The tampon can get wet from the bath or shower. It may not be able to absorb as much blood from your period as a fresh one can.
"A tampon will absorb the water from the lake, pool, or ocean while you are swimming, so it is important to change the tampon when you get out of the water," says Ho. "Otherwise, the tampon will be saturated and will not absorb the blood from your period."
A tampon will immediately soak up the water, making it useless at holding menstrual blood. This one is also partially true. A tampon will absorb water from the pool, ocean, or lake, even when it's inside your body. This is why it's vital that you change your tampon immediately after you're done swimming.
Still, if you don't like the feeling of the wet string, try holding the string out of the way of your stream when you pee, to keep it from getting wet. Or, you can change your tampon every time you go to the bathroom if you'd prefer.
Re: Inserting tampon after shower
It makes sense that if you wash away your menstrual blood, it will be harder to insert a tampon (the menstrual blood usually acts as lubricant for the tampon for a painless insertion).
For most people, this isn't an issue, but some people have quite 'sensitive' cervixes and have a vaso-vagal when there is pressure put onto their cervix. Try using a smaller tampon and make sure you put it in whilst you are in a place where it would be safe for you should you faint (e.g. on your bed).
The best way to know if your tampon needs changing is to give a light tug on the tampon string, if it starts to pull out easily then it's time to change, if not, it usually means you can leave it a bit longer. Just remember with tampons, 4 hours is about right, and don't leave one in for more than 8 hours.
The second factor is leak protection.
Tampons are more likely to leak than pads because they can't always absorb all the blood flow.
There's a few reasons why tampons leak when they're not full. It's been inserted incorrectly. You're not wearing a tampon made from absorbent organic cotton. Lots of tampons on the market are made from synthetic materials that are unable to absorb much menstrual fluid.
Yes, it's fine to wear a tampon in the bath or shower. If your period is light at the time, you might find that you don't need one for the few minutes that you are in the bath or shower. Most of the time, blood won't leak out.
Just keep the water running until your shower is over and then check to see if there's any blood that you need to rinse down the drain. If you're showering at a gym or in another public place, you may leave a tampon or menstrual cup in during the shower if you prefer.
Wearing a tampon or a menstrual cup will stop blood from leaking when you're swimming. If you want to, you can ask a friend to alert you of any leaks, or take a quick trip to the bathroom to check—this way you can relax and just have fun in the water.
As your period begins to lighten, the color of the blood will change from red to brown and eventually to a brownish-yellow. This yellow discharge that you'll notice for a few days is just leftover menstrual fluid exiting your uterus.
Infections include the rare but serious Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS). It is safe to sleep with a tampon in as long as it's not for more than eight hours. So, if you can keep your night-time snooze to 8 hours or under, then you can wear a tampon overnight.
Sometimes the wrong absorbency is used. Make sure you are using the lightest absorbency for your flow. If the tampon hurt when you were taking it out, felt dry or has white cotton visible after 4 hours of use, you should use one made for lighter flow. Not every tampon is made the same.
If the menstrual cycle length is more than 7 days, then it is considered abnormal and called metrorrhagia. If the volume of bleeding is too much, it is called menorrhagia. Typically, if a woman saturates more than 1 -2 pads or tampons per hour for several hours, it is considered too much bleeding.
Once inside, tampons collect blood before it leaves the body and shouldn't be felt, cause pain or discomfort. Tampons should be changed every four to six hours – never leave a tampon in for more than eight hours to avoid Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS).
How many pads or tampons should I use in a day? People change their period products for different reasons, not just because they're always full, so there's not an exact answer here. However, 3-6 products per day (pads or tampons) is normal.
Can it be used just for discharge? "No. Never use a tampon in anticipation of bleeding, or for discharge because it won't function properly and could harbour infection. Only use tampons when you need them – if you're just starting your period and there's hardly any bleeding, use a sanitary towel instead.
If you notice your tampons get soaked through in a couple hours, or you see blood on the string when you change it after a short time, you might need a larger size. You may need to size down if the tampon is mostly dry after wearing it for a few hours.
The first time you use a tampon may feel a little uncomfortable but the pain shouldn't be particularly bad. Once properly inserted you shouldn't feel the tampon at all. The key to an easy and pain free insertion is to relax.