vaginapagina | Tampon adventures

Okay, so yesterday i got adventurous and decided to check out what tampons are like (since i'm at my sister's house and can use hers without spending money, teehee). It took a while to completely figure out, as can be expected, and how it felt afterwords was also a little expected, but i'm a bit concerned...

It felt a little pinchy around the opening for a while, and there was a little dull pain on the inside that grew to become mild to moderate cramps (when before i put it in- i had none). I couldn't stand having it in me for more than 2 hours and took a while of tugging before i finally got it out. It wasn't really the cramping that made me take it out, more like a gut feeling of repulsion of what was inside me...

While the yuck that i felt in that 2 hours was not altogether frightning for an experience with tampons for the first time (I was almost expecting half of it), I'm concerned as to how my body will react when i get a Divacup. I'm worried that my body will reject it just as fast as it did the tampon (though i know the diva is so incredibly healthier than tampons).

I'm also thinking that maybe since I've read so much on how tampons are so horribly bad that my body just rejected it because of what I read. -I've vowed to not use tampons ever again and i'm waiting patiently for when i can afford a diva cup-

So before i go repeating myself in a tired stupor, what thinks ye, ladies? Am i scaring myself away from tampons and do i have reason to fear my body's rejecting stuff getting shoved up there?

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If a tampon is causing that cramping feeling it may be that you didn't have it in correctly.
Sometimes you can push it up too far and it hits your cervix, or it can be in at a weird angle or something.

Also, the divacup is tons better for you than tampons, so try not to equate the two in your head if you think you're 'psyching yourself out' about having something inside you.

The divacup doesn't have icky bleach and doesn't dry you out,
not to mention the money it will save you!

i think compairing the two is one of the things that made my body not like tampons in the first place! and yes- the money will be an insanely good deal! *wishes herself luck* :P

i figured as much- especially since it was my first time and all- i just hope i don't make the same mistake with the diva

thanks!

i used tampons for about eight years, until they just didnt cut it for me...so i got a diva cup.
the divacup is the most amazing thing in the entire universe. don't be afraid, it is nothing like a tampon (though putting it in can be a little tricky at first). AND (maybe this is psychosomatic but...) i feel like i have less cramps when i use the divacup.
i reccommend that every woman have one.
=)

the tampon hurt you because you weren't actually on your period and were therefor much drier than you would be. You probably didn't insert it high enough into the vagina - if you were too push it in with your finger and not an applicator - it would be high enough to be able to insert your entire finger. I was difficult to pull out because of the cotton sticking too the inside of your vagina - because of not having enough moisture. This can happen if you use the wrong level of tampon as well at varying times of your cycle. Example - if your flow from your period was very light and you tried to use a super plus tampon - it would be quite uncomfortable, especially too remove it.

i was on my period- 2nd day, rather heavy flow- it just didn't really agree with me, i suppose- but all that sounds like decently good reasons :P

gotcha!

i get *really* bad cramps from tampons... and never had a problem with my divacup.

I've never been able to wear tampons and I've tried many times throughout the years. My Keeper freaked me out a bit the first two times; for the first six months, I could only wear it one day each period. I slowly began to adapt to it, though, and it was extremely worthwhile.

Yes, you are scaring yourself away from tampons- and no, you don't have reason to fear your body rejecting them of its own accord. ;) Like

roaring_woman said, if you put the tampon too far down it will be uncomfortable (that's why applicators are convenient), and if you put it too far down while you're dry, it will chafe doubly. If you insert it correctly, at the right angle, with trimmed nails, while relaxed, it will not hurt. But then, I'm sure the same goes for the Divacup.

I've been using tampons for ten years and there's nothing wrong with me, in fact I'm quite healthy, and tampons do not "give" me cramps. Once I figured out how to use them and got over my paranoia about this and that, it was fine. I don't even count the hours anymore, I know when they need to be taken out, and I never stain my underwear with leaks. I also wear them at night, and in conjunction with pads of varying thickness.

If you want to use tampons, and approach them calmly with a willingness to use them correctly, you will not have any problems. That being said, it seems like you're pretty sold on the Divacup, so good luck with that. Bless!

Word! The first time I used a tampon it felt horrible and was hard to pull out because I hadn't inserted it completely and it was still dry when I removed it. I've been using OB tampons for 10 years and love them. If used properly, they are safe for your body. The only bad thing about them is their environmental impact. Certainly divacups rock, but I think tampons deserve a fair shake!

L.

OB! Did they stop making applicators? WTF? I use Tampax now, which works just fine, but I had to switch at one point and I did not know whyyy.

Tampons are better for my environment. Keeps it unbloodied.

tampax are terrible for me, for some reason they get to be like a yard long during the unpleasant removal process. ugh. how come they are made folded in half?! ob w/ applicators were the best things ever, i switched to playtex portables (small like tampax compak but not a yard long) but they're getting hard to find too. bastard companies!

They're folded? I never noticed, I don't think I use those. I guess so that they're more compact? I use the regular sort.

Rah!

I have to agree, you might just be scaring yourself away :) For the longest time I could NEVER use tampons because I was afraid of them.

Also, the type you're using makes a huge difference. If you're trying to use those old super Tampax cardboards or applicator-less OB's, you're never going to be comfortable. I've been using tampons for four years and I still feel incredibly uncomfortable using those kinds of tampons. Try buying some slender (I usually buy "regular", but the "SlimFits" are really nice if you're just learning), unscented (!!!) tampons with a rounded plastic applicator (I buy my Playtex Gentle Glides in bulk from Costco). To help get it in, put a tiny bit of lube (or lube-like substance - Vaseline, etc. - which I know aren't good, but have never caused me problems) on the applicator to help it slide in easily. Also, if you aren't on your period it's going to be HELL to put a tampon in no matter what.

Wow, sorry about such a long comment! I just don't want you to be turned away from tampons because of a bad experience, but if you're set on the Divacup that's your decision. Nevertheless, it's always nice to be able to put one in if you're caught unawares and need to borrow a tampon.

I've been using tampons for over thirty years -- I remember when I first tried them out I made the same mistake, not inserting them far enough. If you can tell you have a tampon in, you haven't inserted it right.

And I have an opposite opinion re: applicators. I prefer the old-style Tampax with the cardboard applicator. The plastic applicators are sharp and pinchy at the ends! Tampax applicators also disintegrate in the toilet, so they are much more convenient, particularly when you are away from home. Plus the strings are better, the tampon is more absorbent -- I could do a commercial! (I used OB for a while when I was a teen but just didn't like them -- not absorbent enough, teensy string, and too messy to use for a person with heavy flow.)

the cramping is probably from shoving it too hard against your cervix. i have been wearing tampons for years (i started out with the commercial types, and now i use organic cotton with no applicators), and i still stick them in too forcefully/too far more often than not! it gives me an extra crampy feeling, but it fades in maybe 10 minutes or so, for me.

Tampon adventures

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