What about Tampons?!
Question: is there is any side effects or diseses caused by tampons
Answers: is there is any side effects or diseses caused by tampons
You're opening up a whole can of worms here, there are a lot of issues with tampons but a lot of people do not know these risks. When it comes to health you have TSS, vaginal infections, menstrual problems such as increased cramping, and tampons have been linked to things as serious as endometriosis and cancer.
* Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS):
The biggest known risk is Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) which is caused when naturally occurring bacteria within your vagina called Staphylococcus aureus starts to produce toxins that enter into the bloodstream and have a whole host of problems as it is similar to blood poisoning.
TSS is NOT just from leaving tampons in for too long, TSS is a risk for everyone and that risk is made worse the longer you leave a tampon in as it allows for more bacteria to grow within your vagina. The risk of TSS from tampon use is there from as soon as you insert the tampon.
Initial symptoms are a high fever, vomiting, muscle aches and confusion, but can lead to full organ shut-down and so can be fatal if not killing the sufferer it can leave them with serious life-long health problems. I've known a good few people myself who have had TSS, I've also known a lot of cases of TSS where women have died or had all sorts of problems - trust me, it is really not at all nice!
TSS is rare but not half as rare as some people believe because of issues with how they classify TSS cases (essentially only around 1/3 of cases are officially documented in statistics), the risk of TSS are very high with tampons.
TSS is particularly associated with tampons because in the 1980's tampons were released that were not tested for their safety, these tampons were made out of synthetic materials that resulted in higher level of bacterial growth leading to many women getting TSS, it was some time before manufacturers removed these tampons from sale.
Toxic shock syndrome and tampons:
http://www.toxicshock.com - Toxic shock syndrome information service.
http://www.tamponalert.org.uk - Tampon alert.
TSS is such a big risk with tampons because tampons prevent normal vaginal cleaning, cause vaginal splitting, give bacteria the perfect place to multiply and introduce chemicals into the vagina.
Your vagina is self-cleaning, meaning it has discharge to clean out dirt and excess bacteria, as tampons absorb this discharge and plug up the vagina it prevents this cleaning. As tampons absorb fluids other than menstrual blood they absorb vaginal fluids that help protect the delicate lining of your vagina causing splitting allowing bacteria to grow and an easier route for toxins produced during a case of TSS to your blood stream. Tampons are porous, they provide bacteria a warm, moist environment where nitrous menstrual blood is present allowing for excelled bacterial growth within your vagina. Tampons leave fibres within the vagina that further allow for bacterial growth. Commercial tampons such as Tampax contain chemicals that can interfere with vaginal pH, this change in vaginal pH can affect bacterial balance allowing for infection.
* Vaginal Infections:
Vaginal infections such as bacterial vaginosis and yeast infections are very common in women who use tampons, for the same reasons listed above they can prevent vaginal cleaning and encourage bacterial growth.
Some types of tampons carry a slightly lower risk, organic cotton tampons or sponge tampons are safer as they don't contain synthetic materials nor do they contain chemicals that can encourage bacterial growth. Risks can also be reduced by changing your tampons regularly to reduce the amount of time bacteria has to build up in your vagina, but not too often as this can cause further vaginal splitting, it is also important to use the lightest absorbency for your flow to avoid vaginal splitting. You should never use a tampon at night because as there is no gravity when laying down to bring blood down into the tampon it means tampons only have vaginal fluids to absorb, thus again adding to vaginal splitting. For these same reasons tampons should never be used when not on your period.
Organic and sponge tampons:
http://www.natracare.com - Natracare (cotton tampons)
http://www.cottons.com.au - Cottons (cotton tampons)
http://www.tampontification.com - Tamponifictation (cotton tampons)
http://www.organicessentials.com - Organic Essentials (cotton tampons)
http://www.jadeandpearl.com - Jade & Pearl (sponge tampons)
You can of course avoid the risks all together by using other menstrual options such as pads, softcups, menstrual cups or free-flow methods, of over twenty different menstrual options commercial tampons are the most harmful, most women I know have switched over to menstrual cups as they are safer, cleaner, greener, cheaper and more convenient than tampons.
Menstrual cups are plastic, rubber or silicone cups that are inserted into the vagina to collect blood for up to 12 hours, as the materials used to make them are not porous they don't absorb fluids or give bacteria a place to multiply, they allow the vagina to self-clean as it does normally.
