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Is there any issue with women using tampons before marriage? I would appreciate sourced answers discussing this either saying it's ok or not ok.

My thought is that since the use of a tampon requires inserting something through/past the hymen, the hymen could be stretched (or removed entirely, so to speak) and perhaps there as an issue with doing so before marriage. The only possible issues that I know of are:

  1. She may become a mukat eitz which affect the value of her kesuba
  2. There being no sign of the woman's virginity, which might have its own halachic implications.

(Even though the question could be boiled down to these 2 points in principle, I'm looking for a specific discussion about the use of tampons.)

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3 Answers 3

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Rabbi Ribner and Dr. Rosenfeld recommend using tampons pre-marriage in A Newlywed's Guide to Physical Intimacy‌​. The authors are affiliated with Yeshiva University.

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    What is their affiliation with YU?
    – Double AA
    Dec 9, 2014 at 23:47
  • This answer doesn't address why this is permitted given the issues posted in the question
    – bondonk
    Jan 8, 2015 at 17:56
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It is a common myth that tampons can affect the hymen or take a woman's virginity. If you just google "tampons and hymens," you'll find a host of different sources confirming that the opening for menstrual flow is plenty large enough to fit a tampon and your finger/applicator.

Since a tampon does not affect the hymen, I don't know why it would affect a woman's virginal status.

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    Wouldn't that depend on the type/build of the woman's hymen?
    – Gavriel
    Dec 10, 2014 at 10:38
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I'm not sure exactly from where this derives, but there is absolutely no halachic problem with using tampons, and some actually encourage it, as it helps a woman learn about her body and will make her more comfortable with bedikos in the future.

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    Did you make this up?
    – Double AA
    Dec 7, 2014 at 21:49
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    Malka, welcome to Mi Yodeya! Thank you for your answer; if you have a source, it would improve the quality of your answer. I'm sure that's what @DoubleAA meant to say.
    – Seth J
    Dec 9, 2014 at 18:27

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