That's for you to decide but we would recommend you understand your flow and cycle before moving to a tampon. It’s completely up to you whether you continue to use pads or switch to a tampon - or even use a combination of both!

If you’re not sure when you should start
using a tampon

• First, wash your hands.
• Relax and give the cord a gentle tug.
• If the tampon feels tightly held in place (like it's difficult to pull out), leave it a little longer but never leave it longer than 8 hours.
• Once removed, the tampon can be wrapped in tissue paper and put in the bin. Do not flush the outer wrapper or the applicator tube down the toilet.
• Now wash your hands again.

We're all different and that's true about your period too. You might have a very light flow or a very heavy flow. This is why tampons are available in lots of different sizes or absorbencies as they are often called.

Here’s an example of what your period, also known as menstrual flow may look like.

The higher the line goes up, the heavier your blood loss.

As you can see, your period flow can differ from day to day and if you use tampons, you may need to use different sizes for each stage of your period.

Some girls may use up to 3 different tampon absorbencies during their period.

Sometimes the 2nd and 3rd days of your period can be your heaviest and after this your period flow may start to get lighter.

But this is not true for everyone and you'll have to work out your own pattern as you become familiar with your period.

By choosing the right size, you may avoid leaks if the tampon is too small and discomfort if the tampon is too big.

Also, it's important not to wear the same tampon for longer than the recommended time of 4 - 8 hours.

When you remove your tampon after 4 - 8 hours, if it feels tightly held and there is very little blood on the tampon, then try switching to a smaller size for the rest of your period.

On the other hand, if you notice a little blood on your underwear after wearing a tampon for less than 3 hours, try going up a size for a while. When you do this, you'll need to switch back down again, once your period starts to become lighter.

This is a complete MYTH!! The difference in the size of each tampon is very small indeed and the vagina can accommodate a tampon regardless of its absorbency. The size of tampon you need is actually based on how much blood you lose during your period.

TSS stands for Toxic Shock Syndrome. It is a type of blood poisoning caused by common bacteria that live naturally on the skin. It’s extremely rare and can affect anyone at any age (both men and women). It can occur following burns, insect bites and after surgery after the skins natural defences have been damaged and the bacteria can be allowed to grow and make toxins.

It has also been reported for some women and girls when on their period and using a tampon so that’s why it’s very important to know what the symptoms are. It’s actually really, really rare and it’s unlikely you’ll ever experience it or even meet anyone who has as there are less than 40 cases in the UK per year. However, in a few cases it can be fatal, so is something you need to know about.

Here are the warning signs you should be aware of:

• a sudden high temperature of 39°C (102°F).
• sickness.
• diarrhoea.
• muscle aches.
• dizziness.
• feeling faint.
• sore throat.
• a rash that looks a bit like sunburn.

If you’ve been using a tampon and have any of these symptoms, remove the tampon straight away and tell an adult. They need to take you to your doctor or hospital as a precaution, just to make sure you haven’t got it. If you want to know more about TSS, visit www.tssis.com.