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Learn more about Tampax tampons and feminine care products, including tampon and period information and helpful women's health articles.

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Our Sustainability Goals

Learn about how Tampax is making meaningful progress towards reducing manufacturing waste, investing in sustainable sourcing and resources, and more.

Our Sustainability Goals Towards Reducing Waste | Tampax®

Can You Flush Tampons? The Facts on Tampon Disposal and Recycling Tampax

Menstrual cups can offer an eco-friendly alternative to tampons and pads with up to 12 hours of period leak protection. Learn how it works.

Menstrual Cup: What is it & How To Use It

Menstrual Cup: What is it & How to Use It | Tampax®

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# Can You Flush Tampons? The Facts on Tampon Disposal and Recycling Tampax


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Find Your Flow Quiz

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There’s nothing worse than feeling a little *squish* in your pants and being faced with the potential horror that you might’ve just started your period unprepared. “When should I get my period?” you wonder, followed by “Did I just start my period?” are not the best things to cross your mind on a day you’re not expecting it. Be your own period prepper with the Tampax Period Calculator to know when your flow is about to start.
For those vagina-havers with regular cycles (how’s it feel to be genetically lucky?), use our period calendar tracking tool to find out when you can roll the dice with your favorite pair of white jeans. 

__How do menstrual calculators work?__
Glad you asked. Basically, your body runs on a four-part “menstrual cycle” — and while you might assume that phrase means just the week of bleeding, in actuality, your menstrual cycle also refers to the weeks you don’t bleed. Your body is still grinding and putting in work — it’s not like your reproductive system just goes all-out the one week you bleed.
[You start with the menstrual cycle (your period, when the lining of your uterus sheds), followed by the follicular phase (when the follicles in your ovaries mature and get ready for the prime time: ovulation), then comes (you guessed it) ovulation (when the egg is released), followed finally by the luteal phase (when the egg makes its way down your fallopian tubes and gets ready to bleed)](/en-us/period-health/menstrual-cycle-phases/).

Knowing this, you can track your period and your cycle. Voila!

It’s like those annoying SAT logic questions. If luteinizing is def gonna happen, then the menstrual cycle is def gonna happen next, and it’s only a matter of time before you bleed. You can also tell other ways to see where in your cycle your body is, like tracking your basal body temp (your temp when you first wake up), and checking your cervical mucus, both of which are helpful to know if you want to see if you’re ovulating, aka at your most fertile. But since seeing your period is an easier way of pinning down where you are in your cycle, tracking the days you bleed can also help you fill in the missing gaps to better picture your cycle’s timeline. 

It’s using this information that you can get a chronological, clearer picture of what to expect. 

Of course, not everyone’s cycle is totally the same. The average length that people usually go by is 28 days, but [anywhere from 21 to 35 days is normal too](/en-us/period-health/menstrual-cycle-phases/), so don’t stress if you tend to be on the earlier or later side, as long as it’s consistent for your bod. If you’re on birth control, this can also help give you a more stable idea of your cycle, as birth control regulates your period a bit better. 

But whether your period is three days, five, or seven days, whether it comes every month or more like every month-ish, you can still use a period calculator to better learn your cycle.
__How to Use a Period Tracker:__
Simply input the length of your average period and the length of your last period, and let the period calculator do the rest. 

Pop in the date your last period began, the length of time it lasted, and the average length of your cycle to get a better idea of when you can reasonably expect your next period. If you have no idea how long between your periods, make a note the next time it starts and when it ends so you have it on hand for next month. Better late than never amirite?

You can also use a “period tracker” for way more than just predicting bleed week. Since ovulation usually occurs on the [14th day of your cycle](https://www.medicinenet.com/menstruation/article.htm) (with Day 1 of your cycle being the first day you bleed), you can also learn and track peak ovulation.

Period Calendar Bottom Text

Switch between tampon absorbencies throughoutyour menstrual cycle for better comfort and protection.

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How to Decide Between Pads and Tampons Title

# Our Sustainability Goals Towards Reducing Waste

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Tampax

Are tampons flushable? How do you properly dispose of them? Find tips and more answers on flushing tampons.

Can You Flush Tampons?

 Can You Flush Tampons? | Tampax®

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Tampon truths - What You Need to Know About Menstrual Cups

What You Need to Know About Menstrual Cups

## Please Don’t Flush Tampons Down the Toilet
No shame, we’ve all been there. The oh-so-tempting convenience of pulling a tampon out and wanting to flush it down the toilet (especially in a public restroom) seems like the perfect mess-free thing to do. We hear you...and we wish it were true. But PLEASE do not flush your tampons down the toilet. One thing we know everyone could enjoy less of is opening a stall door and coming face to face with a red, bloody, and clogged toilet. Do your part and please don’t flush tampons.
## Tampons Disposal: How to Get Rid of a Tampon
So, now that you’ve decided to never flush a tampon again, how should you dispose of it? Tampon disposal is pretty straight-forward, you can simply wrap your used tampon up in toilet paper and throw away used tampons in the garbage bin or trash. Nothing fancy. Tampon applicators, whether they are cardboard or plastic, can also be wrapped in toilet paper and thrown away and we suggest our [Radiant tampons](/en-us/all-products/radiant/regular-tampons/), which come with a CleanSeal wrapper, for quick, easy disposal.
## Tampon Recycling – What You Can and Cannot Recycle
We’ve covered the bases on can you flush tampons down the toilet  – please don’t flush them and simply toss those in the garbage along with the wrapper. But can I recycle my tampon applicator? It’s a good question. Unfortunately, you cannot recycle tampon applicators. Because tampons have been in contact with blood which is considered human waste, conventional city or country recycling streams are unable to process them.

