How Often Do You Change a Tampon?

Wow! So YOU'RE the person that they make the pad commercials for! LOL!:)
(I'm kidding, please don't take offense.)

Depends on the flow. On my heavier days, every 2 hrs. On my normal to light days, every 4-5 is usually sufficient.
You can kind of "tell" when it's full and needs to be changed.

honestly I think a tampon is cleaner then a pad. pads just feel gross, plus you get blood in pubic hair and eww. I have a very light flow so I change mine every 3 hrs on my heaviest day and every 6 to 8 hrs the other days

Well it's Part of life,I use to buy pads for my wife and daughter and now for my girlfriend.I try to keep atleast two box's of pads on hand for her at the begining of the month. But each person has their own preffrence on what type of pad to use,wing or heavy flow type .But keep tampons on hand anyway if needed.
I am no expert on this but my advice would be to get the heavy flow two boxes with wings to hold them in place.
Believe me being a male I use to be ashamed on buying these ,but like I said it is normal part of life so I don't mind any more.
Good luck...

Aww you poor thing, sucks that you feel the need to throw out a disclaimer, doesn't it!!

Me personally, I change it every time I have to pee (which is pretty often because I drink water all day, probably 1x or 2x every 2 hours... a little excessive, but that's my preference)... read the directions inside; I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to leave them in for more than 4 hours or something like that.

Good luck honey :)

Don't change it every hour. That's actually not healthy and it's really irritating to do it that often unless the tampon is at least half full of blood. You don't have to take it out when you pee due to the whole vagina-being-a-different-hole-than-where-pee-comes-out thing. If the string gets wet with pee then you hold the string with a dry tissue for when it IS time to pull it out.

You're not supposed to go longer than 4-to-6 hours during the day depending on the flow and the type of tampon you're using. If you do go to the bathroom, give the string a slight tug and if it feels "slippy" or loose like it's wet, then change it sooner than 4 hours.

There are night time ones for heavy flow that you can wear up to 8 hours. I would ONLY do that at night.

I've always found them to be much more cleanly than pads. I hate pads. I hate the Diva Cups too. Tampons are much easier, cleaner, and less hassle.

I am worried about Candy. I think you need to realize the Tampon does not go where the pee comes out, there is another hole behind that. That is where the tampon goes. Ask the doctor the next time you go in for a check up.. she can guide you. Or have your husband help you find it.

Molly, is it the sight of blood, having to handle a bloody string, or the feeling while it is inside of you?

You should not really feel the tampon. If it is uncomfortable you may not have it placed high enough in there. It cannot get lost. There is no way for it to go into any other part of your body..

Anyway, I have always had a very heavy flow. Some days even with the largest tampon, I will have to change it every 45 minutes and wear a large pad. On light days I wear one for about 6 hours or all through the night.

Good thing there are so many choices.. Imagine what the pioneer women had to do.? Yikes.

I'm just glad to see I'm not the only anti tampon lady! My friends make fun of me b/c I just don't prefer them unless I am swimming or something. They say it's like a diaper, but I figure if you buy a thin one and change it regularly it's fine! Glad to see I'm not the only one who doesn't like tampons!

I am just like you. I dont wear tampons. My Problem (or lack there of) is that I am a light flow-er, therefore tampons actually hurt. I think how often you change it depends on heavy your flow is. I have friends that have to change theirs every hour because they bleed so much. I could probably wear the same one all day, except I wouldnt. I would atleast change it everytime I use the bathroom. The joys of being a woman!

Whenever it needs it! I can always tell because it starts "slipping" out of place and becomes uncomfortable. On my heaviest days, every 2 to 3 hours. Not so heavy, up to 8 (per the box) unless I'm feeling really gross. The thing is, use the right absorbancy, otherwise it won't soak up ENOUGH blood, and then it will pull and hurt and stick on the inside when you pull it out! Sorry, that may be a little graphic and probably doesn't really help someone who hates them to begin with..... :)

Why would you have to take it out to pee Candy? hmmm Anyway, I change mine about 4 hourly, more if I wipe and there is blood. Usually if I poo, it will move, so I will change it then also. I can't change it more often, as the darn things are impossible to get out when they are dry.

No pads, no tampons...Diva Cup!

Just the idea of using a piece of cloth....eew.

But, since you've no choice...change every 4-6 hours as needed.

every time I have to pee.

Or If I can tell It is getting to ''FULL''

I change my tampons about every 4 hours, except during the first day and half of my period when I have a heavier flow and then I change my tampon every 2-3 hours, sometimes with-in the hour if super heavy (also depends on the kind of tampon; super, medium or lite flow). I also wear a panty liner when I wear a tampon.

If you are getting dizzy I would change it now. You mentioned you have a heavy flow right now so here are the chang times if you are wearing a super tampon 2-3 hours, medium tampon 1-2 hours, lite tampon well it would have to be about 30 mins (never wore a lite during a heavy flow). For a medium flow change a medium tampon 4-5 hours, lite tampon 2-3 hours.

Hope this helps!

Never since I had my uterine ablation a few year ago!! Yippee!!

Tampons freak me out too! I know it's dumb, but they just make me feel creepy. When I *have* to use them, like for swimming or exercise, I change them when I feel them slipping (usually when I pee and wipe I can tell they are lower). Don't leave it in for more than 8 hours.

I'm like Christy. I use the Diva Cup and love it! I've used it for years.

