I’ve just birthed a fossilised tampon...what do I do?!

[MedicinalGin]

Hello.
I’m so embarrassed about this. Have had loads of weird discharge for the past few days and was getting really worried- suddenly this happened. I feel quite well and everything but could I now have an infection or something? It must have been in there for two weeks.

Do I just presume I will now be fine or should I seek official advice (seriously hoping I don’t have to).

Excuse me while I now go and 🤢

i read and couldn't breathe!there was a rock in my throat.what a thing to have happened to people!

This must go in classics

If the discharge continues now that you’ve ‘passed’ the foreign object I would definitely go to the Dr and get a swab done and perhaps some antibiotics. I would also recommend taking some probiotics.

This happened to me a few years ago! I was leaking blood for almost three weeks so used panty liners as didn't know why I was leaking watery blood and there was a horrible smell too. (obviously tampon had got left in from last period!). It turned out to be a fossilised tampon that just 'fell out' eventually! I had no ill effects afterwards. But I'd get yourself checked out just incase.

PS I got into the habit of then tying a knot in the end of the string of the tampons for easy removal and finding lol

Tampons should really come with much longer strings so you can keep one end in your pocket so you don't forget.

I would definitely at least phone and ask at your surgery
a nasty & quite dangerous infection could spring up from this,..
I work at a surgery and surprisingly it's not that rare, So don't be embarrassed!
Your Dr may want to test.your urine & even put you on a low dose course of antibiotics as a precaution.

@VladmirsPoutine, you do realise that the vagina is the canal inside your body where the penis goes? The bits on view outside is your vulva. You shouldn't be washing inside yourself as you're washing away the good bacteria.

Personally though, I find a brillo pad, extendable drain unclogging brush and domestos does the trick.

Tampons should really come with much longer strings so you can keep one end in your pocket so you don't forget.

So long as the string doesn't act as a siphon, brilliant idea.

@TheWiseWomansFear flummery is a good one! It's descriptive

I'm always interested to see what my vag puts out - it really IS self cleaning. Putting your finger in probably just introduces the germs you've been handling all day. Wash your vulva, wash your bum, leave the rest alone!

All these people using fairy liquid and brilliant pads.This is Mumsnet.Zoflora and a bottle brush is surely the only answer

I think there is something wrong with my anatomy as I am always 'aware' of tampons inside me and can never poo and leave one in - it's just too uncomfortable

I do find the notion that the more hygienic of us cannot possibly know the difference between a vagina or vulva

Some say hygienic... some say stupid

Steak, it's been explained dozens of times now that it is not hygienic to interfere with the vagina's self-cleaning mechanism.

You're more likely to suffer from a stinky fanny if you persist in douching it with soaps.

steak are you for real? While the internal washers congratulate themselves on their misguided efforts the rest of us think you are stupid.

Steak knows better than medical experts though.

@ree070603 I don't know about "wrong with". It could just be different. It's possible you're not pushing them up far enough. Basically keep pushing until you can't feel it's in there. Despite the horror stories on here generally this is not a problem. You should still have plenty of string hanging down. It's only a problem if not feeling it means you forget it!

The vagina sits in between the rectum and the urethra but inserting the tampon further (if you can) should solve both problems.

It happened to me once. The smell was disgusting but I was fine. I did shower every day but if the string works its way up that wouldn't help.

I've never understood this. Maybe I have long fingers and a short vagina but I can reach pretty much everything in there with my fingers and definitely couldn't fit more than one tampon up there. Women who have lost a tampon up there, could you feel your cervix, if you were so inclined?

Nothing stupid about refusing to have stinky period blood or ovulation gunge sat there

steak it may have already been mentioned but could you wean yourself off the internal washes by using unscented panty liners for a while, I know it's not environmentally great but..., then you might find your foof will thank you by not being so stinky and gungy due to all your internal sluicing 🤷🏻‍♀️

Steakandkidney genuine question... have you ever talked to anyone about the issues you have around your vagina and around sex in general?

Steak you are not more hygienic than those women who know not to wash inside their vagina. I know you feel more hygienic, but that's in your mind. In fact, as has been explained many times on this thread, it is not more hygienic to wash internally and can introduce infections and exacerbate thrush and so on.