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Hello Aunt Vadge,
I’m a virgin who’s recently started using tampons over the past few days. When inserting, there’s a little discomfort, something like a pinch, an inch or so inside the vaginal opening. Once beyond that point, the tampon slides in easily. Only once have I inserted it correctly (where I couldn’t feel it at all), but I’m assuming that’ll come with practice.
Is this pinching feeling the tampon moving beyond my hymen?
I did notice some bright red blood the last time I inserted one, closer towards the end of my period. My period was light, so I used the lowest absorbency. I still felt some discomfort removing them – again a pinching sensation – but I noticed it wasn’t completely saturated. The last tampon was yesterday, and 24 hours later I still feel some external dryness and burning of the labia. I don’t feel any internal discomfort within the vaginal canal itself.
I’ve researched vaginismus and am unsure if that’s what I’m experiencing. I initially felt uncomfortable inserting a tampon, but I’ve found a better angle that makes it easier, and I could relax and contract my PC muscles while the applicator was inside. I’m also unsure if the dry tampon has hurt the vaginal walls, and whether that’s causing some burning?
I’ve fingered myself in the past, exploring and getting to know my body. I notice some stinging or burning afterwards, but not while my finger is inside. I thought it might be ingredients in the lubricant, so I bought a different one, but the stinging still happens. It’s usually just at the vaginal opening.
When I look in a handheld mirror, I see no growths, swelling or cuts, and no discharge. So I’m not sure if I’ve stretched my hymen a little (if that’s even possible with a tampon), or if I have something like vaginismus. I only started inserting things this past month. I’m incredibly anxious and embarrassed, which is probably making it worse. Any help would be appreciated!
Thank you,
Anxious
Age: 25
Country: Canada
Dear Anxious,
The dry, sore area on the outside is your vestibule and vaginal entrance, but that doesn’t explain the pinch further in. Your hymen actually sits very close to the vaginal entrance, which most people don’t realise. Read our article on the hymen so you can see what it is and where it lives. I don’t think what you’re feeling is your hymen – it’s too far in.
I don’t think it’s vaginismus either. Vaginismus is when you can’t get anything in at all because of pain or clenching. You’re getting the tampons in and clearly understand your PC muscles, so it doesn’t really fit. Vaginismus is also just a description of a symptom – a very tightly clenched vagina – rather than a condition in itself, and it can have many different causes.
Putting in tampons is fiddly, but you sound like you’re getting there. Try a little lube on the outside of the applicator – it helps it slide past that pinchy spot. And trust what you feel: if it feels like a pinch, it probably is pinching. Wiggle the applicator where it happens and see if you can change the angle and ease the feeling.
The pinch may simply be the applicator hitting an awkward angle. The vagina heads backwards on a slope, which is hard to picture until you see a diagram – and then feel it for yourself.
We’ve got a whole section on tampons, so have a read for tips. Really, a lot of this is practice – slipping a small thing into an opening you can’t see takes a while to master, and a few mishaps along the way are completely normal.
The burning and dryness could be your body reacting to the tampons themselves, like contact dermatitis. It might be worth trying a menstrual cup to see whether the problem changes. Cups are reusable silicone cups in different sizes that sit up near the cervix and collect the blood – a bit tricky to master, but hypoallergenic, and the women who love them really swear by them.
There’s also a small chance of an internal structure, like a transverse vaginal septum, causing the pinch. It’s less common, and if you’ve been examined before it’s unlikely (they’d have seen it), but it’s worth looking into if the pinch doesn’t settle after lots of practice.
That would mean seeing a doctor for an examination to check everything is normal. It almost certainly is, but being told so by someone who can actually see is enormously reassuring. Find a female doctor you trust – ask around for a good one – and start that ongoing relationship. She’ll be a real ally in all things vagina.
It’s also worth naming the anxiety and embarrassment, because working through those will help. Feeling awkward about our vaginas is practically a national sport – we all do it, especially when our ‘most shameful possession’ (according to the world) develops a problem we don’t have the tools to solve alone. The whole world has tried to make us feel embarrassed about our vaginas, and largely succeeded, so you’re far from alone in that.
The antidote is information and open conversations with the right people – your doctor, your close friends – until it stops feeling mortifying. Our vaginas feel mysterious because we’re never really taught about them.
Learning about your own body is time well spent, and it sounds like you’re already doing it. Learn how to masturbate, check out your own cervix, get to know your folds and crevices, and look at the diagrams of just how large your clitoris really is. The more you look into it, the more amazing your vagina turns out to be.
Everyone has a vagina question at some point that nobody wants to talk about. Well, here we do – so write any time, no matter how big or small the query. You’re on the right track, so keep up the good work.
Warmest regards,
Aunt Vadge
This is general information, not a substitute for personalised medical advice.
