Go to The Lost Tampon Video for practical tips, inside information, and real-life demonstrations – as well as a few chuckles.
Women’s Health News has an interesting topic and comments about what women go through when a tampon gets “lost.” So can a tampon head north for spring break? How far? Isn’t there a border check somewhere?
More importantly, what should you do if it happens to you? Assuming you don’t have male-plumbing, here’s the Doc Gurley take on the Lost Tampon situation:
I can promise you, your tampon did not go anywhere. As a physician who has removed more than a few lost tampons, I can say that any doc that makes you feel embarrassed (like using the air freshener while you’re still in the room) or discusses the issue with implications of blame (as in saying something about not seeing “a case in years since they took super absorbency tampons off the market”) needs a big Wet Noodle Slap upside the head. Women who lose a tampon, or can’t figure out what’s happening to them, are feeling plenty awkward enough. In this situation, the official Doc job is to be kind and uber-tactful. Lost tampons are a fortunately rare fact of life. It happens.
How? Vaginas are not all alike, but most have folds and indents. “Losing” a tampon happens when one gets truly forgotten, or when one gets tucked up into a fold (making the tampon sometimes hard-to-reach, even with a light and speculum–hey, they have the string for a reason, folks). You can even have a tampon tucked up sideways behind the curve of a cervix. When a tampon stays there for days or weeks, your body goes to work, doing its best to protect you–it coats the tampon with white blood cells (pus) and starts an heroic (heroine-ic?) effort to breakdown and budge this (from a cell’s perspective) enormous object. The vagina’s soft mucosal wall, that the tampon is flattened against, gets irritated and raw. Germs overgrow. But women tolerate this remarkably well–TSS (toxic shock syndrome) is generally unheard-of in this setting, and once the tampon is removed, healing occurs quickly. The smell also tends to go away rapidly – it’s probably mostly from the decayed blood in the tampon (however, a peanut stuck up a kid’s nose for days also has that same foul smell). A “lost” tampon tends to fall to pieces on removal. A decent doc will use a curved tool to gently scoop out pieces, all the while chatting over the wall of white knee-to-knee paper. Patient self-care afterwards includes: 1) don’t douche–your body will flush whatever it needs to out and douching is not going to help your healing or restore normal bacteria at all; 2) consider helping your vagina’s normal germs re-populate by eating yogurt with live bacteria; and 3) use sanitary napkins for discharge/periods for the next few days. Obviously see your healthcare person right away for continuing discharge, fever or crampy pains. Also make sure the tampon issue doesn’t distract you or your provider from checking you out for other infections/STDs if it’s warranted.
Still worried or confused? Go to The Lost Tampon Video for practical tips, inside information, and real-life demonstrations – as well as a few chuckles.
Have an episode of “Lost” you’d like to share with us? Use the comments section below.
Related posts:
Doc Gurley is a Board-certified Internist physician and the only Harvard Medical School graduate to have been awarded a Shoney’s Ten-Step Pin for documented excellence in waitressing. 
Good post. I have to think from these stories that we’re failing to really teach even the basic anatomy in sex ed classes.
i was on my period and forgot i had a tampon inserted and then i had sexual intercourse and thats when the tampon got lost. it is currently in there but i have no idea what to do about it.?
No one can give competent, personal medical advice over the Internet. One fact, however, that applies to all women, is that it usually takes someone else (preferably a trained medical professional) to help a woman find and remove a “lost” tampon. You just can’t find those suckers by yourself – otherwise, it wouldn’t actually be “lost.” Which means that if you can’t find your tampon by squatting (it does help), with one foot up on a stool and fishing with your finger as far as you can reach, it’s time to call a clinic and go in for some help. Another fact is that “lost” tampons do not improve over time. Waiting won’t make things better – and can make it worse. A medical professional will have a goose-neck lamp, a speculum, some round-edged tools, and, hopefully, some tact, kindness and understanding. Good luck.
This recently happened to me. What a relief to get that thing out of me. The odor was horrible. I went to see my ob/gyn about it and she didn’t even see the tampon. She said there was a smell and gave me antibiotics. I thought it was my birth control, mirena, I was considering getting it removed. I am just so thankful I found that tampon.
