Tampon how long

In general, Dr. White's advice is typically to "slenderize your tampon game," and use the smallest one that you can get away with. If your flow is light enough that you can get away with just a panty liner, do that, she says. And definitely never use a tampon to manage vaginal discharge , which she says some people do. So, the bottom line to remember: "We don't want to leave anything in your vagina longer than it needs to be," Dr. Even menstrual cups , which claim they can be in for up to 12 hours , shouldn't be used for more than eight hours.

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It often indicates a user profile. Most people, however, are not affected by the toxins because they have developed antibodies to them. Symptoms of TSS include flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache and muscle soreness. These symptoms will develop quickly and are severe. Other symptoms may include pain at the site of a wound, vomiting and diarrhea, signs of shock including low blood pressure and light-headedness, shortness of breath and sunburn-like rash.

In general, TSS symptoms can develop as soon as 12 hours after a surgical procedure. Symptoms usually develop in 3 to 5 days in women who are menstruating and using tampons. If you experience the above symptoms after using tampons or after a surgery or skin injury, contact your health care provider immediately. Toxic shock syndrome requires immediate emergency care in a hospital. Call or go to the nearest emergency department right away if you think you have TSS.

If you experience any of the symptoms of TSS while using a tampon, remove the tampon and see your health care provider right away. Inform them that you were using a tampon when the symptoms started. TSS cannot be treated at home. Hospital care is required for treating a staph infection and related complications caused by TSS, such as shock.

You will be given antibiotics to kill the bacteria and stop further release of toxins. As mentioned above, the longer a tampon is left in, the more likely it is to throw the natural balance of bacteria and yeast out of whack.

You may notice a strong odor that can get quite foul musty or fishy due to the blood, secretions, and bacteria in the tampon, and vaginal discharge may appear brownish red or thick yellow, says Dr. Because tampons are highly absorbent, Dr. Yet another key reason to change your tampon on the reg: In very, very rare circumstances, an overgrowth of certain types of bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus staph and group A streptococcus strep , can enter the bloodstream through tiny tears in the vagina and cause toxic shock syndrome TSS.

The higher absorbency of the tampon, the greater the risk—which is why doctors recommend using the lightest absorbency that handles your flow and changing tampons regularly. The FDA began requiring tampon manufacturers to reduce the levels of certain chemicals dioxins and rayon used in tampons to minimize the absorbency to a safer level.

Manufacturers also began adding instructions on the label advising women to change tampons frequently. By , TSS cases had dropped significantly. Nowadays, TSS happens but is rare: Dr.