don't HAVE to use them. A lot of girls are very judgmental about pads. I use both pads and tampons, depending on my flow, and my friend needed a tampon once and I only had pads in my purse and she got all pushy and judgey about me even having pads. It's like, it's your freaking body. I for one don't like using tampons at night, and won't do it. Just not my thing. You have the right to do what makes you comfortable.

[Sincerely Yours ♥]

Everyone pretty much covered it. Just practice until you can get it in without any discomfort.

[George^^]

^^ Thanks everyone.

@ Coffee, That's uncalled for...(what the girl did, I mean, it's a PAD, not a holy grail or proof that something she believes in is fake..). And I agree on not wearing them at night, because of TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome) I think that's what it is... from wearing it more than 6-8 hours.

[lynn221]

for me they were uncomfortable when i started using them, but they shouldnt hurt. Try buying tampax sports are good, they are smaller and easy to use

[makeupshadow]

I have never really liked tampons. I use them still though. If it hurts maybe its not adjusted right or in the right angle. I'm not a wasteful person when it comes to these things. What I do is I gently tug the string downward or if its too low I push it back up with my fingers until I can barely feel them. Gross I know but that's just how I fix that stuff.

[Jubilation]

I started using tampons before I ever used pads. One of my friends told me pads were like diapers, so I shied away from those at first. Basically everybody has covered what you need to know.

One thing I've got to say - no matter how many times you use tampons, and no matter how much your body has adjusted to them, if it is not in far enough, you will be able to feel it, and it will be uncomfortable.

I wish you the best of luck!

[Koharuchan]

You probably need to put the tampon in a little deeper, if it's not in deep enough it can be very uncomfortable.

I pretty much hate pads, when I use them I feel like I'm wearing a wet diaper.

[Kendall Ann]

I personally don't use tampons as much as pads. Of course you need them to swim though. So, just practice until you feel comfortable with using them and follow all the great advice everyones been giving.