An absorbent plug inserted into the body to soak up menstrual fluid or to stop bleeding from a wound.
From French 'tampon' meaning 'plug' or 'stopper,' derived from Old French and possibly Germanic roots. The word originally referred to any small plug or pad and was later applied to the menstrual product in the 20th century.
The tampon was actually invented as a medical product for stopping wounds before it became used for menstrual periods—a French nurse named Gertrude Tenderich designed the first modern menstrual tampon in the 1930s! It's one of those everyday products whose history shows how medical innovation sometimes comes from overlooked practical needs.
Menstruation was historically taboo; tampon marketing reinforced shame and secrecy around menstruation, framed as a 'problem' to be hidden rather than a biological function.
Use directly and matter-of-factly; avoid euphemism ('feminine product'). Menstruation is a health topic, not embarrassment.
["menstrual product"]
Women's inventors created early tampons; Ruby Cup, Cora, and others are reclaiming the narrative around menstrual health as empowering.
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