IT'S just about the size of the pinky. But as small as the tampon is, it is a big deal for many people.

Conservatives claim that the confidence to use the menstruation aid is related to sexual awareness whereas feminists celebrate the freedom it affords women. Whether it is better than the traditional pads or not remains the subject of debate. Most boys have no idea what it is, what it looks like, how to use it, and how it works. But the catch is that many girls, the target market of the product, are also in the dark. And of course, there is the health and safety issue.

With all these resulting in misconceptions, arguments, and ignorance, it's about time to clear the stain. Hear what a tampon fan, a pad consumer curious of the new product, a trial user slash empowered woman, a guy, and a gynecologist have to say.

Tampon 101

A tampon, a cylindrical-shaped cotton plug with a string at the bottom, is inserted into the vagina to absorb blood flow. Some come with an applicator while there are those that are inserted using the finger. The applicator may be plastic or cardboard and it has a narrow and a wide tube. The open end of the applicator is placed and held in the vagina. The narrower tube is pressed so that it slides into the wider tube, pushing the tampon through and into the vagina. Since menstrual flow originates from the uterus and comes out from the uterine cervix into the vagina, the tampon that is located inside absorbs the menstrual flow right there near the source. Once saturated, the tampon is removed by pulling the string at the bottom end of the tampon.

Absorption Test
The tampon, as small as it is, can absorb liquid like 2 or 3 sanitary napkins can.

Tales of the Tampon: The Early Development

Contrary to popular belief, the menstruation absorber is not a modern invention. Egyptians had invented an early version using softened papyrus while Greek women used tampons made of lint wrapped around wood. Different civilizations have created tampons with wool, paper, vegetable fibers, sponges, grass, and later cotton as material.

Dr. Earle Haas invented the modern tampon in 1929. Haas said he wanted to create something better than the "rags" his wife and other women had to wear. Inspired by a friend who uses a sponge to absorb her menstrual flow, he came up with a plug of cotton. He also designed an applicator for easy insertion. The doctor filed patent for his creation two years later and soon trademarked his brand Tampax. After two years of peddling and no company taking interest, he sold both patent and trademark to a businesswoman named Gertrude Tendrich, who mass-produced it. Taking her lead, other commercial brands soon followed.

Letting Women Do What They Want to Do

Tampon users claim that the product is the answer to their menstrual problems. Fabiola* [III AB Comm] is one of them. She raves, "You could use it for eight hours straight, no changing. It's not bulky. It's convenient. And no tagos (stain)!"

"At first, I didn't want to use tampons kasi kadiri (because they're yucky). I mean, there's something inside! But once you're used to it, it's okay. Every time [I use it] I go, 'Thank god somebody invented this!'" she shares enthusiastically.

Her first experience of using the cotton plug was when she was in the United States under an exchange program. While in the faraway vacation house of her host family, her monthly visitor arrived. Because they didn't have a supply of sanitary napkins, she had no choice but to learn how to use a tampon. Fabiola recalls, "I was half laughing and was half disgusted. I said, 'Oh my God! I can't believe I'm doing this.' I had to try a lot before I finally had one inside me."

Because it suits her needs as a swimmer and a surfer, she continued using the tampons, using it alternately with pads depending on her activities for the day, her flow, and her supply. Fabiola says, "I'm an active person so I need something that won't stop me from doing what I need to do when I have my period."

Shock Factor

Despite the comfort it brings many women, the tampon still isn't completely accepted. Much negative perception and reaction surrounds it.

Fabiola says that upon discovering her menstrual aid of choice, her friends immediately grimace and say "Yuck!" They ask if it's painful. They inquire about how it is inserted. They press her to divulge other details. To such, Fabiola keeps her cool and replies, "No, ang saya saya! (It's so much fun!) It's so convenient. You can use it all the time."

Patricia Miranda [IV AB PoS] says that unlike most conservative girls, she is open to the idea of using a tampon. "I have no negative feelings towards tampons. They're just tampons. I just resent the fact that it's so hard for girls in the Philippines to use them because so many people have negative connotations."

Patty expresses her mild frustration on the unnecessary fuss over tampons. She recounts, "In high school, to destroy a girl's reputation they'd say 'Ayan, gumagamit 'yan ng tampon (That girl, she uses a tampon.)' They found it so funny but I really couldn't find the humor in it." She asserts that menstruation and the use of menstrual aids, whether pads or tampons, shouldn't be looked at as anything more than a natural biological process. "It's part of being a girl. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

Hard to Find

Apart from the reluctance of most Filipino women, access to the product has been another contributory factor in keeping the Philippines a predominantly napkin-using country. Fabiola reveals, "My host dad worked in Kimberly-Clark so [it was] free. I had the supply. When I got back here, it was really hard to look for supply." In the Philippines, tampons can only be bought in foreign goods stores and a few drug stores. Johnson & Johnson has recently released o.b. tampons but whether it will be accepted by Filipinos or not remains to be seen. Sanitary napkins still dominate the feminine hygiene market.

Because of the difficulty in accessing tampons, Fabiola decided to stock up. In fact, her current stash comes from the two to four years worth of supply her friends from the US sent her.

"Rare commodity"
Because of the stigma attached to and consequent unpopularity of the tampon, it's still a far secod to sanitary napkins in the Philippine market.

Like Fabiola, Patty also wishes for tampons to be widely commercially available and sold at an affordable price. She adds that she wants women to have the option. "I have a feeling kasi na (that) it might be expensive because people might see it as a novelty. I don't want that only the elite can use it. Mas maganda (It would be better) if a lot of girls can use it, a lot of girls can have the option." When it comes to the matter of reproductive issues like menstruation, family planning, and abortion, Miranda advocates free choice. "Women should be given the right to really decide for themselves."

