Surprisingly, a tampon can only go so far in your vagina and can’t actually escape to the uterus, the top of your vagina is simply too small. A tampon is also held in place by the walls of your vagina and won’t go anywhere so try not to panic if you can’t remember if you took it out or not. For some women, removing a tampon becomes part of their routine when on their period, whereas for other women, they simply forget. If you’re in a position where you can’t remember if you took your tampon out, we are here to help!

1. Try taking a few deep breaths and relax

2. Reach inside your vagina with a clean finger. Your vagina is approximately two-four inches long (can stretch longer to accommodate intercourse or having a baby) so if you can’t feel it, you may have already removed it

3. If you can feel the tampon or its string, try pulling it out with one or two fingers. If it feels slippery and difficult to grab, that’s ok – the tampon won’t be able to go anywhere.

4. If you can feel the tampon but definitely can’t pull it out yourself, it may be necessary to visit your doctor

If you use tampons when on your period or are thinking about using tampons, it is essential to know how often to change them for your safety. Whether you use tampons with or without an applicator, they are meant to be used once only, then thrown away after use.

You should aim to change your tampon every six to eight hours. Don’t leave a tampon in for longer than eight hours as doing so can put you at risk of developing a life-threatening disease called Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS). For more information on Toxic Shock Syndrome CLICK HERE

It is important to use the lowest absorbency tampon in conjunction with your menstrual flow. If you can wear a tampon for up to eight hours without it leaking, it is possible that the absorbency is too high for your menstrual flow. However, if your tampon is leaking before the two-hour mark, the absorbency of your tampon might be too low for you.

You might think that wearing a higher absorbency tampon means you don’t have to change it as much which is saving you money and time, in reality it is actually putting you at risk of developing TSS. Even if your tampon isn’t leaking, you still need to change it every six to eight hours for your own hygiene and safety.

Make sure that when you remove a tampon, it should be saturated. That is how you know that you are using the correct absorbency for your menstrual flow. Therefore, if your tampon isn’t saturated, the absorbency might be too high. If your tampon is saturated but leaking, then the absorbency might be too low for your menstrual flow.

1. There is blood in the string. You’re lucky, you caught it just in time before a leakage! Your tampon should be saturated and ready for changing.

2. It slides out easily when you tug on the string. Your tampon should do this when it is saturated, it is best to change it at this time.

3. You feel or see period leakage. Some people like to wear a pad underneath just in case of leakages.

There is no rule to say you should or shouldn’t change your tampon every time you use the bathroom, however, some women prefer to and some don’t mind. If you didn’t know, the string attached to a tampon is extremely absorbent, so when pee flows out of your body, the tampon string is likely to absorb it. Although urine is sterile and can’t give you an infection (unless you already have a UTI), some women don’t like the feeling or smell of a wet tampon string. If you’re one of those women, you can simply hold the tampon string to the side when peeing or change your tampon. If you use the bathroom quite frequently, changing your tampon each time can be more costly and may cause irritation.

It isn’t necessarily bad but if your tampon isn’t saturated, changing your it too frequently can cause some discomfort. Doing so can also be more costly and wasteful. It is best to stick to the correct tampon absorbency for you and change it every six to eight hours.

All Veeda tampons can be worn while swimming. As the opening to the vagina isn’t waterproof, the tampon might take on some water, but this doesn’t stop it from absorbing period blood as well.

As with any tampon, it’s best to change your tampon regularly when swimming, as absorbing water as well as menstrual blood can put them at full capacity quicker than with normal, outside of water use. We recommend that you change your tampon as soon as you’re done swimming, or every 4 to 8 hours while you are swimming.

How do I know when my tampon is full?

1) There is blood in the string. Your tampon is likely saturated and ready for changing.

2) It slides out easily when you tug on the string. Your tampon should do this when it is saturated, it is best to change it at this time.

3) You feel or see period leakage.

Keep in mind that tampons do come with a cotton string which hangs outside the body, so don’t forget to make sure that the string is tucked inside your swimsuit.

If wearing a tampon is new for you, practice inserting a tampon a few times before heading into the water.

Most conventional tampons are made up of rayon, synthetic fibres and polyester in attempt to increase the absorbency of the tampon. Chlorine bleaching takes place in the manufacturing process to make the tampon appear white. In this process they use a nasty group of chemicals which are called dioxins. Dioxins are a big concern; the World Health Organization calls dioxins “highly toxic” and categorizes them as a “known human carcinogen.”

Here at Veeda, we choose to avoid repeated exposure to harsh chemicals. Veeda's 100% natural cotton is sourced directly from a global network of leading cotton traders and all cotton is cleansed with an oxygen cleansing process, not chlorine-bleached, for a healthier eco-friendlier product. This process removes all dirt and impurities including any synthetic matter and this is the exact same process by which all organic cotton is cleansed with, to ensure it also has no synthetic substances. This ensures that the final tampons are truly 100% natural cotton. 

Reusable tampons may carry additional risks of infections such as yeast, fungal, and bacterial infections.

While you may have heard about reusable tampons, the FDA has not cleared or approved these products. The FDA discourages the use of reusable tampons.

The only tampons cleared or approved by the FDA are designed for single-use.

Both pads and tampons are good options to absorb period blood. When using these products, they need to be changed regularly (every 6 to 8 hours or before if they’re saturated) to avoid infections. Pads are worn in your underwear and are often the easiest to use when first getting your period. Tampons are another option but can take a bit of practice getting used to inserting it into your vagina properly. If you have inserted a tampon and it feels uncomfortable, it generally means that you haven’t inserted it correctly. When you have inserted a tampon correctly, you shouldn’t be able to feel it. Veeda tampons come with instructions about how to insert a tampon properly to make you feel as comfortable as you can be when battling your period. 

Tampons are classified as a “medical expense” and are therefore now FSA eligible.

Period products are typically eligible for reimbursement with a flexible spending account (FSA), health savings account (HSA), or a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA). Contact your employer or FSA/HSA/HRA provider with account or eligibility questions.

The CARES Act reclassified period products as “medical expenses,” making them eligible to be treated as any other spending on “medical care.” That means tampons, pads and liners purchased after December 31, 2019 eligible for purchase with FSA and HSA funds.

Tampons are classified as a “medical expense” and are therefore now HSA eligible.

Period products are typically eligible for reimbursement with a flexible spending account (FSA), health savings account (HSA), or a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA). Contact your employer or FSA/HSA/HRA provider with account or eligibility questions.

The CARES Act reclassified period products as “medical expenses,” making them eligible to be treated as any other spending on “medical care.” That means tampons, pads and liners purchased after December 31, 2019 eligible for purchase with FSA and HSA funds.