It’s as embarrassing and scary as it gets: you begin experiencing funky vaginal discharge and strange discomfort. Could it be an STD or just a routine vaginal infection? Symptoms of various problems that affect women below the equator tend to share the same basic plots, thus making diagnosis quite difficult. A lost tampon is often the last conclusion that women come to in these situations, though it’s much more common than you may think.
How Tampons Get Lost
Tampons generally manage to become lost in one of a few ways. Failing to see a string hanging out of the vaginal opening, women often have a hard time keeping track of the number of tampons used in a day and insert another. This second tampon causes the original to move and become lodged sideways in the deeper part of the vagina.
Another common occurrence that leads to losing a tampon is sexual intercourse. In these situations, women generally fail to see a string hanging from the vaginal opening and have sex with a tampon in. This compresses the tampon into the inner recesses of the vagina, often causing the tampon to turn sideways.
More often than not, women simply forget to remove the last tampon they used for a particular menstrual cycle. While this tends to make us feel stupid and dirty, it’s important to remember that this is a very common situation.
Symptoms of a Lost Tampon
Unfortunately, the symptoms associated with a lost tampon mirror that of a countless number of vaginal infections. This can make coming to terms with losing a tampon quite difficult, as many women refuse to admit that they have indeed forgotten one.
Although generic, the symptoms of a tampon that has been accidentally left in for a few days include:
Vaginal discharge that accompanies a lost tampon is generally quite smelly and may be red, brown, pink, green, yellow or even purple in color. This can be caused by the tampon beginning the process of decomposing and/or the onset of an infection caused by the presence of the foreign body.
Pain and discomfort caused by a forgotten tampon often consists of vague aches in the regions of the abdomen, pelvis, hips and vagina.
Swelling of the vagina is perhaps the most frightening symptom caused by losing a tampon, as we generally associate this with injury.
Pain and discomfort when passing urine sometimes occur when a tampon has been lost.
How to Remove a Lost Tampon
While it is possible for a woman to remove a lost tampon herself, it’s recommended that this be done by a qualified medical professional. This will ensure that the procedure is performed under the most sanitary of conditions and that any complications, such and infection or the dreaded toxic shock syndrome, are treated promptly.
Avoiding Losing a Tampon
Ask any woman that has visited the doctor for the purpose of having a tampon removed and she will tell you that it certainly won’t happen again. The situation is embarrassing and often results in a long, awkward lecture from your healthcare provider.
But how can women avoid losing a tampon again? The answer is quite simple: by keeping track of how many tampons are used in a particular day. This includes keeping a running total of all tampons used, and crossing each one off the list as it is removed. It may seem like too much work at first, but it will become second nature after just a few cycles.
Sources:
http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/en/FemaleSexualHealthSelfCare/RetainedObjectOrTampon
http://www.estronaut.com/a/lost_tampon.htm
