Don’t insert a tampon with dirty hands because the germs will get on your tampon. This could cause an infection.

If another position works better for you, do that instead. What matters is that you’re comfortable and able to access your vagina.

It’s normal to feel nervous when you’re just starting to use tampons. Just do your best to relax your body.

While your hands are clean, it’s still possible to transfer germs or bacteria to the tampon. Do your best to touch the tampon as little as possible. If your tampons don’t come with a wrapper, lift the tampon out of the box by grasping at the base.

If this is your first time using a tampon, it might help to use a hand mirror to examine your vagina before you try to insert the tampon.

You likely won’t be able to get it all the way up on your first push, and that’s okay!

If your ring finger is longer than your middle finger, use that one instead.

If you pull on the string when you remove your finger, your tampon may get dislodged. If this happens, you can try pushing it back into place with your finger. However, you may need to change your tampon.

If your finger smells, wash your hands twice using soap.

If it feels uncomfortable, try pushing it further up into your vagina using your middle finger. If this doesn’t work, you may need to remove it and insert a new tampon.

Try to use them consistently for an entire period. This will help you get good at inserting them. It’ll be harder to get better if you’re only using tampons occasionally, like when you go swimming or play sports.

Typically, day 2 will be your heaviest day. However, your flow may also be heavy on day 1 or 3.

You likely won’t need to do this every time. However, lying down may help you get used to inserting tampons if you’re new to it.

Plastic applicators are usually more comfortable to insert. However, they can be more costly and have a higher environmental impact. Cardboard applicators are usually easy to insert, but they might cause more friction than plastic applicators.

Use light tampons on the first and last few days of your period when your flow is lighter. Pick regular or normal absorbency for your heavy flow days. Use a super absorbency on your heaviest day or for a very heavy flow. Try a super plus tampon only if you have abnormally heavy periods.

If you think you’re about to start your period, use a pantyliner to protect your underwear. Don’t use a tampon until your period starts.