Help! i inserted a tampon yesterday at my aunts pool party and i comtemplated about taking it out several times but by the end of the night i went to take it out and it wasnt there! There was a little swelling like it did not look very normal like always. I can kinda feel the tampon a little up there but i cant find it at all!! It still seems a little swelled inside but thats what also makes it hard to find!! Help Please………
Sadly, I’m unable to give medical advice that is useful to your situation. Many things could be happening – but the one thing that is clear for every woman is that waiting doesn’t make the situation better when it comes to lost tampons. Whether it’s going to Planned Parenthood, or seeing your doctor, the best thing for almost all women is to get evaluated earlier rather than later. When you’re talking about the cervix and upper vagina – that’s just a part of our personal geography that’s not so easy to self-navigate! If you’re feeling awkward, keep in mind that this situation happens (as this post shows) to women off and on all the time – and a good provider is kind and compassionate (as well as informed and helpful). Good luck, and I send you my deeply felt best wishes.
I know I didnt take my tampon out or feel it coming after I left it in there more then 8 hours. I looked for it and went to nurse practitioner in school. She said there is nothing in my vagina or around my service she couldn’t feel or see any tampon. Should i get an ultrasound done to make sure its not hiding somewhere cover under blood. please someone answer me i have no insurance. what should i do?
I just recently found out I left a tampon in. I had put it in sat. night, and forgot it was there. I had sex on sat and sun. I noticed a funny smell that was disturbing, and I washed my vagina so many times to get the smell out. Finally this morning when I used the bathroom and was washing myself up, I felt it. I did not know what do to. I guess it had pushed itself down. I had my boyfriend get it out with some tweezers. Should I go see a doctor. Could there be anything wrong? I am also on the birth control mirena. could the tampon have effected that as well? I took a bath and put a little vinegar in the bath water.
I have to say, I remember the last day of my period which was almost a month ago…I thought I had a tampon in but reached for it and it wasn’t there. I didn’t think anything about it. Lately, down there has smelled awful and I mean awful like taking 2-3 showers a day and not knowing what the problem was. I thought for a while that I was allergic to the laundry detergent or something and that was my vagina’s way of calling out for help. I also had alot of very “diluted” discharge….felt like I was always wet. It has been almost a month since my last period and I went to sit down and it felt as if I had just put a tampon in but not far enough. I went to the bathroom and I pulled out a tampon….I have never smelled anything so disgusting in my life…..that can’t be good for your inners when something is sitting up there rotting. Is there anything I can do to clean way up inside or will it clean itself?
I just had the same thing happen to me. What was confusing to me was that I had had 2 pap smears come back abnormal since February, so I had to have a colposcopy at the end of August. There was a lot of discharge from that, so when I got my period about a week and a half later, I did as usual, used tampons. My periods can be anywhere from 3 days to 10 days. All my life they were no longer than 4 up until my 40′s, ….everything changes after 40…lol Anyway, since my periods are so unpredictable, I sometimes can go inbetween and not wear a tampon, just a pantyliner. During this period, I remember changing a tampon and could not believe how bad it smelled! I have NEVER had that problem. But thought maybe the colposcopy had something to do with it, or the abnormal cells…When I finished my period which was only 5 days this time, I noticed that foul smell was still present. I washed like everyone else mentions, but nothing helped. Not only that, but I would have some slight discharge that was pinkish when I wiped. I thought it was from the colposcopy still. I came home 2 days ago and told my husband something was wrong “down there”. I told him about the smell and discharge. I asked him if he would see if he could feel anything. Sure enough, he found the culprit, and pulled it out. Like mentioned by others, it was the worse smell ever!
Now I am concerned about any bacteria that may have grown as a result. First thing I did was go and buy a douche only to now learn that isn’t what I should have done. I do still smell a bit of odor at times, but nothing like it was. I am going to wait out the w/e to see if it goes away. If not, I’m going to the Dr. to make sure I don’t have an infection. What was so weird about this happening to me was that about 2 months ago, a friend of my daughter told me this happened to her, and I thought to myself, “How the heck can you NOT know you have a tampon inserted????” Well, I learned that lesson the hard way.
Never say it can’t happen to you. I’m 43 years old. It happened to me.
[...] of the most popular Doc Gurley posts is New Episode of Lost: The Tampon. Coming soon will be the World Premiere of our first Doc Gurley video – and you can now check out [...]
