are made of tightly packed cotton. A girl or woman can put one into her vagina to absorb the blood when she has a period. Tampons should be changed every 3-4 hours. Read the instructions carefully on the packet the first time you use tampons.

Small hard piece of cotton that is put inside the vagina to absorb menstrual blood as it leaves the body, used instead of napkins. A string is attached to the tampon so that it can be easily removed from the vagina. For hygienic and health reasons, tampons have to be changed regularly.