The invention of tampons

Vintage comic-style tampon ad: one woman shows another a compact case and says, Try Pursettes. They're different. No bulky applicators. See? Instead, the pre-lubricated tip makes insertion easy. Her friend replies, Wow! And that compact's a neat way to carry spares, too!
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    Author: Jessica Lloyd
    Senior Vulvovaginal Specialist Naturopath | BHSc(N) | ISSVD, ISSWSH, BSSM, ATMS
Last reviewed: November 12, 2026

Tampons are a properly awesome invention that revolutionised the way women bleed. Well, revolutionised the way we bleed everywhere.

Women have been fashioning tampons out of whatever worked since all of time – one thing that does make sense is to plug the flow, absorb it, and get on with your day. Pads are, and have always been, inferior for mobility and comfort, but more common due to ease.

Apparently the ancient Egyptians were using tampons made from the papyrus plant; the ancient Greeks used lint wrapped around a small piece of wood; and others used wool, paper, vegetable fibres, grass, sponge and of course cotton.

The first modern tampon – with applicator and everything – was invented by a man, Doctor Earle Haas, in the early 1900s – what you will know of now as Tampax. The Tampax brand is still in existence today on your supermarket shelves. Haas sold the design on to Gertrude Tendrich, who then founded Tampax.

Other tampon manufacturers then popped up, namely Johnson & Johnson.

Here are some old adverts for tampons, at a time when some groups were calling for tampons to be banned because they were ‘indecent’.

Vintage-style spoof ad headed Leaking? It reads: Permit our new Unspeakables disposable hygienic underbandage to gently absorb Milady's foul drippings during her less dainty time of the month. Far less cumbersome than the wire-constructed strap-on secretion cages, Unspeakables will leave ladies as free as a soap bubble wafting ever heavenward. Available at most pharmacies in discreet, featureless gray boxes, for your privacy. Mitchell Hygiene Company, Grayson, Ohio.
Vintage catalogue page for Hickory sanitary belts, with drawings of elastic belts and tabs for holding pads in place, sizes and prices listed beside them.
Vintage Kotex newspaper ad headed: Your fear of lost daintiness, at times. This new way, that scientifically solves a real hygienic problem, will end it. The ad promises protection, deodorising and easy disposal.

References1

  1. Horwitz R. “Menstrual Tampon”. . Embryo Project Encyclopedia ( 2020-05-25 ). ISSN: 1940-5030 . https://hdl.handle.net/10776/13151


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