Doctor explains: are tampons dangerous for teens?

Tampon safety to help guide your daughter

Quick summary

• If your teen wants to use tampons for sports or swimming, it’s safe, but they may need time to get used to them
• Myths about tampons – like affecting virginity or being unsafe for first periods – aren’t true, and they’re a normal period option
• Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is very rare—as long as tampons are changed regularly, they remain a safe choice for your teen

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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.

If they are worried about removing their tampon as they don't know how to dispose of it, luna's got a whole guide to this which also speaks to why you shouldn't flush tampons.

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.

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Empower your teen today. Subscribe them to luna.

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