Same thing happened to me. I’m 20 years old and A week ago i was just walking in the kitchen and all of a sudden i sneezed and i felt a pressure down there…i went to the bathroom and i took it out and was completely freaked out I haven’t had my period since September 1st and i have had intercourse with my husband in between there. I was afraid i had gotten TSS. The smell was horrible…My mom said ” You couldn’t tell it was in there? It didn’t hurt you at all?” i was like no i had no idea it was in there.So glad its gone.
this happened to me..
i finally was able to see a new female primary dr. today, after many unsuccessful diagnoses from male drs. in the emergency room over the past several MONTHS…
it was a lost tampon stuck so far up she could barely see it.smushed to an oblivion!
i had had watery horrible smelling discharge for a couple weeks and urinary tract infections for the past several months..
i mean, im the dummy who left it in, but it got pushed so far up there.. and there was so much fluid (the icky smelly discharge) blocking it that she couldnt see and finally felt it with a manual exam!!
i was so anxious as to what it could be.. but she had a gut feeling and she was right!
the smell only came when i had the discharge.. my vagina was totally normal besides that. i hadnt felt it or had any pain at all!
but that discharge was HORRIBLE.. ruined underwear because of the smell! and i could smell it all day long after it came out.
it started out clear-ish and watery. then stayed watery and turned orangy-pink-brown-red.. and made my tampons turn greyish pink
(yes i had my period while that thing was stuck inside from a previous period.. i have NO IDEA how long it was in there! my period was abnormally light this last time, and the blood was bright pink. its so embarrassing and crazy to think i had 2 tampons in there!!)
but i guess it does happen.. this website made me feel better.
ironic that no male doctor has suggested to me that a lost tampon could be the problem!
but man, that smell… its a small office, the nurse had to spray air freshener as i was leaving.. i was joking with her about it, like, “what do i have down there, the Lincoln Tunnel!!?? what will get stuck next??”
thank you dr. gurley for your website!!!!!
So I forgot I had a tampon in and then had sex and i think it got pushed up but i wasnt for sure so then i put in another tampon. The next day i was off so i didnt put another tampon in but then my boyfriend and i had sex again. Now two days later i smell really bad could it be up there? will it push itself out or should i go see a doctor to get it out?
We here at Doc Gurley can’t give out personal medical advice, but I can tell you that Lost Tampons, in general, just don’t go away. They need to be removed. Tune in tomorrow here at http://www.docgurley.com for the World Premiere Launch of the Lost Tampon video – it will answer lots of questions, with music/soundtrack by the fabulous Krause. Watch it, hopefully enjoy it, then send the link along to everyone you know. Best of luck, and good health,
Wow what an informative site. I had no idea it was so common. I was feeling horrible because I found my lost tampon today after 5 days. I had forgotten about it and had sex with my boyfriend. I feel a lot better knowing that it has happened to other people to.
This is amazing. I thought I was really stupid when I found out what was causing the god awful smell coming out of me. My fiance fished it out, but it is the day after and there is still a smell. Will it eventually go away? I don’t want to stink anymore.
I have had a horrid smell since my period ended nearly two weeks ago, was showering twice a day and spotting, was at a friends house today and bent funny and felt a weird pressure (like a full tampon), ran to the bathroom just to have some horrid goopy grey thing come out of me! I had NO idea it was up there, i had sex with my boyfriend the day before which may have moved it around. And I felt and still feel totally fine… jesus christ scariest thing ever. NEVER making that mistake again.
I had this happen just yesterday. I had been experiencing a foul foul odor with sexual intercourse, then a brownish discharge……..then was diagnosed with BV after two vagianl swabs. OMG! I started my period and by the second day, yesterday…. I felt something goosh out! It was enormously HUGE, GRAY and the most foul smelling object I’d ever encountered. It was a tampon, WITHOUT it’s STRING. It had been there since my LAST period! OMG!!!!!!
So sorry this happened to you! Don’t forget to check out the Lost Tampon Video (click on the link below) for everything you ever wanted to know (in fact, probably MORE than you ever wanted to know…) about Lost Tampons. Best of health,
Doc Gurley
I worked at an Ob/Gyn’s office and they would submerge the tampon in a cup of water as soon as it was removed. Took the smell away immediately!
Great tip, Ginger!
Thanks,
Doc Gurley
I put in a brand new tampon. Made love with you boyfriend and took it out right before. Afterwards I went to the bathroom and was going to use a liner for bed like I usually do, but my flow was pretty heavy so I was debating on wether or not to use a tampon; and I remember thinking I don’t have many left so maybe I’ll use a liner anways. Bottom line I CANNOT REMEMBER
I don’t know if I used one or not. What I do know is the next day I wore a liner to work and was going to change it when I got there because I was still on a heavy flow..but all day the liner didn’t have a drop, not a DROP on it. so I started fishing around at work in the bathroom for it, when i put my finger up there I couldn’t tell what was what; I ended up nipping and tugging at what I thought was a tampon but ended up being my skin. When I took my finger out it was absolutely covered in blood. I was to afraid to put in a tampon so used a liner, and still all day no spotting. Is it possible the tampon is absorbing everything and potentially blocking blood flow? I had jsut started my period and was at my heaviest part and it all just disappeared. Could that possibly be a sign of soemthing else? Pregnancy or disease or something? My period has never been this infrequent.
