Periods & Puberty: All You Need To Know

Tampons, All You Need To Know

     Tampons are probably the biggest decision you make about your period. Some people think that you shouldn't use a tampon until you are 13. Some people think you should wait until after sex to use a tampon. Some people just don't give a crap. This chapter is going to be extremely long because there are a lot of things you will need to know about tampons before making the decision to wear them. I'm going to start off with the very important stuff and work my way towards the less important information.

     The difference between a tampon and a pad is not that they absorb blood, it is the method that they go about doing it. While a pad sits in your underwear and absorbs the blood after it leaves your vagina, a tampon is inside your vagina and absorbs the blood before it leaves your body. The actual tampon that goes inside of your vagina is made out of either cotton, rayon, or a mix of rayon and cotton. They come in all different sizes, brands, and absorbency's. I usually don't brand hate but one brand I do not suggest is PMS. The string breaks off and it only absorbs 3 ml, so a big no on those!

       The other extremely important thing about tampons is comfort. If you insert your tampon correctly and use the right absorbency then you shouldn't be able to feel the tampon when you are moving around or sitting. I'll go into how to insert a tampon next, but for right now I want to discuss comfort. A lot of girls are worried that tampons will hurt, or that they will be able to feel the tampon inside of them. If you use the right size and insert the tampon right it should not cause any uncomfort at all. I know I said I would wait until another chapter to do period horror stories but I have one for you right now. 

    I remember when my friend/ neighbor (she doesn't use Wattpad so I'll say her name) Cassidy started using tampons. She first used a tampon on her second period (by then I had been having my period for about two years) when she was over at my house. When we were watching a movie in my room she made a comment about how something didn't quite feel right down there, so of course I asked what was wrong. She said she had no idea so she went to the bathroom to investigate. It turned out that she had not inserted her tampon in far enough so it was sticking part way out of her vagina. Uh, no thanks!

    A mistake that some tampon beginners make is not inserting it right. Most girls insert their tampon straight , when you should be inserting it at angle so the tip is pointing towards your back. You always want to wash your hands before inserting a tampon, otherwise bacteria could get into your vagina and cause infections. If you don't know how to find your vaginal opening then I will put a picture up above because I'm not going to get super into detail on that. The  part that is thicker, shorter part of the applicator (if it has an applicator, I'll get into that next) is called the barrel. The longer, skinnier part of the applicator is called either the plunger, or the inner tube. The small part that is on the bottom of the barrel is called the grip. And the string that hangs out the bottom is the string that is attached to the tampon. The tampon is sits inside of the barrel. Oh, just to let you know, tampon applicators can come in plastic or cardboard.

   Anyways, to insert a tampon you need to spread you legs wide, or at least as wide as you can considering you are on the toilet. Some tampon instruction booklets (yup, tampons actually come with instructions in the bow) say to put a leg up on the toilet seat but you don't need to do all that to insert a tampon. If you are sitting on a toilet then all you need to do is spread your legs really wide and that should work. To start out put your tampon at an angle pointed towards your back so the barrel is barely touching you vaginal opening. I usually hold my tampons like a pencil, putting my thumb and ring finger opposite of each other on the grip. I then place my index finger (or pointer, they are both the same finger) on the end of the plunger and push inwards until my fingers come in contact with my body. Pull out the applicator, wrap it in either the wrapper or toilet paper, and throw it away. Voila! You inserted a tampon! If it is your first time inserting a tampon I suggest your do a comfort test by standing up and walking around a bit and sitting back down again. If you inserted the tampon right you shouldn't feel a thing!