Something else? Ask Aunt Vadge – bottom left of your screen!
Hi Aunt Vadge,
Four months ago a tampon’s missing string made me think there wasn’t one in, so I inserted a second, then realised my mistake and gently removed both. Later, putting in a fresh tampon, I felt extreme pain. It continued through that period, and by the end of my cycle I realised I was bleeding from whatever had happened – it took three days to stop. Between cycles I’m fine, but every month since, when my period starts, it comes back. I’ve been examined and they say they see nothing, but I’m bleeding and in pain from this fissure. Any idea what damage this might be, so I can be clearer with an obgyn next visit?
Yours,
Damaged
Age 32, UK
Dear Damaged,
Here’s a reassuring starting point: having a spare tampon or two in there for a while can’t cause lasting damage – it’s just a doubling-up, and most of us have done it. Retrieving a lost tampon is a faff, but it shouldn’t leave anything that flares every single period.
That’s the key clue. A cut or fissure would heal over in the weeks between periods, so pain and bleeding that return like clockwork each cycle point to something cyclic rather than that original mishap – which means it probably isn’t a fissure at all.
What cyclic pain can mean
Pain and bleeding that track your period can come from hormonally-driven conditions – endometriosis is one example – so this deserves proper investigation rather than being dismissed because a first exam showed nothing. Since you’ve already been examined with nothing found, a second opinion is exactly right.
How to prepare for your next appointment
- Pinpoint the pain. Use a diagram from our Vag Basics page, print it out large, mark exactly where you feel it, and use it as your talking point – where it is guides where the hunt for a cause begins.
- Keep a diary: pain levels by day, bleeding (colour, smell), anything unusual, and your cycle dates, so the pattern is obvious.
- Note any changes to sex, masturbation, exercise, lube, toys or condoms around when it started – nothing is too much detail for your doctor.
Pain that arrives on schedule with your period usually has a cyclic cause worth chasing down, and it’s something our practitioners can help you dig into, so keep pushing for answers.
Good luck – I’d love to know what it turns out to be, so write back any time.
Warmest regards,
Aunt Vadge
This is general information, not a substitute for personalised medical advice.