While tampon applicators cannot be recycled, all Tampax boxes in North America can be recycled and 96% of all Tampax packaging globally is recyclable. Many of our packages are made from recycled materials, so continue helping us out and recycle your Tampax boxes after use. We’ve reduced the amount of packaging required for our products and continue to look for ways to reduce the material needed to get products into your hand. 

If you’re interested in a fully reusable period product, we suggest checking out our [Tampax Cup](/en-us/tampon-truths/what-is-a-menstrual-cup/). It’s a medical-grade silicone cup that you insert into your vagina to capture period blood for up to 12 hours. Menstrual cups work a little differently than tampons. Instead of absorbing blood like a tampon, menstrual cups capture the blood and hold it until you’re ready to change. When you remove it, you need to dump the contents into the toilet and rinse it with soap and water before using it again. Insertion, wearing, and removal can be a little tricky at first so [check out this menstrual cup guide](/en-us/tampon-truths/what-is-a-menstrual-cup/) if you’re interested in learning more. Enjoy reusing a Tampax cup over and over for up to 1 year. Good for you and good for the environment.


Your flow is different every day.  
Your tampon should be, too.

#### Find your flow combo with Tampax Pearl

Ultra

ULTRA

The same goes for our suppliers, too, who’ve committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by 30% in the next 5 years. And we’re also big on renewable electricity - whether our sites are powered by renewable sources (meaning it’s generated by renewable energy sources, like solar or wind power), or matched by purchasing renewable electricity credits.

We’re making moves for the environment, but there is still more work to be done. We continuously look at ways to innovate with less environmental impact and more responsible consumption across our products, package and supply chain. Effective period care and protecting the planet? It’s a win-win.


The same goes for our suppliers,

Only Tampax Pearl tampons have five absorbencies so you can find  
the perfect match for your period flow. Tampax Pearl are available in Light,  
Regular, Super, Super Plus and Ultra tampon absorbencies.

Five Absorbencies to Match Your Flow

## Five Absorbencies to Match Your Flow

Period Tracker

Once upon a time people used the stars for navigation and thought the earth was flat. We’re better than that now. Thanks to modern science (namely period trackers), knowing exactly when to throw an extra Tampax or two into your bag doesn’t have to be a complete shot in the dark anymore. Simply punch your info into our period cycle tracker to see when you might be feeling that PMS bloat, when you can expect your period, and when you’re the most fertile during ovulation.

### Period Tracker

Find Your Flow Combo with Tampax Pearl  1

Find Your Flow Combo with Tampax Pearl

How to Decide Between Pads and Tampons Body

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How to Decide Between Pads and Tampons

Regular

REGULAR

Find Your Flow Combo with Tampax Pearl | Tampax®

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Tampax Sustainability | Tampax®

Use our free period tracker tool to learn how to track your period, find out when you are ovulating, plan ahead, and more.

Period Tracker, Ovulation & Menstrual Cycle Calculator

Period Tracker | Tampax®

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Tampon Ingredients: What are Tampons Made Of?

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At Tampax, one of our major goals is to reduce our overall impact on the planet. We’re doing this through the careful sourcing of the materials we use, minimizing waste created during the manufacturing process, and the responsible use of resources. You shouldn’t have to choose between effective period products and protecting the planet!
First, let’s talk about [what’s inside your tampon](/en-us/about/ingredients/what-tampons-are-made-of/). To create the absorptive core of Tampax tampons, we use ingredients — such as cotton — that are grown responsibly. You can even trace the origins of the organic cotton used in our Tampax Pure products using your phone, thanks to blockchain technology to trace every step from the field the cotton was grown to becoming a tampon.


At Tampax, one of our major goals

Period Calendar

Did you know you need to change tampon sizes to matchyour changing period flow?

Watch this video to learn more:

Change Sizes to Match Your Flow

## Change Sizesto Match Your Flow

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Tampax.com is a treasure trove of candid, science-based answers to your burning questions. It’s our mission to break the taboos around period talk.

Our Beliefs and Mission to Educate Women

Our Beliefs and Mission to Educate Women | Tampax®

Learn about the ingredients and materials that Tampax uses in their tampons, as well as safety info to give you peace of mind with your period protection.

Tampon Ingredients: What are Tampons Made Of? | Tampax®

Quality and safety are at the heart of everything we do. Learn more about our tampons and how we make sure that you get the best product.

What's in Tampax Tampons? | Tampax®

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