If it hasn’t happened to you, you know a friend it has happened to – forgotten a tampon was in and inserted another, or began having sex while one was in.

In the Cherry TV video Sex and the Forgotten Tampon the women discuss times it happened to them. And while it was frightening at the time, in retrospect, the stories seem quite funny. Check it out at: Sex and the Forgotten Tampon.

However, losing a tampon within your vagina can be scary and dangerous. While it will not travel up into your uterus, infection, if left long enough, can form. The most common is bacterial vaginosis, which can be treated, but in rare situations, toxic shock syndrome can develop. Signs that you may be developing an infection are: odor, discharge, pelvic pain, and fever.

If you need to retrieve a lost tampon:

1. Wash your hands.

2. Remove any tampons that still have the string hanging out.

3. Bear down like when having a bowel movement or pushing out a baby. This can push the tampon down.

4. Gently insert one finger inside. If your index finger doesn’t go deep enough, try your middle finger.

5. Reach in as far as possible. You have reached the end of your vagina when you feel your cervix. The cervix is like an upside down bowl at the end of the vagina. Bear down while gently pressing on your cervix.

6. Sweep the vagina by making circular and back and forth motions with your finger. Try to sweep the space between the cervix and the start of the vagina. This is where tampons tend to get stuck.

7. If your finger runs into a tampon, come out. Insert two fingers (ones next to each other) and trap the tampon between them. Bear down and try to trap the lost tampon between your two fingers to withdraw it.

If you can’t get it out, go to a doctor or clinic. Also, if you don’t feel anything but sense you may have left one in, or are just uncomfortable searching on your own, seek medical help. Don’t delay or be embarrassed. Situations like this are unfortunately a by-product of being a woman!