Sanitary Products

Should I use tampons or sanitary pads? Whether you wear pads or tampons is definitely a personal choice. Whisper Ultra pads are so discreet and comfortable you may want to try them. Tampax® Compak gives you the freedom and discretion to do whatever you'd like while you're menstruating, including swimming. So you need to analyse your lifestyle and come up with the type of product that will be best for you. Some women like to use a combination of different sanitary protection depending on what activity they are doing, what underwear they want to wear or what their period flow is like. Which tampon should I use? The absorbency you need depends on how much menstrual blood you lose and not on your body size. A small thin woman could easily have a heavier flow than someone who is taller and heavier. The heavier your flow the higher absorbency you will need. Selecting the right absorbency might take a bit of practice but as a guide, if a tampon has absorbed as much period flow as it can and has to be changed before 4 hours try a higher absorbency. Alternatively when you remove a tampon if it feels a little uncomfortable and has lots of white fibres still showing choose a lower absorbency. The absorbency you need changes through your period, flow is heaviest during the first three days and lighter afterwards. Always choose the lowest absorbency tampon suitable for your flow. How often should I change my tampon? You should be using the lowest absorbency tampon for your flow and changing the tampon every 4-8 hours. If you find your tampon fully saturated before 4 hours, you should be using the next absorbent size. If you remove the tampon at 8 hours and still see white fibres on the tampon, your tampon is too absorbent, drop down one absorbency for the next time. It is advisable to use a sanitary pad at least once in 24 hours. Will wearing a tampon hurt? If you insert a tampon properly, and place it far enough inside the vagina you shouldn't feel any discomfort at all. If you are too tense it may hurt slightly to insert a tampon, so try and relax. Only ever practice inserting a tampon when you are menstruating. Once your tampon is inserted and you still feel discomfort, it may be that you haven't inserted it far enough. This usually happens if your flow is light, as it's trickier to put a tampon into place if your vagina is quite dry. This is quite common. If this happens to you, just remove the tampon and try again with a new one. So try relaxing by taking slow deep breaths and guide the tampon upwards and backwards towards the small of your back. If you still have problems, we suggest you wait and try again when your flow is heavier. My tampon is stuck, what should I do? First of all try to relax and don't panic as this will make the tampon more difficult to remove. Simply squat down and insert your thumb and forefinger into your vagina. Sweep the fingers back and forth and try to feel the withdrawal cord or tampon. Once you feel the cord/tampon, grasp it and pull it out. If you cannot find the tampon you will have to see a Doctor immediately. It is important that you remove the tampon as soon as you can. A tampon should not be left in your vagina for more than 8 hours. Can the withdrawal string break on a tampon? This is really unlikely! But on the small chance that it does break, it's usually easy to reach the tampon with your fingers. Wash your hands and squat down or use the same position you used to comfortably insert the tampon, to remove it. If you really can't do it yourself, you should see your Doctor as soon as possible and definitely on THE SAME DAY. A tampon should never be left in your vagina for more than 8 hours. Can a tampon get lost in my vagina? A tampon cannot get lost in the vagina. If you accidentally left one in from your last period you might experience localised inflammation, causing a discoloured vaginal discharge and a foul odour. If you cannot find the tampon you will have to see a Doctor immediately. It is important that you remove the tampon as soon as you can. A tampon should not be left in your vagina for more than 8 hours, as this increase the risks of tampon-related TSS. What is TSS? Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) is caused by the bacterium Stapylococcus aureus, which is commonly found in the nose and vagina. It is a micro organism which is found in normal healthy people. The majority of all Stapylococcus aureus strains do not produce toxins which can cause TSS and only very few strains do. Whether TSS develops or not depends on the presence or absence of antibodies against these toxins. Most women but not all do have a protective level of antibodies against the toxins. Absence of protective antibodies can lead to TSS. To reduce the risk of tampon-related TSS we suggest that you use the lowest absorbency tampon to control your flow and change your tampon every 4 to 8 hours. We also recommended that you use a pad instead of a tampon at least once in 24 hours. If you use a tampon overnight, insert a new tampon before going to bed and change it as soon as you wake up. If you plan to sleep longer than 8 hours you should really use a pad overnight. In every packet of tampons there is a leaflet detailing the recommended use of tampon products. The leaflet contains information about absorbency and change frequency, and we recommend that you read the leaflet every time you buy a new box of tampons. Some of the symptoms of TSS are much the same as the flu. The important thing is that you can become very ill, very quickly. You may not have all the symptoms, only some of them. The warning signs of TSS include: high fever vomiting diarrhoea a rash that looks like sunburn muscle aches dizziness fainting or near fainting when standing up. If you have any of these symptoms or in case of a sudden unexpected high fever it is essential that you consult a Doctor immediately and tell him/her that you have been using a tampon and are concerned about TSS. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON TAMPONS WHY NOT CHECK OUT www.tampax.com