Today and last night I would change my liner and in a couple hours or so the liner would have blood on it; but it wasn’t deep red, it was already old; already brown. Perhaps theold stuff is coming through? I have minor abdominal pain but very very little; I wouldn’t disclose it as very abnormal. I don’t have a genyo/ob or watever you call em.
My boyfriend felt inside for me too and couldn’t find anything either. Perhaps it’s something else and I didn’t really ‘lose’ a tampon?
I know you cannot give out medical advice really but I an ‘opinion’ if you like to call it would be greatly appreciated!
and another note; we tried to make love again after he searched for it and it was painful. I’ve had a yeast infection before and it wasn’t the same at all. and I’m not on any sort of medication or birth control.
Dear CJ,
Sweetie, this sounds so miserable and stressful. It is true that I cannot give out individual medical advice. But a few things are universally true. A person can indeed have a “difficult to find” tampon – for perfectly normal anatomic reasons. A person can also get tiny rips (called fissures) in the skin of the vagina from fishing around for it – think of a fissure as the world’s biggest paper-cut and you get some idea…ouch. The good news is that vaginas, as a group, heal beautifully if given half a chance to do so. As you have read in some of the very useful comments people have been willing to share here, lost tampons can also cause a “weird” watery intermittent discharge. There’s no way, over the internet, to know exactly what’s happening with you, but this – truly – is what good healthcare should be for. What you really should have is a caring, experienced healthcare provider with a warm speculum, a blinding gooseneck light, lots of lube, and a gentle touch. Check out the Lost Tampon Video for more warning signs to watch out for if you can’t see someone right away. I know it sadly costs most of us $$ to see a healthcare provider. And what if there’s nothing there? All I can say is that you’ll probably feel so much better knowing for sure what’s going on. The worry alone is a torture. Best of health to you,
I felt a bit off the past few days and thought nothing of it. I have ben taking antibiotics for a bad cold. My husband and I just lost our jobs a few months ago and do not have proper insurance anymore. Tonight on the toilet I felt something weird and felt what seemed like a string coming out. Thank god I pulled it out, it was moldy looking and covered in white. I have never been more terrified in my life. I got online and read way too many horror stories about tss. I felt so much better after reading this, so much less alone — and less stupid. Thank you soooo much! Now I can sleep tonight!
I think it was in there for almost two weeks. I feel pretty much normal now. What symptoms warrant a doctor visit?
Unfortunately, I can’t give out individual medical advice – but please be sure to check out the Lost Tampon Video for tips on follow-up care and signs/symptoms to watch out for. In general, any dizziness, fever, persistent discharge, or persistent odor are all important reasons for a good check-up. If you (like gazillions of Americans) are struggling without health insurance, consider some generally lower-cost options like Planned Parenthood, or public health clinics. Whether we’re talking about Lost Tampons, or problems with healthcare today – please know that you are definitely not alone. Best of health to you!
I was really glad to find this blog (and the lost tampon video!) I didntt think this would be such a common issue for other women.
I put a tampon in this morning but it didn’t feel right so I took it out. For some reason, when taking it out it really stuck to me and took like 5 minutes to remove (ouch). Then I had this terrible “uh-oh” moment… I cant remember if I took the previous tampon out before that. Between being really sleep deprived and slightly brain fogged, and dealing with the schools automatic flushing toilets, I have no clues as to if there is one there or not. Im worried that I may have pushed an old one in further, and maybe that’s why the last one didn’t feel right?
When I got home, I tried to search myself but a) it was painful, b) there isnt a whole lot of room in there, and c)where is this magical cervix thing?
Right now I feel awkward going to go checked out, especially since Im only 50/50 on if its there or not. How long is safe to wait if I cant figure this out on my own? Could the pain and tampon problems just be caused by the fact that I have a tipped pelvis and adenomyosis? (I dont use them often)
*sorry, tipped uterus (not pelvis)
It has been a week. I still bled the day after I found my tampon missing. I’ve had some brownish discharge in the days following, that smelled a little bad. My question would be… The time that I went to the bathroom before realizing this I didn’t remove it, but I did go #2…could it have came out without me realizing? I feel stupid going to the doctor and there is nothing there..??????help!!!
