I ALWAYS leak through the tampon even the "super" tampons made for heavy flows. What can I do? I would really like to use tampons.

Some women have really a heavy flow especially on the first day or two of their period. It can be a huge pain to find that the super sized tampon you put in a few hours ago isn’t cutting it though. Your best bet is one of two things: use the super tampon but change it really often (every hour or two) or wear the super tampon with a pantiliner to catch any overflow. If this sort of heavy flow is still happening despite changing your tampon every couple of hours, it’s time to talk with your healthcare provider to see if you have any medical reason for such heavy flow. Make sure too that you are inserting the tampon correctly so that you can’t even feel it when it’s in. If you are leaking but when you pull the tampon out it isn’t saturated, you may not have it in quite right. Check out the video about putting in a tampon for tips and technique.

When I was younger, I rarely went without double protection – meaning I wore a pad with a tampon for the same reason.

Of course, the pads I wore back then came in one size and one size only- HUGE! Now-a-days there are many more choices, from overnighters to the almost-not-there, that you could use in conjunction with a tampon. I agree about the comfort factor of a tampon, but that means nothing if you are leaking. And if you find that you’re having to change a super absorbency tampon more than every two hours, you should check with your healthcare provider.

I’ve had a few of those times where even a super absorbency has leaked through, but it was usually close to the end of the time in which I would be changing my tampon (every 4-6 hours). Make sure you are changing your tampon regularly and for added protection I would suggest a thin liner—I can’t stand pads either and this is a much more comfortable option if you ask me! If it seems like you are going through a super within an hour or two you really should speak with your doctor. While they may be letting you down in leakage protection, tampons are a good indicator of excessive flow.