Tampon having a protective finger sheath and a method of forming

A tampon comprising:

• a) an absorbent having a first end and a second end;
• and
• b) a cover having an L-shaped configuration including a leg and a foot, said leg having a central longitudinal axis, said cover being aligned with said absorbent such that said foot is aligned adjacent to said second end of said absorbent and both said cover and said absorbent are wound up along said central longitudinal axis into a cylindrically-shaped softwind which is compressed into an absorbent pledget, said absorbent pledget having a predetermined diameter, an insertion end and a spaced apart trailing end, and a flexible sheath defined by said foot of said cover extending longitudinally outward from said trailing end, said flexible sheath sized to receive a user's finger and prevent soiling of the finger during insertion of said absorbent pledget into a body cavity, and said flexible sheath providing means for removing said absorbent pledget from the body cavity.

A catamenial tampon comprising:

• a) an absorbent having a first end and a second end;
• and
• b) a cover having an L-shaped configuration including a leg and a foot, said leg having a central longitudinal axis, said cover being aligned with said absorbent such that said foot is aligned adjacent to said second end of said absorbent and both said cover and said absorbent are rolled up along said central longitudinal axis into a cylindrically-shaped softwind which is compressed into an absorbent pledget, said absorbent pledget having a predetermined diameter, an insertion end and a trailing end, and a flexible sheath defined by said foot of said cover extending longitudinally outward from said trailing end, said flexible sheath spanning an arc of at least 360 degrees and being sized to receive a user's finger and prevent soiling of the finger during insertion of said absorbent pledget into a body cavity, and said flexible sheath providing means for removing said absorbent pledget from the body cavity.