You are an awesome doctor. I came across a lot of doctors; my son, Joshua, had full Trisomy 18. He lived to be the oldest boy who’s ever lived with this; he died at 20 years old. So, let me tell you, when I saw your desire to help people anyway and every way you could; you blew me away. I do have a question. I did the lost tampon thing, and the stupidity I felt; I really didn’t need in the middle of everything I was going through. Recently, the OB/Gyn, Lisa, on The Doctors show; said that she gets at least one woman a week, needing to find out if she lost her tampon or not? This made me feel a lot less stupid. Is this the same number of women that come in your office; and maybe some of them don’t have a lost tampon? Statistics are comforting to me; maybe to others also?
Dear Stephanie,
Thanks so much for your kind remarks – it warms the old ticker. Please know that you have both my sympathies and my heartfelt joy for the too-short life and love of your son.
As far as Lost Tampons go, I can’t give exact statistics for myself or anyone else, but Lost Tampons are not at all uncommon. How many any one doctor sees is dependent on the type of setting where he/she works (emergency rooms, urgent care and family planning/women’s health clinics see lots more than other doctors/NPs). If a doctor has a busy, non-urgent primary care office (where no one can get an appointment in less than 3 weeks), then that doctor probably won’t see many/any. What’s most outrageous is that medicine tends to be very male-centric (no duh, some of you are muttering!), and if you search PubMed (the premiere medical database) for retained tampons or lost tampons, there’s only ONE case report from 1973. That’s it. Sheesh. Yours in numbers,
Doc Gurley
I’m so glad i came across this websight! For about 2 days now i have been trying to remember whether or not i took my tampon out! I thought nothing of it really until that night i had some minor abdominal pains but i just wrote it off as part of normal period pains. Anyway, my period was moderate to heavy before this and since this night it lightened up alot! i put another tampon in the other day and didn’t notice anything unusual. It really botheres me to put my fingers inside myself, it’s something i could never bring myself to do! i’m not exactly sure what im feeling for either. Unfortunatly there is no one right now i can have check for me! I dont have insurance and dont want to go to the dr if i’m not totally sure it’s up there. What should i do =(
Unfortunately, I can’t give out personal medical advice over the web – but please be sure and watch the Lost Tampon video, for more info about what to do if you have (or think you have) a Lost Tampon. One thing’s for sure – if you’ve got a Lost Tampon, waiting doesn’t help or work, and may be risky. Have you considered lower-cost, experienced providers like, for example, a public health clinic or Planned Parenthood? While they also cannot give out advice over the phone, you can call to ask about prices, and even, frequently, negotiate what you pay in cash. Best of health to you and I hope your worries are resolved.
THANK GOD I found this website . . . just to prove this can happen to anyone, AnyOne, ANYONE, I want to tell my story. I am a 42 year old NURSE of all things, and am also pathologically meticulous about my body and cleanliness. One evening, I went to take out my tampon, it was the end of my period so I was wearing a light flow one, and I couldn’t find it. Well, being 42 and having three children, I suffer from MIEA (mom-induced early alzheimer’s), and after much searching, figured I had taken it out already but just forgot. Three days later, my husband and I have sex. He didn’t feel the tampon, and neither did I, but wow did we notice the odor and I had some bleeding (old brown blood). Of course I was mortified and thought maybe I had a bacterial infection and a little remnant of my period still. Unfortunately I had to wait a few weeks to get into see my gynecologist, but fortunately I had no real symptoms of anything . . . in the meantime, since I was feeling fine, we did have sex again, and there was the bleeding again – and the odor again . . . now I was getting pretty worried. Nurses tend to be hypochondriacs because you know too much – so I’m thinking cervical cancer, uterine fibroids, cervical polyps, endometriosis . . . the works. Finally two weeks into this, and a week before my MD appointment (I guess they weren’t too concerned!), I go to the bathroom, and feel something coming out of me to my horror. I look down, and there it is, half out of my vagina. And slimy, smushed into a ball, white, and stinky! My poor husband, doesn’t know whether to be happy for me or completely grossed out. And I did douche with vinegar and water right in the beginning, when I thought it was just leftover menstrual blood. Hopefully it didn’t do any harm. Thank you Dr. Gurley, I feel like I can relax now, and just keep my eye out for further symptoms. And enjoy lots of yogurt!!!!
Me again – a couple of questions for the Doc – How long until it’s okay to resume sexual activity after removing the tampon – and how long should I be watching for worrisome symptoms? thanks!