A Cultural Virginity Thing

Nate Dy-Liacco [BS MCT '05] takes a closer looks into the image of the tampon. Although he is not one to quickly judge girls who use tampons, he admits that many think it is girls who are sexually active who use the cylindrical menstrual absorber. "Tampons, by their very nature, connote maturity. I can't imagine my 13-year-old cousin putting it inside her," he shares candidly before adding, "Pardon my French but well, it's something you stick inside. It's short of fingering yourself. It necessitates putting a leg up. It's not as innocent as pads na tinatatapal lang (that you just put there)."

He cites the traditional Catholic upbringing of Filipinos as partly responsible for the squeamish attitude. "Here in the Philippines, we've been used to girls wearing pads. You can't avoid na maiisip (that people would think) the girl who uses it is sexually active since she has no qualms about putting something inside her. We are averse to putting a foreign object inside the body."

Nate also observes that the tampon is controversial because menstruation is a no-no in polite conversation. "These are quite taboo to us. We don't really talk about sex and genitals." There is also that belief that using a tampon can de-virginize. "Our world has changed from that of our parents but Filipinos in general still value the concept of virginity," says Nate.

Miranda, a feminist, is much aware of the bias of some males as well as females toward the tampon. "I think the regular Filipino is not yet ready for the tampon," she says. She also sees the possibility of the church reacting to it. "I think priests will have something to say about this issue. They're going to say that, 'Naku, women will start using it to masturbate.' A lot of people in the clergy when they hear the word insert or penetrate, they think it’s something negative."

She shares that she witnesses the discrimination even in her immediate surroundings. Her male chauvinist cousins always taunt her tampon-using cousin. They make such jokes as "Do you want me to light your fuse?" and "Let's unplug you" referring maliciously to the tampon removal string. "Girls should, as a whole, really band together to make sure guys don't do that," Patty shares.

Patty says that liberal women like her are caught in a dilemma. They want to express themselves but they are held down by societal norms and gender constructs. To deal with this, Miranda makes sure that she doesn't come off as too militant. "I do want women to have the choice pero (but) I don't want to seem too aggressive about these things kasi baka ma-turn-off 'yungpopulation lalo na guys (because the population might get turned off especially the guys) and they'll refuse to listen when I try to talk. I'm judged even before I say anything," says Miranda. She adds that males and females should be able to talk about these things out in the open, with open minds.

Not About Sex

Confronted with questions about her virginity and her upbringing because of her preference for tampons, Fabiola says, "It's okay. They're just not used to the idea of using tampons. I know I'm still a virgin and I'm not sexually active." She says that it is just a matter of awareness. "It's a getting-used-to-it thing. In the States, everyone uses it. Nobody uses pads, at all! Here, it's the other way around."

Missy Maramara, an English and Literature professor says, "It takes a lot of guts to use tampons especially in our culture. But as long as you know you're not doing anything wrong and you don't put malice in the act, you don't have a problem."

The former-football-player-turned-teacher admits to having tried the cylindrical absorber a few times before. She has stopped however because she is not comfortable with it. "It felt like I had a plug up my vagina. Oh, the relief I get once it's out," she shares.

Although she discovered that the tampon is not really her thing, she is quick to defend it against the attack of some men and conservatives. Missy says, "Naman ano, guys of all people should not be so pretentious about sexuality and sensuality. Tampons are not about sex. They're about menstruation."

Setting Things Straight

Dr. Maria Cristina Cruz, a fellow of the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society and the administrator at the Mary Immaculate Hospital in Pasig City, points out that tampons are safe to use. She only warns against toxic shock syndrome or TSS, an illness that results from the body's shock to foreign objects and bacteria like staphylococci or streptococci. Cruz says that failure to remove the tampon and some substances used in super absorbent tampons have been claimed to be causes of TSS. She is quick to give assurance, however, that the United States Food and Drug Authority have disproved such allegations. Just the same, the occurrence of TSS and other infections continue to be a health risk so Cruz tells women to be careful. Apart from being familiar with their body before using a tampon and following the instructions carefully, the gynecologist instructs women to "just use tampons that are commensurate to their menstrual flow. There is no need to go for the super absorbent types when the regular types would do as this will cause vaginal dryness."

Read the Instuctions!
Gynecologists advise responsible awareness to all tampon users.

She also disproves rumors that the plugs cause hymen rupture. But she notes that some girls are born with a thick hymenal ring. Tampon insertion might prove to be difficult and is thus not advisable for them.

When asked if she would recommend the use of tampons or not, Dr. Cruz said that she would. "If a woman is comfortable with its use, why not? I will however caution very young users. They should be initiated with the process of tampon insertion. Those who develop allergic reactions should avoid using the same brand."

A Matter of Choice

In the end, the use of a tampon or a sanitary napkin is a matter of choice. Both products were designed for the comfort of menstruating women. Since it is the woman herself who knows her body above anyone else and it is she who will benefit or suffer from the consequences of using a pad or a tampon, the decision lies in her hands.

Missy Maramara points out, "It can be about tampons. It can be about anything. If women will allow themselves to be hindered from doing things they want to do or feel like doing, that bullsh*t." She calls out to other women, "Don't let anyone, especially yourself, stop you from doing what you want." ***

[The author personally does not use tampons because her light monthly period doesn't give her any reason to. But she is of the strong opinion that the stigma surrounding the product should be removed--precisely the reason behind the creation of this "Health Awareness" piece.]

Note: * Name has been changed to protect the identity of the source.

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