I'm afraid of Tampons. (TMI)

In My Humble Opinion
1

This fear started when I was young, about 8 years old and my mother was using one. The string broke and it was “stuck”. I clearly remember my very discusted father trying to help her and eventually she went to the ER for help.

As I got older, my school nurse scared me even more talking about TSS.

I’m not real comfortable with my body, so I guess I feel weird about checking things out or experimenting with anything down there.

I tried using them once or twice, but I’m not sure I had it in properly, they just didn’t feel right. I have a heavy period and I’m also afraid they won’t hold.

Now, I am going to have to use them. In a few weeks, the youth group I volunteer with will be learning water survival. Since many of the kids don’t know how to swim, I’m going to have to be in the water with them. Of course, I will have my period.

I know this seems stupid coming from a 32 year old woman, but does anyone have any advice for me ?

2

dragongirl, if it doesn’t feel right, it may not be in right because you really shouldn’t feel it. Or you may be using too big a size for your flow. As you probably know, they come in different sizes according to your flow and you can wear a mini-pad if you’re worried about leakage (except, obviously, when you’re swimming).

The one piece of advice I’d give is to fully squat when you put it in. And (really TMI), if it doesn’t feel right, don’t be afraid to stick your finger in there and see if you can adjust it. While you’re getting used to them you may want to only use them when your a day or two into it because you’ll be more lubricated then.

It just takes a little practice-you might want to try with a smaller size until you get used to them. Also, I wouldn’t worry too much about the string breaking, I’m not sure that it happens very often (although I’m sure someone will come in and regale us with a tale).

3

The main thing is to be really relaxed when you put them in, which I know is difficult. I find the squatting or one leg-up-on-toilet positions to be awkward, so I normally sit on the toilet with legs spread. Also, keep in mind that you want to slant it slightly upward when inserting.

If it’s uncomfortable when you put it in, you may not have gotten it all the way in. There’s a band of muscle or something a couple inches in, and you have to get the tampon past that point.

I would not recommend using o.b. brand, or any other brand without an applicator. I find those next to impossible to get in. Try a plastic applicator brand, since those are easiest to get in.

This won’t work for a heavy flow day, but I know a few brands sell “junior” sizes, which are smaller. You may want to try putting in one of these just to get a feel for the technique.

Good luck!

4

I too came to tampons later than normal. My mom thought tampons were “dirty” to use and wouldn’t let us use them. :rolleyes: My sister convinced me otherwise when I was in college. Thank god. I have a massive flow; many times I’ve ended up standing in a pool of blood. It’s so much better now. On heavy days, I wear a tampon and a pad for extra protection.

Find a brand that you are comfortable with! When I was younger, I liked O.B. without an applicator. Now that I’m no longer limber, I swear by Playtex. Others prefer Tampax. There’s a reason there are different styles. Find one that works for you. If done correctly, I can’t feel the tampon. And in 20 years, I’ve never had a string break. Relax. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll never go back.

5

I was scared of them too for many years. I really didnt get used to the idea until about age 30. Now I could not imagine using the icky alternative anymore.

There have been a few times in the last year or two where I was in a situation with no tampon available, so I used a pad. It was a horrible dirty feeling and I couldnt wait to find a tampon.

As others have stated, if it’s in correctly you shouldn’t be feeling ANYTHING.
Most likely it’s just the nerves causing you to tense up, which will make things much more difficult. Relax, take some deep breaths & try not to dwell on what your doing (thats the strategy that gets me through every trip to the Gyno :cool: )

6

I’ve tried every kind of tampon. Big ones, mini ones, ones with applicators, ones you push in yourself. I’ve tried putting them in myself, my doctor even showed me how to insert one b/c I was afraid I wasn’t doing it properly. Each and every time I could still feel it and was uncomfortable, no matter how far and at what angle it was in.

Not all women are exactly the same inside. Some are wider, some are deeper. If a tampon continually feels uncomfortable, it may just not be for you. I know they don’t work for me.

7

I’ve never done it, but I’ve read where it might be recommended for some women to use a lubricant like K-Y on the tampon. At any rate, I also vote for needing to get it way up there past that band of muscle. You almost need to feel like you’re pushing too far.

8

A few suggestions:

DON’T use Tampax brand, at least at first. They get longer as they get wet, so if you have a relatively short vagina, this can cause the lower end of it to push lower and lower, until it gets to that ‘band’ women are talking about above. I think the band is really where your vagina crosses the edge of your pubic bones. Anyway, all the rest of your vagina is a soft sack pressing against other soft blobby organs, and having a tampon well ‘up’ inside it – well, you honestly won’t feel it. But once it intrudes into that ridge area, it’s being pressed against unyielding bone, and you WILL feel it and be uncomfortable.

The ‘shortest’ tampons I’ve found are ob, which only expand sideways, but they don’t have an inserter which is awkward for some beginners. I’d suggest playtex which are almost as short. Get the ones with the plastic applicators that form a blunt smooth top for the easiest insertion, and maybe stick with ‘normal’ or even ‘light’ for your first few uses. They won’t hold as much (last as long in use) but they’ll be a bit smaller.
Also – this isn’t meant to be insulting, but some girls have been told really ridiculous old wive’s tales about their anatomy ‘down there.’ If your mother (or whoever) didn’t do a good job, do some searching on reputable med sites and especially pay attention to the anatomy of a vagina.