I’m so glad things have turned out well. The weird truth is, no one knows specifically how long someone should wait to have sex after a Lost Tampon episode. If a woman is having some menstrual flow (even a bit of spotting) it’s probably prudent to wait at least until your flow is completely finished/gone – clinically, women are more likely to get a uterine infection while having a period (because the cervix is more “open”) – but even that’s based on experience with sexually transmitted infections, not Lost Tampons. Also, most providers would advise waiting until the smell is all gone. But again, that info is based on opinion/common sense/assumptions – not data. Both approaches – waiting until the smell is gone, waiting for all flow to end – are reasonable. In general, that translates into a “few” days. If you do have sex after a Lost Tampon and get pain or spotting during/after sex, it’s wise to get checked. The risk of worrisome/toxic shock symptoms decrease as time passes from a Lost Tampon removal – but if you were to get woozy/dizzy or have high fevers even a week-ten days after, it would be wise to be evaluated promptly. A simple blood pressure check and blood test can be very important to make sure you’re okay. Thanks for visiting, and be sure to pass Lost Tampon info along to anyone you think might benefit. Regards,
Doc Gurley
thank you for this thread! has realy helped me feel more at ease. the last few days i have been exhausted and noticing this very foul odor from down below. because i have a mirena i have very very light periods so i have been alternating light flow tampons and pantyliners or nothing when i am on my period. i am also, addmitedly quite the space cadet and its even worse nowdys being a mom….the last few days, along with this gross odor i kept having moments of discharge where i would somehow wet my panties a little and make me feel uncomfortable. so i’d go to the bathroom and wipe etc. finally i decided, “okay put a tampon in, get through the day, you should be at the end of this period soon ayways.” I went to put my tampon in (i use those little o.b.s) and was having a hard time positioning it right and getting it in deep enough. i pulled it out, stuck my fingers in and was utterly confused! how in the world was i jamming 2 tampons up inside me??? i pulled it out and it smelled just awful! thank goodness i found it! and thank you so much for this site…. i dont feel like such an idiot now and i needed to hear/talk to someone, somewhere and it wasnt going to be my mom or boyfriend or bestfriend or sister or no one.
Glad to hear you found it! Be sure to watch the Lost Tampon video for tips on what to do now, and things to watch out for. Best of health.
So my question is:
THANK YOU FOR THIS THREAD!!!
Can a period be missed/late due to a lost tampon???
I lost my tampon on the last day, of my last period.
I didn’t know what was going on down there; first I was treated with antibiotics (Flagyl) for BV, then was given “Betadine” (Povidone-Iodine) suppositories.
Obviously, nothing was working, so I went to the emergency room, got taken right in, had the best kindest male doctor find the culprit. SO… it was removed just a few days late of when my next period was due. It’s been a week and I still haven’t gotten it. Can the tampon “block” a menstrual cycle, or just cause so much stress to the big V that the period skips?
I stopped my birth control pills half way through this month of foul odour.. only had sex once with this tampon in there.
I even have taken a Plan B pill just to be careful, and to hopefully reset my cycle?
baaaaaaaah… atleast my juice box doesn’t smell like death anymore
Dearest Vanstace,
While I cannot give out personal medical advice over the internet (not even with my stethoscope pressed firmly against the monitor!), I can say that a Lost Tampon does NOT cause a missed period. No such case has ever been described. Given the additional issue of stopping your birth-control pills, it would be a very good idea to get a pregnancy test. Pregnancy tests are much more sensitive than they used to be – if it is positive, it is a true positive. But if it’s negative, and you are just at the time your period SHOULD begin, that could be a “false” negative – and you may need to re-test in two-three weeks after the date your period was due to know for sure. If there is any chance you may want to continue an unexpected pregnancy, it is VERY important to start prenatal vitamins and avoid unnecessary medications/bad exposures (like X-rays, recreational drugs) right away. It sounds like it’s been quite a harrowing month – my heart goes out to you. Best of health,
Doc Gurley
Apparently the string doesn’t prevent the lost tampon scenario, but why not? Is it being pushed into the vagina post-tampon insertion–wouldn’t leaving it dangling prevent the loss, or is the string not long enough?
Usually the string gets tucked or pushed up inside. Ever wonder just how long a tampon string could/should be? Watch to the very end of the Lost Tampon Video and you’ll find out…
Doc Gurley
I have had this paranoia about having a tampon stuck for the past 3years. 3years ago i had stopped having periods for a long time – a couple years. I started to think that i had left a tampon in. Its been 3 years and my period has returned for the past 2years. I have checked a few times but i don’t know what exactly im feeling. I felt a lump or something that felt like a circular shape on one side, but on the other it seemed attached to my body. Also it felt like at the tip of this pertrusion was a rounded half bubble feeling. Is it possible for a tampon to be in me for years?
