TSS
Dovetailing on my most recent entry about the virtual journey through my history with menstruation and Feminism, I wanted to leave one last plea for my friends to consider switching to non-disposable feminine hygiene products. The main issue (because the risk is death) is that they're downright dangerous.
Paper products, especially tampons, pose a MAJOR health risk. Companies like Tampax like to downplay the seriousness of Toxic Shock Syndrome, but up to 99 percent of all TSS cases are associated with menstruating women using rayon-blend tampons. Companies have gotten the picture and are starting to offer alternative blends, but many women can unintentionally expose themselves to risks by inflicting tears on the sensitive lining of the vagina trying to properly load tampons with cardboard or plastic applicators.
People like to think that this was before the Internet, before magazines, before sex ed in schools. But women and girls are still dying because the products, themselves, are the risk. Last year, a young graphic artist to-be died from Toxic Shock Syndrome, due to her tampon use.
From the news:
TSS is caused by staphylococcus aureas, a virulent bacteria that needs blood and oxygen to live. Super absorbent tampons may be the culprit. If the tampons aren't changed every four to eight hours, there is a chance the staph begins to grow and, in turn, produces a deadly toxin that Amy's parents believe caused her body to shut down.
While TSS has been in the headlines for years, it's likely the number of cases are going to increase. Thanks to the increased concentration of hormones and pesticides in foods that have been linked with causing cells to mature more quickly, girls are menstruating at earlier ages, and this generation is more likely to use tampons than the ones before them.
As the older sister to an 11-year-old who just got her cycle this year, I'm very concerned about providing her with an alternative. Though I want to empower her to make the right choices for her body (and my daughter, when she crosses this bridge) I also want her to be aware she doesn't have to use products that are unnecessarily dangerous to her.
This is scary, scary stuff, because TSS in this form is totally preventable: just don't use tampons. If you have to, make sure you change it every four to six hours, or more if you have heavy flows or a predisposition to infection and illness. Monitor yourself for the signs, many of which mimic the flu.
Additional health concerns can be found here.
Paper products, especially tampons, pose a MAJOR health risk. Companies like Tampax like to downplay the seriousness of Toxic Shock Syndrome, but up to 99 percent of all TSS cases are associated with menstruating women using rayon-blend tampons. Companies have gotten the picture and are starting to offer alternative blends, but many women can unintentionally expose themselves to risks by inflicting tears on the sensitive lining of the vagina trying to properly load tampons with cardboard or plastic applicators.
People like to think that this was before the Internet, before magazines, before sex ed in schools. But women and girls are still dying because the products, themselves, are the risk. Last year, a young graphic artist to-be died from Toxic Shock Syndrome, due to her tampon use.
From the news:
TSS is caused by staphylococcus aureas, a virulent bacteria that needs blood and oxygen to live. Super absorbent tampons may be the culprit. If the tampons aren't changed every four to eight hours, there is a chance the staph begins to grow and, in turn, produces a deadly toxin that Amy's parents believe caused her body to shut down.
While TSS has been in the headlines for years, it's likely the number of cases are going to increase. Thanks to the increased concentration of hormones and pesticides in foods that have been linked with causing cells to mature more quickly, girls are menstruating at earlier ages, and this generation is more likely to use tampons than the ones before them.
As the older sister to an 11-year-old who just got her cycle this year, I'm very concerned about providing her with an alternative. Though I want to empower her to make the right choices for her body (and my daughter, when she crosses this bridge) I also want her to be aware she doesn't have to use products that are unnecessarily dangerous to her.
This is scary, scary stuff, because TSS in this form is totally preventable: just don't use tampons. If you have to, make sure you change it every four to six hours, or more if you have heavy flows or a predisposition to infection and illness. Monitor yourself for the signs, many of which mimic the flu.
Additional health concerns can be found here.