How to Wear a Tampon

Pool parties, beach days, playing sports with friends. Wearing tampons opens up a world of possibilities for you during your time of the month. That’s why learning how to wear a tampon is such an exciting part of getting your period.

When it comes to wearing tampons (and just about anything else in life, too!), practice makes perfect and there’s nothing to be nervous about. With a little experience, you’ll be a tampon-wearing pro in no time. But first, let’s go through some of the concerns many girls have about how to wear a tampon and what it feels like to wear one.

Follow the instructions included in your tampon box. Or, you can click here for tampon instructions online.

A tampon tip for easy insertion: If you’re tensing up, take a few deep breathes and then insert. This will help your muscles relax.

For your first time wearing a tampon, try it out when you’re not going to a big event or are in a rush. This can reduce stress and tensing up – which will make the process more difficult. Relaxing is important for easy tampon insertion. So, pick a nice, low-key, relaxed time to try out a tampon for the first time – like when you’re lounging around the house for the evening. After this practice, you’ll be ready and confident to wear a tampon when you’re out and about doing sports, going to parties, holidaying… whenever!

Part of learning how to wear a tampon is sussing out when its best to wear one versus when its best to wear a pad.

If you think there’s a chance you may leave your tampon in for more than 8 hours (like when you’re sleeping – not all of us wake up to the alarm, after all!) opt for a pad instead. Tampons should only be worn for 4 to 8 hours. Never wear a tampon for more than 8 hours. Doing so puts you at risk for an extremely rare but dangerous infection called TSS. (Read more about TSS here).

If you’re doing something like exercising during which your knickers (and your pad!) are likely to shift around, go with a tampon for extra assurance that you won’t have any accidental leaks from a shifty pad. Many girls also prefer to wear a tampon when they choose to wear a form-fitting outfit. There’s really no right or wrong, as long as you don’t wear your tampon for more than 8 hours. Do what works best for you.

A lot of girls think that wearing a tampon may hurt. It doesn’t! So, what does it feel like to wear a tampon? Well, nothing. You shouldn’t feel your tampon at all once it’s in. If you do, it’s not in far enough. No worries. This is easy to fix. Use your finger to push your tampon in further or take it out and try again with a new one.

Another reason you may feel your tampon is you’ve chosen the wrong absorbency.

Tampons are made to be very absorbent. Picking the correct absorbency is key in learning how to wear a tampon. If there isn’t enough menstrual fluid to absorb, a tampon can make your vagina feel dried out. This will result in you feeling your tampon while wearing it. This means you should wear a lower absorbency tampon. Click here for more info.

On the other hand, if you find that you’re bleeding through your tampon string and staining your knickers after just 4 to 6 hours, it’s time to go up an absorbency level. It’s normal to need a higher absorbency on the first day or two of your period, and a lower level absorbency on the last days of your period. This is because your flow is not uniform throughout your period. Be sure to keep a few different absorbencies in your cupboard if you choose to wear a tampon throughout your period.

Many girls choose to wear a panty liner like ALWAYS Dailies as extra backup when wearing a tampon. Panty liners are helpful in absorbing any extra leakage that can happen if you don’t change your tampon exactly on time. They provide peace of mind and confidence that you won’t stain your knickers.

Now that you know how to wear a tampon, feel free to tampon away! The more you do it, the more confident you’ll feel. And then go live your life and don’t let your period stop you from being you and doing what you want.