Dear Wonderer,
While I cannot give out individual medical advice over the internet, doubts and fear that torture us for years are very often helped by seeing a caring, competent provider. Women’s clinics are often great at laying to rest just your kinds of concerns – both by checking you thoroughly and by showing you what you’re feeling. Statistically, it would be very unusual for a tampon to be inside you this long Statistics, however, can be a b*%#ch – even if something is “highly unlikely,” if you’re the one who gets it, you’ve got it 100% – and being told it was “rare” is rarely a consolation. So a decent check-up from a kind provider is the first order of business. Women naturally have a round bump inside – a cervix, which feels rubbery (kind of like the tip of your nose if you gently push on it). Here is a good thorough video of a normal pelvic exam (and what we look like inside) at http://research.bidmc.harvard.edu/VPTutorials/midlife/tutorialShow.asp?action=next&openChapter=Complete%20Pelvic%20Exam
Best of health,
Doc Gurley
I can’t believe this happened to me! I’m 35 years old, have 3 kids, and I am always paranoid about leaving a tampon in my body.
I just got up from my computer about 10 minutes ago to see if I could have left a tampon inside of me. The tampon was wedged up high and sideways in my vagina. After finally getting 2 fingers around it, I managed to get it out! I have been Google-ing “foul vaginal odor” all afternoon wondering if I had an infection or something! So glad to finally know what the source is!
This site makes me feel much better! I truly never understood how someone could forget a tampon! Now I get it.
thanks for the post ! so i just literally found my lost tampon after five days + i had NO idea it was even in there ! so when it just came out i was freakin mortified ! and am now worried sick that i have an infection or something ; but i seriously feel a lot better after finding out its pretty common .. [to much to drink + drunken sex = lost tampon] | ughhh lol still cant believe that just happend !
First of I want to thank you, Doc Gurley, for providing a support system for this very embarrassing (and unusually common) issue. A week and a half ago I was pre-menstrual and spotting so naturally I was wearing light tampons sporadically throughout the week. I had intercourse not thinking I could be wearing a tampon; however, after i was pretty sure something was wrong, it was more uncomfortable than usual and i developed slight pelvic pains. I thought to my horror, “omg was I wearing a tampon??” I tried finding it myself but couldn’t (and honestly, i had no idea what was going on in there) For the life of me I couldn’t remember if I actually had been wearing one. So I went to the doctor the next morning, filled with utter embarrassment, he did his thing and nope nothing, couldn’t find anything. I felt like I was CRAZY!
Then today, a week and a half later, a few days after my period I became symptomatic with foul smelling, dark discharge…knowing this could be side effects of the lost tampons (thanks to the online blogs) I decide to see if maybe the doctor was wrong…. and low behold I found it!!!
* word of advice, in this case, doctors can miss it, trust your instinct, if you have something bothering you and just can’t shake that feeling chances are you are right!
I’m feeling worried that I have a lost tampon- from my last period- which was 1 month ago- this month just started- no funky smell- fever- or pain- but have a bit of a “full” feeling down there- I did the check per your video Dr. Gurly and didn’t feel anything but I’m still vy. worried- should I go to the ER? or call my obgyn’s emergency line?
Hi Guys,
About three wks ago, i had a sudden foul smelling odour thing goin on down there so i booked a docs appointment straight away and low and behold she found a lost tampon inside me, although i was so embarassed i was very relieved to be rid of ‘that’ odour my doc prescribed me anti-biotics incase the rotten tampon caused any infections and sent away a swab just to check for anything else and the swab came back clear. Although i admit i didn’t take the anti-biotics properly, a bit all over the place but i did finish the course, while taking the anti-biotics i smelled so clean all the time until recently, ‘that’ odour is coming back again and i know i’m not being paranoid because all i have to do is pull down my knickers and the smell fills the room, as a personal hygiene freak this is unbearable, i have tried searching incase there is another one in there but can’t find anything, please help what could this be?????????