Menstrual cups:
http://www.divacup.com - Divacup (silicone bell-shaped cup)
http://www.thekeeper.com - Keeper (rubber bell-shaped cup)
http://www.mooncup.co.uk - Mooncup (silicone bell-shaped cup)
http://www.ladycup.eu - Ladycup (silicone bell-shaped cup)
http://www.lunette.fi - Lunette (silicone bell-shaped cup)
http://www.softcup.com - Instead (plastic diaphragm-shaped cup)
* Other risks (cancer, endometriosis and dioxin):
During the 1990's it was exposed by the Women's Environmental Network (WEN - http://www.wen.org.uk ) that tampon manufacturers, along with other paper-product manufacturers such as pad and nappy manufacturers, were using chlorine gas bleaching, this was unnecessary as sanitary products do not need bleaching or chemical treatment, the result of this bleaching method was that products contained dioxin.
Dioxin is the most harmful toxin around, although naturally occurring in some cases there is no safe level of this toxin and tampon manufacturers were purposefully using manufacturing methods that put this into women's products. Furthermore this was an issue because the vagina is a major orifice of the body, as the vaginal walls are made up of mucosa (like skin, only without top protective layer) it leaves a more direct route for the toxin to enter into the body, where it stays within fatty body tissue.
Dioxin is linked to all sorts of illnesses, including but not limited to, cancer (particularly breast and ovarian cancers), infertility, misscarriage, birth defects and endometriosis. When people complained most manufacturers stopped using this bleaching method, but tampon manufacturers continued to use it until the government finally won their battle with the manufacturers and banned chlorine gas bleaching in the UK in November 1997.
Although chlorine gas bleaching is no longer used in the UK, tampon manufacturers still use oxygen gas bleaching, because of laws protecting companies trade secrets manufacturers do not need to tell their customers or the general public what chemicals are used - for all we know the chemicals still being used are just as harmful as the chemicals used in the 1990's. Many people pass this off as not possible, if they were that bad they wouldn't be sold, but look at TSS in the 80's and dioxin in the 90's, also look at the number of cancer-causing agents in most commercial toiletries or additives in cigarettes. Even if the chemicals used in this unnecessary treatment of tampons are not themselves dangerous they are still not chemicals found naturally within the vagina, as such they can radically affect vaginal pH and in turn vaginal flora i.e. bacteria and yeast.
* Menstrual problems:
Tampons can increase menstrual flow and menstrual cramps because the negative affect on vaginal health can in turn cause a negative affect on menstruation.
Tampons expand so add to the problem of bloating, some tampons such as Tampax are made in a way so that expand lengthways as well as widthways, meaning that they can expand into the already sensitive cervix making pains sharper and more painful.
The problem is there is still such a huge taboo around menstruation so a lot of people don't like to think about it, when you confront people with the issues involved many people simply cannot accept it because they have been told their whole life that these products are what should be used, that they are safe, and they have never questioned that. There were myths and rumors flying around about tampons containing asbestos, this was never true and when disproven people then started to assume any warnings about tampons were myth or just rumour so not true, but truth is that in reality the risks aren't that far off from myth. Some people have never even heard of other menstrual options let alone thought about trying any other menstrual product.
In my job I have had people outright abusive towards me because this is such a touchy subject, girls and women are simply uneducated but unfortunately because of these existing taboos it is difficult to educate them of the risks, even more difficult is the job some of us have in trying to get the government to step-in to improve education in schools and change laws surrounding manufacturing of such products, but we're getting there.
Tampon dangers:
http://www.spotsite.org - Spotsite tampons health web site.
http://cookiepuss.tripod.com/tampons.htm - Your tampons could be killing you.
http://www.frontiernet.net/%7Eruthb/Tamp... - Ruths endo page.
http://www.web.net/%7Ewilli/uspoltam.htm - The politics of tampons.
http://www.wen.org.uk/sanpro/reports/san... - Seeing red from WEN.
They are the major culprit for TSS (check out a good explanation here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxic_shock... ), but it is a very rare disease. If used correctly and for the right amount of time they are harmless.
Using tampons is more of a rite of passage. Women normally start using them when they get older, but the choice is yours. If you feel comfortable using them, then you should. I have been using them for 10+ years now with no problem.
Yes, you can get toxic shock syndrome. It's VERY rare though. Doesn't stop me from using them. Google it. I think there is a warning on most tampon boxes also.
yes there is a little booklet should come with a tampon box telling you how to use a tampon and the side effects and diseases try going on a tampon website they should supply the information
yes there are.When u buy a packet of tampons there is a leaflet inside that lists the side effects
only TSS and yeast infections and stuff but if ur careful, change them regularly, and wash ur hands before and after u put one in/take one out u will be fine! GOOD LUCK ;)
there are side effects and they are listed on the insert or the box. Talk with your doctor if you have any major concerns though.
TSS; Staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome
Definition
Toxic shock syndrome is a severe disease that involves fever, shock, and problems with the function of several body organs.
Causes
Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is caused by a toxin produced by certain types of Staphylococcus bacteria. (A similar syndrome, called toxic shock