All of your awkward tampon questions answered.
- Can I pee with a tampon in?
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Yes.
Since blood and urine come out of different holes, peeing with a tampon in will not interfere with your flow. But is it sanitary?
While peeing, it can sometimes feel like your tampon will fall out or that you’re getting your string wet. To avoid soaking your tampon and string with pee, hold the string out of the way while you pee (make sure your hand doesn’t get wet).
- Can I sleep with a tampon in?
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It depends. Yes, if you sleep eight hours or less. No, if you sleep more than eight hours a night.
Most tampon companies claim that you can wear a tampon for up to eight hours. So, depending on your sleeping habits, you may be able to sleep regularly with a tampon in. Ultimately, if you sleep for eight hours or less, you should be fine wearing a tampon to bed. If you sleep for over eight hours, then you risk infection.
- What if I can’t get my tampon out?
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If you find yourself in a situation where your tampon gets stuck inside you, don’t panic.
A “retained tampon” is a tampon stuck inside the vaginal canal. This can happen if you have sex with a tampon in, if you accidentally push in another tampon, or naturally. Luckily, a tampon cannot get lost in your body. However, it is important to get your tampon out as soon as possible because they can hold onto bacteria that result in infection, and in extreme cases Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) if left in for too long.
First, try removing the tampon yourself.
Dr. Natasha Bhuyan, family physician at One Medical, suggests you “wash your hands with soap and water. Then, either get into a squatting position or put one leg up on the toilet seat, and reach into your vagina to see if you’re able to hook the tampon and remove it.” Bhuyan also claims that people often make the mistake of using other objects, such as tweezers, to reach their tampon string. As a result, you can accidentally skin your vaginal area. For this reason, do not use or push up any tools to find your tampon string.
See a doctor if your tampon string is unreachable.
If your efforts to remove a tampon yourself are unsuccessful, then it is time to see a doctor. Your doctor will be better able to see and remove the tampon. Delaying removal can result in infection.
- Can I have sex with a tampon in?
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Is it safe or even posible to have penetrative sex with a tampon in? Will it hurt? Can I still get pregnant? Whether you’re afraid of potentially ruining the mood by taking out your tampon or lazily forget to take it out, know that it’s not recommended to have sex with a tampon still in, but that you’ll probably be fine.
If you push anything into your vagina when you already have a tampon inside, then it can force the tampon towards the back of your vaginal canal. This makes it difficult to reach the string to pull out the tampon if it gets retained. Fortunately, tampons typically don’t go any further than your vaginal canal, so as long as you remove the tampon immediately afterwards, then you likely won’t have to worry about anything serious, like infection.
Even though you can technically can have sex with a tampon in, it doesn’t mean that you should. Sex with a tampon in can be an uncomfortable experience for you and your partner because tampons may absorb your natural or artificial lubrication while also preventing your partner from fully penetrating your vagina, which can cause pain and discomfort.
Wearing a tampon while having sex is not a form of birth control. I repeat: wearing a tampon while having sex is not a form of birth control! While a pushed up tampon does block part of your cervix, it does not block sperm. Instead, try: condoms, the pill, IUDs, and other forms of birth control to avoid pregnancy.
- Can I lose my virginity to a tampon?
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No.
Although a tampon may cause your hymen to stretch or tear, it will not cause you to lose your virginity. There are many different beliefs about what qualifies as losing your virginity, such as penile-vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse. The condition of your hymen does not define your virginity, so it shouldn’t be a reason to fear the switch from pads to tampons. You are not having sex with a tampon, therefore, if you’ve never had sex, then you are still a virgin.