Thank you for this blog, I realised about ten days ago that I had lost a tampon. I assumed it had come out without me knowing when I went to the toilet. I continued with my period and using tampons. When my period ended I continued to have a small brown discharge. I woke up 7 days ago and when i got up such a foul bacteria like greyish discharge was gushing out of me. I douched (never done before). I was so aware of the awful ( non fishy smell) that I was utterly embarrassed in front of my relatively new boyfriend and told him I thought it was maybe a tampax stuck. I made an appointment with my doc and was horrified to go and have a swab done and told that I had BV. She gave me vaginal antibiotics, although the discharge seemed to be a bit better when i went to see her. I had pain, and when i had sex it was just like a full period. I took my first antibiotic insert last night, happy to know that I would be cured. This afternoon I went to the toilet and felt something coming down ………..OMG the tampon fell out, it was a strange shape, I think it had been stuck behind my cervix. The discharge and smell has now gone, but I think I will finish the antibiotics. I wonder how my doctor missed this when she examined me yesterday, surely she would have recognised the awful smell was different to bv. I feel so much better now that it has come out, please if you are unsure at all, get your doctor to check and double check.
thanks ladies for calming me down with your comments. tonight, and hour before midnight im looking around for information because apparently i had left something (a tampon or toilet tissue) inside me and i have no idea how long its been there. i thought to get lucky tonight after a months worth of work and no midnight lovin and suddently he pulled out this thing. it had brown and GREEN liquid substance to it, and it was OMG so foul and terrible. the week before i was paranoid because i had been feeling cramps, diarreah, and foul odor so i knew something was wrong but never thought to check internally. i bathed to cleanse it but i dont know if the greenish hue resulted to toxic shock syndrom. perhapes time will tell
Thanks so much for this thread! I had my period about 3 weeks ago and it was abnormally light and only lasted 3 days, so the third day I figure I must have put one in just to make sure my period was over so i didn’t have any “accidents” and totally forgot about it..I have had mild cramping and really foul odor, which is NOT normal for me. I have never had a problem with cramping or odor my entire life. I thought maybe I have a cyst or something because my fiance said he could feel something inside of me that felt “like a string”. I was embarrassed and overwhelmed with worry. Today was my day off and I originally planned to go to the doctor to see what’s up, but last night we came home and were going to have sex when he said,”Oh my God babe there’s something in there”, so I went to the bathroom and pulled out the extremely foul smelling tampon. I can’t tell you how relieved I was, and how grossed out I was at the same time. I don’t know how I went 3 weeks without knowing it was in there, but the tampons I used are the lite flow ones so they were really small….anyways, I’m glad to know that this happens, and I am super relieved and thankful to know that I am ok..
Doc Gurley,
great post. When I was married to my first wife back in the 80s, one day she came home and said it felt like something was inside of her, she looked scared and so was I. She asked me to put my hand inside of her vagina and…there was a tampon that was stuck inside of her and I pulled it out, we both had horror on our faces and were really scared. I always wondered how women could walk with that thing inside of them, and after that incident I see how a tampon can get stuck inside of a woman’s vagina. Be careful ladies.
I’m so relieved I found this website. I’m mortified this happened to me. It’s been three days since I removed the tampon and I still smell awful. How long does the smell linger? Anything I can do other than eat yogurt? Thanks in advance.
Dear Carrie,
If you don’t have pretty dramatic improvements in the smell (OR, if you get any of the symptoms described in the Lost Tampon video), you need to see a caring and competent healthcare provider to make sure some part of the tampon is not still inside. After a tampon has been retained for a while, it can deteriorate until it breaks apart. Do not, however, douche as a way to deal with smells or concerns – it’s not going to help, and will definitely make your body’s struggle to normalize things much, much harder. Here’s hoping you’re well soon,
Best,
Doc Gurley
i had my period about a week and a half ago. i thought i was done on my forth day. so like any horny woman i jumped on my husband. He said something stinks bad u dont smell that. well i had the brown discharge for a week i douched twice and had sex again. Still i smelled and tonight i felt presure like i had to make a BM. so when i went it felt like it did when i have a period. so thats what made me go fishing. It was terrible. i had washed my hands twice and showered to get the smell off. i still feel alittle weird. i was thinking of taking some anibiotics i was prescribed a month ago for bladder infect. have enough for a week. so imbarassing
Dear Sherie,
First, as you can see from our wonderful comments board – lost tampons occur even to many great women with good hygiene. Hey, it happens. Second, please don’t take any antibiotics – they will kill off all your GOOD germs. Your body right now is trying to correct the balance of good-and-bad germs, so the best you can do (as the video says!) is 1) avoid douching, 2) give your body some good germs by eating plain, active-culture yogurt, and 3) watch closely for symptoms or signs of getting worse – and see your doctor promptly if you do.
Here’s to your health,
Doc Gurley
I changed my tampon when I was drunk. Apparently i shoved it in too far so I put in another one like 3 hours later. it was the second day i put it a super. the regular got stuck…. i cant find it at all.. but its in there because Im not bleeding as much its usually heavy on the third day. and its a saturday night haha shitty been a day. =/