When a girl reaches puberty (anywhere from 10 to 20) and is ready to reproduce, (have a baby) the part inside her tummy where babies grow produces an egg.
It is this egg that might turn into a baby if the sperm from a man gets to it and fertilizes it. (That's another story)
When the egg has been there for about 3 weeks, the womb wants to discard it and put a new one there instead, the way it does this is with the only available liquid.... blood, it flushes the old egg out. This takes about a week.
During that time, the girl has to choose how to mop up the mess.
The choices are:
1. Sanitary towels (ST's, pads) A pad that you put in your panties. and change regularly.
- Some of the pads nowadays are very discreet, and you hardly know that you are wearing them compared to the great uncomfortable things women put up with 20 years ago. They used to be held in place ( no they weren't very good ) by bits of string tied onto a belt around the waist, now most makes have followed the innovative move of 'Always' (bless them) and have sticky wings that wrap under the gusset of your pants to hold them firmly in place.
2. Tampons. (tampax, lillets) A wad of absorbent padding, that you insert (gently) into the place from whence it comes.
- Tampons are more convenient and may make you feel less conspicuous, however you must be careful to change them regularly (at least 3 or 4 times per day) as you can get a nasty kind of symptom from leaving them in too long. Also as a young girl it might be better to let it flow out as nature intended rather than keeping it in there. (Personal opinion only)
- Some of these are in inserters, cardboard or plastic syringe type wrapping, which are easier, or cleaner to insert, some are just heavily compacted.