Changing your tampon: the basics

Wash your hands before you start. Find a position that feels natural to you — sitting on the toilet, one leg up on the seat, or standing.

Remove the wrapper and hold the applicator where it is designed to be held. Relax your muscles, part the labia gently and insert the applicator at a comfortable angle, usually slightly towards your lower back. Push it in until your fingers reach the grip point on the outer tube.

Push the inner tube gently until the tampon slides out of the applicator. You should feel the tampon, not the applicator. Withdraw the empty applicator and discard it in a bin, never the toilet.

A correctly placed tampon should not be felt. If you can feel it, it is probably not inserted far enough, or the absorbency is too low for your flow.

Change every 4 to 8 hours, and never leave a tampon in for longer than 8 hours. If you cannot find the string, do not panic and do not dig — ask a clinician for help, they deal with this routinely.