Day 224- What Every Woman Should Know About Tampons

I had a request to write a blog on the dangers of tampons, which honestly was never a topic that I had considered addressing before. I know that tampons aren't the best choice, but as for convenience and comfort I had never questioned my choice. I briefly started to read around to see what thoughts there were on the subject, and I was blown away with what I found.

Thank you for suggesting such a controversial topic, as it has opened my eyes to what I have been putting in my body. Here I am completely health conscious to what I feed myself, the products that I use, and yet I had completely neglected to consider what I was putting into such a sensitive part of my body.

Although there have not been any independent studies published on the effects of tampons (all the studies have been provided by the actual companies), I was able to find some great information on the subject that hopefully will have you taking a second thought.

Here is a great short article written by Roni Bregman who at the time worked for a tampon manufacturer:

"I work for a tampon manufacturer and we sell 100% medical-grade cotton tampons for which the cotton has NOT been chlorine-bleached ergo, no dioxin. When we first began getting a lot of phone calls from a small story in SELF Magazine, we began doing a marketing survey. After talking to 4 women (all on the first day of our survey) who had suffered from Toxic Shock Syndrome, we added health questions to the survey. We were looking for subclinical cases of TSS, and asked women about all the possible symptoms of TSS. We found that 25% of women had suffered from 6 of the major TSS symptoms or more. (official rate is about 1.7%)

We asked about endometriosis -- and found that 12 to 15% of women had the diagnosis. I have read an Edana paper (Edana is the association of manufacturers of fluff pulp or rayon menstrual care products) that estimates endometriosis in about 15 to 30% of women.

We asked if any had Genital Warts- 10 to 12%

We asked if they had an abnormal PAP smear - 12 to 15%

We asked which brands of tampons they had used. This included Tampax, Playtex, O.B., Kotex, Generic or store brands, Cotton, or none.

After speaking to a minimum of 100 women per week for 10 weeks, we also put the survey up on our web site. This allowed us to reach over 3000 women.

Within two weeks, I began to notice that if a woman had genital warts or an abnormal pap smear, I just 'knew' which brand she was using. And, it holds up. Because of the item you published in your newsletter, I am still speaking to women and it still holds true.

98% of them are using tampons that expand lengthwise -- -usually Tampax. Tampax has about 58% of the market. So, if the link was just tampon use, it would be distributed just like the sales figures -- -58% Tampax, 10% OB, 20% Playtex, 7% Kotex, the rest Generic. Instead, we have 98% of the women with abnormal pap smears and genital warts using Tampax.

In my opinion (and I am NOT a medical professional), it is because they are in applicators. Women insert them as far as possible. They absorb blood and body fluids and expand up and past the cervix to one of the fornices. This rubs against the cervix and these abrasions from insertion and removal open paths for HPV to enter.

It does not help that women are eating, drinking, breathing and inserting tampons that contain dioxin (which are hormone disruptors). They are all estrogen rich -- -with consequences such as heavier periods. (The FDA is now looking at approving a SUPER PLUS PLUS absorbency for this condition.)"

In 1994 the first independent study was conducted on 100% cotton tampons by two New York University Medical Center researchers, Dr. Philip Tierno and Dr. Bruce Hanna. Their findings found that tampons containing synthetics amplified the production of the TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome)- causing toxin, whereas the all-cotton tampons produced no measurable toxins.

To back tract a bit to the 1980's, a tampon by Procter and Gamble named Rely was removed from the market due to a company memo that "disclosed that Rely tampons contained known cancer-causing agents and that the product altered the natural organisms found in the vagina." After the removal of Rely tampons carboxymethylcellulose, polyacrylate rayon ( a derivative of wood pulp) and polyester were outlawed in tampons, but viscous rayon can still be used. Today most tampons are made with rayon, conventional cotton, and undisclosed chemical fragrances. A list of ingredients found in tampons is not available to the public, since it is proprietary information.

Furthermore up until the mid-1990s chlorine had been used in the bleaching process of tampons, releasing dioxin (a known carcinogen) into women's vagina and uterus. More recently manufactures have switched to "elemental chlorine-free bleaching," reducing the production of dioxin. Although the FDA acknowledges that it may still generate dioxins at extremely low levels, which may still lead to developmental and immune problems, and birth defects.

"Some researchers believe that women who regularly use tampons have a greater health risk than anyone else in the world because they repeatedly expose their vaginal mucosa, which is extremely absorbent, to this terrible toxin (dioxin). Virtually anything you place on the tissue in the vagina will be absorbed. 24 hours a day direct tissue contact with tampons for up to 5 days every month, and even the more limited contact made by sanitary pads could cause a woman to absorb an excessive amount of dioxin, even if the levels in the production test out as relatively low. This may push women over the edge of what is considered a safe and exposure limit." - Laurie Lee

So we have tampons that may contain a known carcinogen, that may cause abrasions that could increase the chances of bacterial or other infections, and things that I haven't even mentioned yet, such as being a possible estrogen disruptor.

As a young adult I remember hearing a lot about Toxic Shock Syndrome, but that scare has seemed to dissipate, does that mean that TSS has dissipated as well? According to experts they attribute the drop in TSS cases to the termination of active surveillance by the Centers for Disease Control. Tom Riley, an attorney who represents victims of TSS states, "All experts agree that the number of TSS cases in the United States is under-reported. That is because reporting by the states to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is voluntary and most states are unwilling to incur the expense of gathering the data and submitting it to the CDC." In 1999 an article was published in USA Today stating that, "By CDC estimates 1,300 people get toxic shock syndrome each year. Half are related to tampons."

Although the data that I gathered is not the most recent studies or articles, it still has to make to stop and think about this issue because I highly doubt much has changed since then.

So what are some alternative options?
Tampax had reportedly manufactured a Tampax Naturals product, but it was pulled from the market for not being a big seller. If you are big on the convenience of disposables make sure to look for organic cotton pads and tampons that do not contain any synthetic materials. Although cotton has a downfall as well.

"Much of the cotton crop in the U.S. is now also genetically engineered, a fact that has some health advocates worried over long-term effects. The London-based Institute for Science in Society has warned that genetically engineered cotton in tampons and bandages could give rise to antibiotic-resistant bacteria." - the voice

Here is a list of other alternative options that I found on Dr. Mercola's webiste:

• GladRags: http://www.gladrags.com
• The Keeper: http://www.thekeeperinc.com
• Organic Essentials: http://www.organicessentials.com
• Natracare: http://www.natracare.com
• Lunapads: http://www.lunapads.com
• Terra Femme: http://www.web.net/terrafemme/
• Many Moons:
  

Here are some websites I suggest to learn more about the subject:

• Friend in Reach
• The Trouble with Tampons
• Mercola

Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP