I know I have the same problem and I get tummy aches too. I totally know how you feel! I want to wear them but they are uncomfoartable and a hassel. I don't know why I would like to hear what others have to say!

i had the same problem until i found the right tampon.

they all expend differently and you have to find one that meshes with your shape.

Try Playtex Sport.. i LOVE them!

Tampax Pearl sucks hard lol they expend in an 'S' shape... who's shaped like that!? lol

I feel your pain. I too hate the way it feels 'coming out'. Ugh. And I always worry it will find it's way out of the pad.
I've tried tampons too, but they leak too. I guess I'll give those sport ones a try.
And... now that we have this whole thing about tampons, i would like to throw another issue with them, i don't know if it happens to any of you...
When I'm pulling the tampon out, i make a huge bloody mess!
Maybe I have to change it more often? Or maybe it's an effect like when you're sitting and then you stand and whooosh! Like, maybe i did that in the exact moment that another, uhm, squirt, lol, was coming out?

you might wanna try out a menstrual cup. they may not work for everybody, but it's worth a try, especially if you're having this much problems with tampons. i've used mine for a couple of years now. as with anything it's strange at first, but once you get used to it it's fine.

google menstrual cup, see what you think.

This is coming from a 50 year old.............I have had this same problem and still have it. Everytime you stand up AF feels like the flood gates of hell have opened. I have tried every brand of tampons on the market. Like love_pinkinsh..........my vagina is NOT TAMPON FRIENDLY......It feels like I have a fork stuck up in there and then there's the problem of "The Damn" breaking. I just as soon wear pads and let the river flow.........at least I know with a pad on, I have less of a chance of it running down my leg into my shoes when I stand up! Hang in there girlfriend...........maybe Depend undergarments aren't just for peein' anymore! HUGS!

OMG I"m soo happy I'm not the only one who goes through this! That is such a relief!!!!!! I do use tampax pearl. I"ll have to try the Playtex sport. I have heard that it is a good kind to use even if you don't play sports! I bought me some pads today! I was just fed up with those tampons and just to think I just bought some the other day but I didn't open them.

Biani that happens to me too! I'm like ewww.

Fiona I'm going to go google menstrual cup right now and check it out!

i have never ever heard of menstrual cup??? i googled it and omg im so surprised that that exists. It sounds really weird and uncomfortable lol

I have had some of the same problems with tampons. Sometimes they would work and other times I would leak all over - the flood gates of hell syndrome Lol. I finally figured out that the problem was how it was positioned. I have to insert the tampon standing up. I know this is tmi but sitting down on the toilet would cause the tampon to be misplaced.

Brand is the other issue. I will only use Playtex. They are easier to use for me.

Try inserting it in different positions. Perhaps that will help.

I hate pads. I feel like I am wearing a diaper!

i put my tampons in standing up. I never tried it by sitting down. I just never thought that would work for me.

I will try playtex sports next month. i hate wearing pads too but for this month I will.

I started using divacup when I heard Eiri talk about it. I love it love it love it! It takes a short time to get used to and you have to get good at putting it in, but it never leaks and it doesn't dry out my vagina. Plus I don't have to carry tampons with me everywhere. I love it.

Yay divacup Silly thing is that a few months after I got mine I got on Depo so no more periods lol XD Still, I do enjoy it.

The cup is not uncomfortable!! However, it is very tricky to get in and out. Pads are say, a 3 on the difficulty scale (sometimes the flaps accidentally flip under, you know!). Tampons are around a 5 or so. I'd say that the divacup is up there at a 7 or 8... You just have to learn how to use it. Sitting is very important when using the divacup, I'll say that right now! I don't think I'd ever get that slippery thing out if I wasn't sitting on the toilet lol.

It indeed doesn't leak and you don't feel like you're dragging your cervix out when you remove it lol. Hey! Guess how many times a day you have to empty it?

TWICE. That's it!! Let's say you're in the middle of your cycle. You wake up, empty it from the night before, put it back in, go about your day oblivious to it being there, and then before you go to bed... empty it and put it back in!

To be honest, I can feel it. The base of it, anyway. If I sit in certain positions I get poked... lol. I have trimmed the "stem" and that helped a ton. The entrance of my vagina is just really really sensitive.

I haven't had much trouble with it, but yes, difficult to use at first. When I first started it was leaky because I wasn't putting it in well. But now I am and I can leave it in all day (even during a heavy flow). I can't feel mine usually, but I just love the convenience.

Yeah, it's definitely much more convenient!! You don't wash it with soap during your cycle because that could irritate your vagina. All you need to use the divacup is a source of clean water

I googled the diva cup, and it looks so strange!!! but you girls speak highly of it, it does sound like it takes a lot of the hassle of the period off. I haven't seen those things anywhere though, I'm sure i would have noticed if i saw them next to the pads and tampons at the store.

wow how strange about the diva cup. All these periods and I have never heard of that. Well I am pregnant now so thats nice. = )

But for the OP. I have found that OB tampons really work well for me because of the way they expand. They fit me perfect. I guess you could just try them all out? Or somehow figure out the shape of your vagina and then try them in water to see what they do and how they expand? I know that sounds a little crazy, but it could help.

I have always inserted tampons in on the toilet. That seems to be the best way for me. I just spread my legs and put it in. Or you could try laying flat on your back and inserting it. Or try one of your favorite sex positions.

But I will definately look up this cap thing. I hope it works out for you guys. I HATE pads. The moisture from the pad being there always gives me a rash. It never fails. So I cannot stand pads. Boy am I going to hate the bleeding after baby!

I don't know if you have them in the US but Lil-lets are good because they actually expand widthways and on my heaviest days I have been known to shove two up there quite comfortably, because they come packaged very small indeed. I also found that lubricating the tips with a little vaseline eased insertion and ensured they went all the way up, smoothly and without chafing (I have always suffered from slight driness).

If you go to their website they have a store finder button and you just type in your zip code to find some near by. It didn't look like they sold it in any bigger stores though.

Thank you Maddie, I am curious about it. I'll see if I can get my hands on one of those and try them out. Anything that has potential for a higher chance of not leaking through is worth trying.

i know it looks big and uncomfortable, but once its in i don't feel it at all. it's all i use when i'm on my period now. it's great cos i hated the way tampons dried me out inside. especially in the last couple of days of my period when my flow was light they'd be hard to get in and its horrible having to wear a dry piece of cotton woll inside yourself!!

i'm on my period now and i have my menstrual cup in. i cannot feel it!!! i used to have the problem of feeling the stem but in the end i just cut all of it off. cos i never had to use it anyway, when i removed it i would just grip the base of the cup itself between my forefinger and thumb. so the stem had no use to me. eiri i would advise you just cut it all off! makes it much more confortable.