> Are tampons suppose to hurt when I insert them?

They aren't supposed to hurt, no, but sometimes they do. What sort of tampons do you use? I'm surprised at the lack of selection in the US... Miss my selection of brands from back home (what a bizarre thing to miss!!!)

In particular... Plastic applicators are uncomfortable, I find. And... Psychologically they scare me, rather. There is one brand that I found that doesn't have an applicator (but only one!!!). I find those MUCH more comfortable to insert. In particular... After pushing fairly much 'up' for a bit... There is a curve and you need to push it significantly 'back'. I don't find the plastic applicator handles the curvature very well with respect to inserting the plastic comfortably and with respect to pushing the tampon up round that corner (if that makes sense). SO MUCH easier and more comfortable to use tampons without applicators!!! In Australasia... They are marketed well as expanding widthways rather than lengthways (as tampax rather uncomfortably do). Thus... They tend to leak a whole heap less, too... (Not to mention the lack of applicator is good for the environment and it is much easier to carry a couple tampons in your jeans pocket).

I had a friend who had a similar trouble to you and she found it helped to smear the end with a little KY or other lubricant. Part of the pain can be about clenching (do you find pap smears similarly painful?) But the pain could be a little about those darned plastic applicators...