A friend of mine was going through my handbag the other day (with my permission) to find some gum and he came across a tampon. At the first instance, he threw it away saying, “What the hell!” Then he picked it up looking at it like an inquisitive little cat and asked me in a shaky voice, “Ummm…this is a tampon right?” I told him, yes it was and his eyes twinkled. He had never seen one before and was taken away by sheer curiosity. “Can you tell me how this works?” He asked like a child. And then we both sat down and I told him the mechanism in which a tampon works, in the same way he used to tell me how his complex codes worked. He listened intently and was quite amazed by it. He put it back in my bag with his hesitations all gone. I wondered, if it is so easy for a boy to understand that it is not a huge deal then why do many of my female peers get all freaked out by the idea of using a tampon. I understand that it is a question of personal comfort and preference, but how do you form judgements on something you have never even experienced? It was not just my friends but also my mother and female relatives whom I distinctly remember being taken aback when they found out about the existence of tampons. They just couldn’t bear the idea of something being stuffed inside the body. So after having faced a lot of questions on what sorcery tampons are, here I present to you a human-to-human FAQ, breaking the prevalent taboos about tampons. It is not a letter full of jargon like a user manual that comes with a machine. It is not a funny video where two guys are playing “tampon tag”. And it is definitely not a gif showing Amanda Bynes stuffing it in her nose.

3. What if it falls out?

It doesn’t. It never does. If you feel comfortable while walking and doing your routine activities then it is placed correctly and in no circumstances can it fall out. The string is left out and you can easily remove the tampon by pulling it out from the string. You will know that it is time to change the tampon when you start feeling full in you lower abdomen and feel slightly heavier in the uterus area. It is a hygienic practice to change it in every 5-6 hours depending upon your flow.

Image source

4. What if it is stuck there?

I have never known anyone personally whose tampon got stuck. But if you are one of those unfortunate ladies caught in this rare situation, then fret not. Squat, and gently pull it out using your fingers. If the situation is worse (like the lady from San Diego who was in news few days back, then go see a OB-GYN).

Image source