Tampon

A tampon which includes an elongate absorbent body which is non-circular in outline in an end view, a width of the body being greater than a thickness thereof and a length of the body being greater than the width of the body, the length being taken in a direction of said end view, the width being taken in a direction perpendicular to said direction of the end view and the thickness being taken in a direction perpendicular to said direction of the end view and perpendicular to said direction of the width, the tampon having a particular correct angular orientation relative to said direction of the end view with which the tampon is to be inserted into a vagina, the correct angular orientation being clearly visible to a user, wherein the body defines an upper or superior surface, an opposed lower or posterior surface, and two opposed side edges which extend longitudinally, the width of the body thus being taken between the opposed side edges and the thickness of the body being taken between the upper surface and the lower surface, at least one of the upper surface and the lower surface being concave when a cross-section transverse to the direction of the end view is viewed in said direction of the end view, providing the body with a longitudinally extending depression which is concave when said cross section is viewed in said direction of the end view, further wherein the upper surface and the opposed lower surface converge towards each other to define the side edges and two longitudinal extending, bilaterally projecting wings, the side edges and, hence, the wings being folded underneath the body to facilitate insertion of the tampon into the vagina, wherein said tampon further comprises a plurality of surface formations in the form of one of strips and bands extending over the bilaterally extending folded wings so that portions of the one of strips and bands are under a tension and portions thereof are under a compression, thereby to assist with or effect an active unfolding or a deployment of the folded wings in situ in the vagina.

A tampon which includes an elongate absorbent body which is longer than the body is wide and longer than the body is thick with a line along which the length of the body is taken passing through a leading end portion at a first end of the elongate body which has a forward facing surface and through a longitudinally opposed trailing end portion at a second end of the elongate body which has a rearward facing surface, the leading end portion and the trailing end portion of the elongate absorbent body thus being longitudinally spaced with the leading end portion in use leading the trailing end portion during insertion of the tampon in a vagina, at least one of at least a portion of the forward facing surface and at least a portion of the rearward facing surface being coated with a surface formation in the form of a coating of a material with reduced water absorbent properties compared to a material of the absorbent body, the surface formation inhibiting in use expansion of at least a portion of the absorbent body coated by the surface formation due to absorption of menses by the absorbent body, at least a portion of the absorbent body between the forward facing surface and the rearward facing surface not being constricted by said surface formation to allow for expansion of said portion of the absorbent body in use due to absorption of menses by the absorbent body, further comprising at least one of at least one surface formation and a portion of at least one surface formation, which is in a form of one of a thin band and a strip applied to the longitudinally extending exterior surface of the absorbent body between the leading end portion and the longitudinally opposed trailing end portion.