Why won't my tampon go in?

So your beach vacation is 3 days away, your packing is almost done, and all of a sudden, your period comes - great timing! You’ve finally mustered up the courage to try a tampon but no matter how hard you try, you just can’t figure out how to get it in and it seems like nothing is working. Here are the top three reasons why you might not be able to get a tampon in:

1) You’re inserting your tampon at the wrong angle

It’s really important to get into a comfortable position when inserting a tampon. You can have one leg propped up, sitting on the toilet, or have your back slightly bent over. Check out this video for a tutorial! These positions help you relax your vaginal muscles and get comfortable. When it comes to the angle, we recommend pointing the tampon towards your lower back on a slight angle upwards instead of trying to put it straight in. You can use a mirror to explore your vaginal opening and get familiar with your body.

2) You experience dryness

Your tampon may not be going in due to the dryness of the tampons or your vagina. Because menstruation is so stigmatised, we never talk about vaginal dryness but the reality is that 1 in 5 women experience vaginal dryness especially during the late phases of menstruation. A cause of this can be due to hormonal imbalances likely when taking forms of birth control, menopause or approaching menopause. We wrote a whole blog about the causes of vaginal dryness here. If this is the case, we recommend using a lubricant which can make it much smoother and easier to insert a tampon! We designed our tampon and lubricant combo to be used exactly for that! Our lubricant is travel friendly and easy to take on-the-go to dip your tampon into for smoother insertion.

3) You experience vaginal tightness 

 It’s important to try to relax your muscles as much as possible when inserting a tampon. However, you may experience anxiety or have a negative association with penetration and items entering your body. This causes your pelvic muscles to tighten up as a reaction to any type of penetrating object which can make inserting a tampon very difficult. You may also have a condition called vaginismus. Most commonly, this condition develops after an injury or traumatic experience that may or may not involve the vagina. If you are experiencing vaginal tightness, it is best to speak to your gynaecologist or a pelvic physiotherapist to learn more.

The bottom line

There are many reasons why inserting a tampon may be uncomfortable if not painful but do not be embarrassed as this is a common problem for billions of menstruators worldwide! If you experience any extreme pain or discomfort, it is best to seek medical advice.