Article: You can sit on a toilet and try to insert it that way, but many women find it easier to assume an alternate position. You can place one leg up on the toilet seat for wider access to your vaginal area. Or, you can try a squatting position, spreading your legs more apart. Feel free to explore various options to see what works the best for you. For the first time, some women prefer to avoid the bathroom entirely. Instead, you can lay back on your bed and open your legs. Or, stand a use a chair for balance. Use your finger to locate the entry to your vagina, as you saw in the mirror before. Then, guide the tip of the applicator to the opening. If you are inexperienced in tampon use, you will find that this is less scary and easier to do than moving around the applicator in search of an entry point. Position your middle finger and thumb on both side of the grip, holding firmly. Your middle finger can then go to the end of the plunger. Of course, you can experiment with this hand hold until you find a position that works the best for you. The key is to keep a good grasp of the tampon in the grip area. Gently guide the applicator tip into your vaginal canal. The entire applicator should fit inside you with the grip portion and your fingers staying outside of you. So, the barrel portion is inside and the grip is outside. The applicator should be in a position that is parallel to the floor. If you try to push the applicator vertical, you will hit the upper wall of your canal.  If the area is sufficiently lubricated, the tampon applicator should slide smoothly in. You should not have to push it hard or jab it at all. This is the step that presents the most problems for first-time users. If you need to, take a few deep breaths and pause before moving the applicator in. Flex your middle finger on the end of the plunger and push down until it is flush with the applicator. Keep your hold on the grip the entire time. When the plunger is fully down, then tighten your fingers on the grip and pull the applicator out of your vagina. If your applicator was pushed enough inside of you, you should not feel the tampon at all. If you released the tampon too low, you will likely feel its presence and slight discomfort. If this is the case, simply pull on the string to remove that tampon and try the process over again with a fresh one. It is common to feel discomfort as you insert a tampon the first time. This is likely caused by nerves or perhaps a too-low positioned tampon. However, you should not experience any type of pain. If this happens, stop what you are doing immediately. You may want to try again or just go ahead and talk with a doctor. When your tampon is fully inserted, you will see the string still hanging out of you. This is exactly what you should see. Don’t push the string up into you, leave it out. When you are ready to remove your tampon, grab the string and pull gently downward. The tampon should slide out as you continue to hold the string.  Some people prefer to remove a tampon prior to urinating, so that the urine is not soaked into the string. Also, make sure to properly dispose of all parts of the tampon once you are finished using them. It is generally not a good idea to flush any part of a tampon down the toilet. Follow the usage guidelines included in your tampon package, but is generally a good idea to switch out tampons every 4-6 hours at least. If you have a heavier flow, performing more frequent switches is a good idea too. Knowing your tampon schedule will take some of the stress off your mind.  Some women also prefer to alternate between using a pad and tampon. This is an especially good idea for overnight. Making sure to regularly switch out your tampons can help to prevent Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS). This is a potentially deadly illness that is generally preventable with careful tampon use. If you just can’t manage to get that tampon in the first time, it is okay. You are not alone in this situation. Many women try out tampons once only to delay until later. Or, you can always switch to pads as well. Do what works the best for you and don’t forget to reach out for help if you need it.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Assume a squatting or sitting position. Locate your vaginal opening. Grasp the grip area of the tampon. Insert the tip of the applicator. Push the plunger inside. Stop if you feel any pain. Remove by gently pulling downward on the string. Switch out tampons regularly. Keep trying if you fail the first time.