Tampon insertion: Multiple times, constant failure & anxiety

[etudexc]

Every time I try to put a tampon in, the applicator goes in smoothly, but the plunger always bothers me. No matter how many times I try, I'm always met with this sort of resistance that makes it hard for me to hold the applicator at the base of my vagina. It's like I push the plunger and some resistance inside me pushes against the applicator and tries to force it out or something. Is this normal or am I doing it wrong? Again, the applicator goes in just fine, so I must be angling it correctly, right? Is there something with my body that's causing this? In addition, I'm always able to feel it inside when I "successfully" insert it. It doesn't hurt, but is it normal for me to be constantly aware of it inside me?

[Heather]

Have you tried using the kind without an applicator? Those tend to be a lot more friendly to a learning curve, since you can feel, with your fingers, what you're doing with the tampon directly.

(Extra bonus: while all disposable menstrual products create a tremendous amount of environmental waste, when you don't use the kind with the applicator, you do cut that waste in half.)

[Sunshine]

Hello,

just in case this is reassuring for you: It took me two years to get comfortable with tampons and in the beginning, I was convinced I'd never be able to get one in. My body, it turned out, is perfectly average - I just had to get to know it. The angle turned out to be different than I had imagined, for example. Also, if I am still able to feel a tampon inside me, it usually means I haven't put it far enough in.

I can only second Heather's advice to try going without the applicator. Also try the smallest size you can lay your hands on and maybe check out a kind with an extra-smooth surface.

If you remain concerned that there may be something unusual about your anatomy, maybe a visit to the gynecologist might help? A checkup is never a bad thing, I think, and in my experience, it's very reassuring to have a professional look at you and tell you there is either nothing wrong or explain what exactly the problem is and what you could do about it.