A tampon is a mass of absorbent material (typically cotton, rayon, or a mixture of the two) inserted into a body cavity or wound to absorb bodily fluid. The most common type in daily use (also the main focus of this article) is designed to be inserted into the vagina during menstruation to absorb the flow of menstrual fluid. Several countries-including the United States, under the banner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-regulate tampons as medical devices. In the United States, tampons are a Class II medical device. The word "tampon" originated from the medieval French word tampion, meaning a piece of cloth to stop a hole, a stamp, plug, or stopper.
The tampon has been in use as a medical device since the 18th century, when antiseptic cotton tampons treated with salicylates were used to stop bleeding from bullet wounds.
During her study of female anatomy, German gynecologist Dr. Judith Esser-Mittag developed the digital style of tampon along with her husband Kyle Lucherini. In the late 1940s, Dr. Carl Hahn, together with Heinz Mittag, worked on the mass production of this tampon. Dr. Hahn sold his company, which included the digital-style tampon range, to Johnson and Johnson in 1974.
Tampons come in various shapes and colors, which are related to their absorbency ratings and packaging. The outward appearance of a tampon is similar for all brands, but their absorbency varies. The two main differences are in the way the tampon expands when in use; for example applicator tampons such as Tampax tampons and Natracare tampons will expand axially (increase in length), while OB, Natracare and Lil-lets digital tampons will expand radially (increase in diameter). All tampons have a cord for removal and some have an additional outer cover to aid insertion and withdrawal. Some women prefer to use a tampon which is contained within an applicator to further aid insertion. The majority of tampons sold are made of rayon, or a blend of rayon and cotton. Organic cotton tampons are made from only 100% cotton. Tampons are sold individually wrapped to keep them clean.
Tampon applicators may be made of plastic or cardboard, and are similar in design to a syringe. The applicator consists of two tubes, an "outer," or barrel, and "inner," or plunger. The outer tube has a smooth surface to aid insertion and sometimes comes with a rounded end that is petalled.
The tampon itself sits inside the outer tube, near the open end. The inner tube is encased inside the outer tube and held in place by a locking mechanism. The outer tube is inserted into the vagina, then the inner tube is pushed into the outer tube (typically using a finger) pushing the tampon through and into the vagina.
Digital or non-applicator tampons are tampons sold without applicators; these are simply unwrapped and pushed into the vagina with the fingers. Tampons can range in size from 1 1/2 to 4 1/2 inches.
Tampons are available in several absorbency ratings, which are consistent across manufacturers in the U.S.:
In the UK absorbencies range as follows:
A piece of test equipment referred to as a Syngina (Short for synthetic Vagina) is usually used to test absorbancy. The machine uses a condom into which the tampon is inserted, and synthetic menstrual fluid is fed into the test chamber.
Cordless tampons are tampons without a string that fulfil the same function as normal tampons. They look like a small sponge, and are implemented inside the vagina and close off the neck of the uterus so that no blood enters the vagina. The tampons are placed far to the end of the vagina, and therefore do not have to be removed during sexual intercourse, as opposed to a menstrual cup. The tampons do not protect against sexually transmitted disease nor pregnancies.
The tampons are not visible when worn, so the user can easily go to a sauna during their menstruation. The tampons can also be used while going swimming or participating in any other sport.
The tampons are available either dry or wet. The wet tampon is packed wet and can be used directly, while the use of the dry tampon requires a lubricant.
Some varieties have a small hole in the tampon to ease its removal. The tampons are taken out of the vagina using a finger.
Dr. Philip M. Tierno Jr., director of clinical microbiology and immunology at the New York University Medical Center, who helped determine that tampons were behind toxic shock syndrome (TSS) cases in the early 1980s, blames the introduction of higher-absorbency tampons in 1978, as well as the relatively recent decision by manufacturers to recommend that tampons can be worn overnight, for increased incidences of toxic shock syndrome. Materials used in most modern tampons are so highly absorbent that they pose the risk of absorbing the vagina's natural discharge and upsetting its natural moisture balance, which is what enables toxic shock syndrome to occur. The U.S. FDA suggests the following guidelines for decreasing the risk of contracting TSS when using tampons:
Following these guidelines can help to protect a woman from TSS, and cases of tampon connected TSS are extremely rare in the United States.
Alternatives to tampons include menstrual cups, pads, and sea sponges. However, sea sponges are technically no longer allowed to be sold as menstrual aids. A 1980 study by the University of Iowa found commercially sold sea sponges to contain sand, grit, and bacteria; therefore, sea sponges could also potentially cause toxic shock syndrome.
Ecological impact on the environment varies according to disposal method (whether they are flushed down the toilet or placed in the bin). Factors such as tampon composition and disposal method will impact on water treatment systems or garbage processing in the area.