I don't wear them either. But I would think that everytime you go to the bathroom you would have to change it. I mean you would have to take it out anyway to pee. If you are really heavy and self conscious about it change it like every hour or so. Good luck!

About every 2-3 hours for normal flow - heavy could be every hour for me. It took me a LONG time before I used them regularly, so I totally understand your feelings on them. Good luck!

Every time i pee i have to, and i pee a lot, so like once every hour or two. During the night 1 or 2 may last all night but i wear a panty liner to bed to be sure.

Once you start wearing tampons youll never go back, i think pads are scary!, Wearing blood on the outside of my body creeps me out. Plus you can flush em, pads stick around in the trash, yuck. Also i hate the feeling of blood dripping out, the tampon catches that and you never have to feel it.

to each their own

I guess tampons are just the lesser of the two evils for me.

Oh and ill mirror the other ladies by saying you DONT have to take it out to pee, (oh what some people didn't learn in health class) But sometimes pee can get on the string because of gravity, i pull it out before i pee.

I view them like diapers. Change them when wet. Or in a tampon case, every two-ish hours. I think any longer because it is like wearing a diaper whether it's in you or next to your skin. Any longer and issues can come up from. I am however taking the more natural route and going to start wearing a diva cup instead.
I too think it's disgusting, but I use them because I used to be a theater major, so wearing pads while dancing was NOT an option.

you can feel when you need too, it also depends what flow type you're wearing J. like pads

depends on what absorbancy your using. If Im heavy, I use the super and change it 2-3 hours. If all i have is regular then its like every hour. Pretty much when ever I start to feel wet "down there" I change it.

I usually end up changing when I hafta pee which usually ends up being every 2-4 hrs depending on flow. While you pee comes out of an entirely different hole, sometimes I don't change it when I pee b/c it's just not time or 'ready' so I try to lean more forward to avoid the pee traveling up the string & soaking the tampon (weird I know but it doesn happen, at least to me it does). I hafta change mine more often if I'm 'heavy'. If you use the 'Regular absorbancy' change more often like every 2-3 hrs. If you're using 'Super absorbancy' usually I'm good for 3-4 hrs. You can sleep in them too but I usually hafta get up after a few hrs & change if I'm heavy. Normally you'd hafta change every 3-4 hrs but if you fill it up sooner, then you may start leaking til you change it. What works for me is this: when you put it in 'correctly' you shouldn't feel it at all inside. Once it fills up, I start to 'feel it' so I know I need to change it pretty soon. If I'm not real sure if it needs changing, I give it a little tug on the string & if it slides out pretty easily, it's usually full. If not, then I leave it in for another hour or so but I do try to change every 4 hrs like the package says unless I'm sleeping. Another trick I've learned that if it's towards the end or maybe just a light month & not flowing a lot but still need protection, I try to tug on the string before I pee & if it's time to change & it's sticking inside & won't pull out, I pee slowly & it actually, somehow, travels up the string & soaks the tampon to where it'll come out. Weird I know but somehow it works. If you try to get it out & it 'sticks', the string could pull off then you'll hafta reach up there & get it so try to make it wet somehow to get it out if that happens. Hope this helps! I had to endure pads all through school & hated it! So glad I switched to tampons but I do understand those who prefer pads & don't think nothing of it b/c it's what they prefer so no, I'm not gonna throw rocks, lol. Hope the suggestions help, Good luck!

Depends on your flow and what strength tampons you have.. I too am heavy on my first 2 days. I use the strongest ones and have to change every 2 hours. If you are not leaking or your flow lessens, you can go up to 8 hours at night, 6 during the day, unless you swim or take a bath, than change it right when you are done. The most comfortable ones I have found are OB. They never leak (all others I have tried have), and they are shorter and stay in place better. You do not have to take them out to pee, there is no way that pee will get on the tampon if it is inside of you!

Change them more often if you're heavier. Don't wear them too long though because of the Toxic Shock Syndrome. My box says up to 8 hours but I never leave it in that long. I hate wearing them too because I don't know what chemicals they use to make them and I want to be healthy. I do wear them when swimming or when I'm teaching my dance classes. Good luck!

Yes, your thoughts are irrational. A tampon can give you freedom. Lucky for us ladies, we have choices. We can even go with the environmentally friendly menstruating devices and buy cloth! Yes, cloth! Think about all those pads in the landfills that take 500+ years to break down. I digress.

Some women actually *need*to wear both a tampon and a pad on heavy days! Some women wear tampons when they are menstruating because they think panty lines with big maxi pad lines are unattractive! Well, there is always a skirt, right? But then on days when the temp is 100+ and you have a large, wet pad nestled in an area where there is minimal air, that can feel pretty grotesque too, to some that prefer a clean and dry feeling.

So I have been on both sides of the coin. Personally, I don't find either a huge pleasantry in my life and really, a tampon is actually more sanitary feeling because you don't have to worry about the odor and excessive moisture. On warm days, that excessive moisture can actually cause yeast !

So how often? Read the instructions. That is why they are in the box. But typically, if you give it a gentle tug and it feels dry and thus uncomfortable, it is not full. Conversely, if you give it that gentle tug and it feels slippery, it is likely full. If it isn't full, change it on the same schedule you would change your maxi-pad.

I wore pads once in 1970, found out how comfortable a tampon is and never looked back!!