Doctor explains: are tampons dangerous for teens?

Tampon safety to help guide your daughter

Within the app, luna’s medical team gets lots of worried questions from teens asking about swimming or doing sports on their period, understandably they're worried about bulky period products showing through their PE kit, inhibiting movement and leaking.

We really want to encourage girls to continue being active, through puberty and beyond, whether that’s with tampons or alternatives like period swimwear for teens.

That being said, luna understands that there are also some scary things said about tampon use and the dangers of tampons, which might make you – as a parent – worried about buying or encouraging their use for teens.

So we’re sharing some common tampon dangers we've heard, and explaining whether they're true with the help of Dr. Emma Dickie – a practising GP and one of luna’s amazing Clinical Content Advisors. If you're after a more balanced pros and cons list of tampons, follow the link for this guide.

Alleged tampon danger 1: tampons take away your virginity 

Contrary to popular belief, tampons have nothing to do with your virginity. This is a concept purely associated with sex.

Some people mistakenly believe that using a tampon affects your hymen – the hymen is a stretchy bit of tissue that surrounds where the vagina opens. But the hymen doesn’t completely cover the vaginal opening, it has an opening in the middle (think of it like a curtain not a wall!). This opening is almost always large enough to fit a tampon. So the hymen might stretch or change with age or everyday activities, but tampons generally will be too small to affect it.

Alleged tampon danger 2: you shouldn’t use a tampon on your first period 

Tampons are for anyone and everyone who wants to use them. There’s no set age a teen or tween can start using them. 

Inserting tampons in the right way might take some practice, so teens might find them tricky to use at first, but this doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be used.

If your teen is struggling, and you don’t know how to advise them, luna has a library of content in the Learn section of the app which is full of info on how to use tampons – from video guides, to top tips and safety advice too. And for practical tips, consider what to pack in a first period kit to help your teen feel prepared and confident.

Alleged tampon danger 3: tampons cause toxic shock syndrome

Toxic shock syndrome (TSS, for short) is a life-threatening condition caused by a bacterial infection. 

There are actually lots of causes of TSS, and it can happen to men and women of all ages – it’s not exclusive to tampon use. 

Tampon use can be associated with TSS but this is very rare. 

To prevent TSS from happening, teens should remember to change their tampons ideally every 4-6 hours, and definitely no later than 8 hours. Regularly changing a tampon prevents the bacterial overgrowth which can lead to TSS. 

If they are worried about forgetting, luna has a reminder feature in the app which they can set to get a personalised notification telling them when it’s time to change.

Hope this has helped reassure you if your teen has come to you with questions about tampon use.

Ultimately it is totally up to you and them what products they use, but we’re keen to arm you with the knowledge you might need to make these decisions.

For more guidance on menstrual products, explore choosing period products for tweens and teens to ensure the best fit for your teen.

Why not support your teen with luna premium?

Our app, luna, has dedicated advice on this topic which can help them feel more empowered through adolescence.

You can think of luna as a modern, digital approach to wellbeing – it’s cost-effective, verified by doctors and safeguarding experts, and has a direct line into the biggest concerns facing teens today – so it’s actually addressing what they need advice on, when they need it.

If you’ve been looking for an antidote to the misinformation and negativity shared on social media or forums, you can get luna for your teen via our luna premium page for the price of a coffee each month or manage their subscription by downloading luna yourself and signing up as a parent (it's "we are luna" in app stores).