Tampon

A tampon is a mass of cotton, rayon, or a mixture of the two inserted into a body cavity or wound to absorb bodily fluid. The most common type in daily use (and the topic of the remainder of this article) is designed to be inserted into the vagina during menstruation to absorb the flow of menstrual fluid. Tampons are also used to absorb blood from nosebleeds. Several countries—including the United States, under the banner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—regulate tampons as medical devices. In the United States, tampons are a Class II medical device. Tampon originated from the medieval French word tampion, meaning a piece of cloth to stop a hole, a stamp, plug, or stopper