whether or not it is necessary to replace the article referring to fig1 tampon 10 generally includes absorbent material 12 and withdrawal string 14 absorbent material is conventionally constructed of a substrate such as rayon cotton polyester spun fibers and combinations thereof with withdrawal string 14 substantially permanently attached thereto generally by stitching withdrawal string 14 protrudes from absorbent material distal end 41 thereby allowing a user to grasp withdrawal string 14 exert downward force and remove tampon from her vagina tampon 10 of an embodiment of the present invention includes biocompatible and non toxic saturation indicator 20 which is substantially parallel to longitudinal axis of absorbent material 12 saturation indicator 20 may be cylindrical or flattened and constructed of a variety of flexible and strong materials such as rayon cotton polyester wood cellulose synthetic polymers and combinations thereof tampons are manufactured from highly absorbent materials that wick moisture accordingly in order to have an effective saturation indicator the components must be properly calibrated as used herein u201c calibrated u201d shall mean that the user can readily identify the level of saturation based on distinguishable features on the saturation indicator these features can be effectuated by a variety of systems including staining mercerization process enhanced porosity at regular intervals to achieve stripes or the like porous regions through the indicator that expand in a manner that.