Pretty much every girl can remember the first time they used a tampon, and there's often a pretty amusing story that goes along with this experience. Whether you had friends yelling instructions over the top of the toilet cubicle at school or you found yourself doing what seemed like acrobatics trying to get the darned thing in a comfortable position, the ways of the tampon can sometimes seem like a daunting and elusive mystery. So in the Taboo spirit, we're here to break it down and get to know our little friends just a little bit better.
It had to be a woman that invented the tampon, right?
The theory makes sense, but actually it was indeed a man by the name of Dr. Earle Haas who patented the first Tampax tampon as we know it in 1933. These early tampons all had the carboard applicator, which can still be purchased today to aid insertion. The digital style of tampon made its first appearance in the late 1940s and is possibly the style we are most familiar with today. Technically speaking, women have been using tampon-like objects to internally absorb their menstrual blood for thousands of years, with Egyptian women using papyrus tampons as early as the 15th century BCE.
CAN YOU BELIEVE?!!
Did you know that applicator tampons are usually designed to expand axially, meaning they increase in length when absorbing menstrual blood? Whereas digital tampons expand radially (increase in diameter). The more you know!
Totally terrific tampons
While the tampon may not be for every girl, it has to be said that it does have more than a few upsides. It's discreet. Yes, you can wear that itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini and be confident that no one will have any idea that you're surfing the crimson wave. You can also wear your favourite pair of butt hugging Levi 501s and not feel like you have a surfboard between your legs that is totally messing with your vibe. You can literally do almost anything wearing a tampon. Dancing the night away with your mates? Easy as! Swimming or surfing at the beach on family holidays? No worries! Tampons give women and girls freedom to tackle just about anything while they're bleeding and that is a special kind of awesome.
First time user
If it's your first time using a tampon, relax boo, you've got this. But seriously, can you relax?! Because this will make insertion much easier. The more stressed and tensed up your body gets, the more the muscles in your vagina will contract and stop you from placing the tampon where it needs to be. If the tampon is feeling uncomfortable, try shuffling it around a bit in there or inserting it a little bit further inside. You shouldn't really be able to feel the tampon once it's inserted correctly and it definitely shouldn't be painful. It may also help for you to place one leg on the edge of your bath or toilet lid. Be patient and take your time. You may not be successful in your first attempt but trust us, it's worth sticking with.
Things to be aware of
Sorry babes, but we do need to get serious for a moment. When wearing a tampon, you need to be really careful to change it over to a new one or a pad around every 4 to 8 hours depending on your flow. Never have a tampon inserted for longer than 8 hours as bacterial toxins may build up inside of you and in very rare cases lead to toxic shock syndrome. Symptoms of toxic shock can include fever, rash, skin peeling, and low blood pressure. It's all about exercising caution and being mindful of your body boo.
Tampons, yep they're pretty great. And the best thing about them is that they give women the freedom to do almost anything we want, even if we are bleeding. If you'd like to purchase Taboo's organic cotton tampons, you can find them right here