Except when actually giving birth (and for a short time afterwards) you can think of your vagina as a ‘blind sack’, like a balloon. There is one opening to the outside, and it has a certain length (though it stretches) and no width (again, it stretches.) If you want an idea of the normal size it can stretch and lengthen to accommodate, look at erect penises. :wink:

The most important point is that there isn’t anywhere for a tampon to get ‘lost’ in there. Yes, there’s an opening to your uterus, but it’s the side of the lead in a pencil. Not the whole pencil, mind, just the lead inside it. There’s no way you can accidentally – or on purpose – shove a tampon ‘too far’ and have it end up in your uterus.
It also means that even if a string should break (and it’s never happened to me, or my sisters, or my girlfriends…) you will still be able to reach the tampon and remove it. Consider: your vagina is very unlikely to be even 7 inches long. A, um, ‘used’ tampon is at least 3 inches long, often more like four. The lower end of the tampon is no more than three inches inside you. If this happens, slide your index and second fingers inside you and use then as a pair of tweezers to grab hold of the tampon and pull it out.

It’ll be a little messy, but, hey, it’s only blood and such, not radioactive waste. Just wash your hands, right? :wink:

Do your best to relax, and it’ll be fine. Once you discover has much ‘cleaner’ tampons feel – no blood outside! No ‘odor’! – you’ll never want to go back to pads.

9

Playtex makes a line called “SlimFits.” They are lovely. The super max XXX +++ absorbency is about the same size as a regular for most brands. Also–plastic applicators are your friend–cardboard can stick. And! If you mess up the placement and can’t get it in correctly on the first shot–GIVE UP! Slap on a pad, walk around for an hour, then go back and try again. If you just sit there, hammering away at it, you will get stressed and tighten up. You will also suck up all that lovely menstrual blood that is lubricating the tampon’s way. Not fun. Also also, be gentle. I bruised my vagina with a tampon at the start of my 8 day period once. Not fun with changes 3 times a day. :eek:

10

I had trouble with them until after I gave birth. I still only use them 50% of the time. I have a light flow, and it’s not comfortable to use a tampon, except on the first or second day. When I first started using them, I found it easier to insert while sitting far back on the toilet, with one foot on the edge. You’re leaning back instead of forward, so it’s easier to get the angle right.

Stay away from the cardboard aplicators. No matter how lubricated you are, your skin will stick to it.

If size is the problem, Tampax Compaks are the size of an OB, plus the aplicator isn’t as long as a regular one.

11

I’ve had similar experiences- I can use them in a real pinch, but I don’t love them. I have had great success with the Instead Cup, though. Might want to give that a shot.

12

I recently went from tampons to the DivaCup, and I plan to never go back. The DivaCup’s far gentler on my bits than tampons, which would tend to dry me out towards the end of my period on lighter flow days. My period is also 2-3 days shorter using the DivaCup, which I think is a welcome development in anyone’s book.

13

I would advise using the smallest tampon available for your flow. Slender regular is probably a good size for you. I’ve been using o.b. tampons for years and I’m quite used to them–I can’t stand applicator tampons. They seem to make insertion more difficult for me. I wouldn’t recommend Tampax because they seem (to me) to be too loosely made. Playtex are good though; they are quite smooth. I recommend, if you have room to do so, squatting down really far to insert tampons. Remember to push at an angle, not straight back.

14

I’ve seen OB tampons with applicators in the supermarket, so they are definitely worth a try. I would also second the advice that’s been given here:

  • stay as relaxed as possible; it’s no fun putting a tampon into a tense vagina
  • keep a little lube on hand to smooth things out
  • wait until the second or third day of your period to try
  • use the smallest size you can find until you get used to it

I use tampons regularly, though often my period is so light, I don’t need anything. I so much prefer them to pads - less mess, less smell, less bulky.

Good luck.

15

I’ve never used the Instead Cup, but I do use the Mooncup (similar, but made out of sterilizable silicon rubber), which was a lifesaver for me too.

However, I wouldn’t recommend menstrual cups to dragongirl first off, given her situation with tampon usage/body comfort. It takes a bit to get used to those, IME, both with myself and with my sister. Might be better to go for getting used to tampons first.

StarvingButStrong has a lot of great comments about female anatomy, and I strongly second her recommendation of looking up medical diagrams to see what’s inside you, including the names and everything. It’s pretty cool what you can find out.

16

I also have switched to the DivaCup which is the best darn thing since sliced bread and makes me feel evangelical and I bring up menstrual products at parties in mixed crowds because of it, but I used tampons for a long time. I hate Tampax because, as has already been mentioned, they act like wicks. Bad. I don’t like the kind with applicators since I have no real control over where the thing’s going until it’s too late and it’s harpooned out in some wonky direction and is uncomfortable-- with OB I know exactly where I’m putting it and can change course instantly-- it follows a path of least resistance rather than wherever the harpoon gun was first aimed. Anyone understand what I’m saying? So much more comfortable.
Also, if you use an OB, you can pull the string from side to side to flare open that end to get a more secure fit.

17

Yep, I understand exactly what you’re saying. I had problems with tampons until I tried o.b. for the first time, and if they were ever to discontinue them, I’d be…well, I wouldn’t be a happy camper at all. For me, they’re the easiest to get into place.
Tampax are evil, IMHO. I haven’t yet brought myself to try a cup.

18

Oh, if you like OB but are even groovier than that, there are a couple of applicator-less unchemicalish Swedish tree-hugging brands out there-- one called Naturacare (sp? Yellow box, daisies, available in hippie stores) that I’ve used for years, for example.

19

The best thing about OB is that they make an “ultra” size for those really heavy heavy days. I’m one of those profuse bleeders and these things are God sends for me. The messed up thing is that on the first days, I still have to wear a backup pad. But at least it gives me a few hours of non-drippage and/or gushage. I HATE that feeling. I can’t imagine how I managed to survive my tampon-free years.

Don’t worry about strings breaking. They probably have NASA engineers making tampons nowadays.

20

Oh, I love those ultra tampons too. Wonders, they are.