Tampons are tubes made of absorbent material intended for our intimate hygiene. They are inserted into the vagina, either by hand or with a plastic applicator, and it is inside our body where they absorb menstruation.
There are women who consider them much more comfortable and hygienic than pads since they are not in continuous contact with the outside of the vagina, which can cause irritation and bad odors.
However, improper use of tampons can cause infections in the vaginal area, the most serious being caused by the Staphylococcus Aureus bacterium, which causes what is known as Toxic Shock Syndrome.
To avoid these possible problems, we must follow a series of guidelines when putting tampons on.
Make proper use of tampons
- Wash our hands before putting or removing the tampon.
- Change the tampon often, it is recommended every 4 hours and under no circumstances have it on for more than 8 hours.
- Alternate tampons and compresses. For example, we can use compresses when we are at home and tampons when we go out if we are more comfortable that way.
- Do not use super absorbent tampons unless necessary. We are more likely to get Toxic Shock Syndrome when we use this type of tampon if our menstruation is not very abundant. We must identify our amount of flow and choose the correct absorbency.
- Never use tampons outside of our menstrual phase, only put them once the blood is already present.