HOT DESIGNS ▪ Premium designs ▪ Designs by country ▪ Designs by U.S. state ▪ Most popular designs ▪ Newest, last added designs ▪ Unique designs ▪ Cheap, budget designs ▪ Design super sale DESIGNS BY THEME ▪ Accounting, audit designs ▪ Adult, sex designs ▪ African designs ▪ American, U.S. designs ▪ Animals, birds, pets designs ▪ Agricultural, farming designs ▪ Architecture, building designs ▪ Army, navy, military designs ▪ Audio & video designs ▪ Automobiles, car designs ▪ Books, e-book designs ▪ Beauty salon, SPA designs ▪ Black, dark designs ▪ Business, corporate designs ▪ Charity, donation designs ▪ Cinema, movie, film designs ▪ Computer, hardware designs ▪ Celebrity, star fan designs ▪ Children, family designs ▪ Christmas, New Year's designs ▪ Green, St. Patrick designs ▪ Dating, matchmaking designs ▪ Design studio, creative designs ▪ Educational, student designs ▪ Electronics designs ▪ Entertainment, fun designs ▪ Fashion, wear designs ▪ Finance, financial designs ▪ Fishing & hunting designs ▪ Flowers, floral shop designs ▪ Food, nutrition designs ▪ Football, soccer designs ▪ Gambling, casino designs ▪ Games, gaming designs ▪ Gifts, gift designs ▪ Halloween, carnival designs ▪ Hotel, resort designs ▪ Industry, industrial designs ▪ Insurance, insurer designs ▪ Interior, furniture designs ▪ International designs ▪ Internet technology designs ▪ Jewelry, jewellery designs ▪ Job & employment designs ▪ Landscaping, garden designs ▪ Law, juridical, legal designs ▪ Love, romantic designs ▪ Marketing designs ▪ Media, radio, TV designs ▪ Medicine, health care designs ▪ Mortgage, loan designs ▪ Music, musical designs ▪ Night club, dancing designs ▪ Photography, photo designs ▪ Personal, individual designs ▪ Politics, political designs ▪ Real estate, realty designs ▪ Religious, church designs ▪ Restaurant, cafe designs ▪ Retirement, pension designs ▪ Science, scientific designs ▪ Sea, ocean, river designs ▪ Security, protection designs ▪ Social, cultural designs ▪ Spirit, meditational designs ▪ Software designs ▪ Sports, sporting designs ▪ Telecommunication designs ▪ Travel, vacation designs ▪ Transport, logistic designs ▪ Web hosting designs ▪ Wedding, marriage designs ▪ White, light designs E-COMMERCE DESIGNS ▪ Magento store designs ▪ OpenCart store designs ▪ PrestaShop store designs ▪ CRE Loaded store designs ▪ Jigoshop store designs ▪ VirtueMart store designs ▪ osCommerce store designs ▪ Zen Cart store designs CMS DESIGNS ▪ Flash CMS designs ▪ Joomla CMS designs ▪ Mambo CMS designs ▪ Drupal CMS designs ▪ WordPress blog designs ▪ Forum designs ▪ phpBB forum designs ▪ PHP-Nuke portal designs ANIMATED WEBSITE DESIGNS ▪ Flash CMS designs ▪ Silverlight animated designs ▪ Silverlight intro designs ▪ Flash animated designs ▪ Flash intro designs ▪ XML Flash designs ▪ Flash 8 animated designs ▪ Dynamic Flash designs ▪ Flash animated photo albums ▪ Dynamic Swish designs ▪ Swish animated designs ▪ jQuery animated designs WEBSITE DESIGNS ▪ WebMatrix Razor designs ▪ HTML 5 designs ▪ Web 2.0 designs ▪ 3-color variation designs ▪ 3D, three-dimensional designs ▪ Artwork, illustrated designs ▪ Clean, simple designs ▪ CSS based website designs ▪ Full design packages ▪ Full ready websites ▪ Portal designs ▪ Stretched, full screen designs ▪ Universal, neutral designs CORPORATE ID DESIGNS ▪ Corporate identity sets ▪ Logo layouts, logo designs ▪ Logotype sets, logo packs ▪ PowerPoint, PTT designs ▪ Facebook themes VIDEO, SOUND & MUSIC ▪ Video e-cards ▪ After Effects video intros ▪ Special video effects ▪ Music tracks, music loops ▪ Stock music bank GRAPHICS & CLIPART ▪ Pro clipart & illustrations, $19/year ▪ 5,000+ icons by subscription ▪ Icons, pictograms |
| Super Offers |
| Super Offers |
| Custom Logo Design $149 ▪ Web Programming ▪ ID Card Printing ▪ Best Web Hosting ▪ eCommerce Software ▪ Add Your Link |
| © 1996-2013 MAGIA Internet Studio ▪ About ▪ Portfolio ▪ Photo on Demand ▪ Hosting ▪ Advertise ▪ Sitemap ▪ Privacy ▪ Maria Online
|
