Our tampons are going to kill us...yeah right.

[Cirrus]

I don't even know how I ended up at some of the sites I did last night, I think I was browsing some women's health site and got on the topic from there.

What sites? These:

http://www.lunapads.com/
http://www.web.net/terrafemme/
http://www.byteserve.com.au/EcoYarn/

You get the general idea of what I'm getting at. Our tampons are going to kill us with dioxins, TSS, rayon and whatever else. Yeah, TSS is real, but one of those sites or another said there were only eight cases reported last year, and men, kids and women who are not menstuating can get it.

Do you really think regular Tampax and Playtex tampons are that dangerous? If they were, how come so many of us can use them without any problems?

 

[Closet Desire]

thought...

...you might find this interesting.

There's been a scare letter/report going around for years about how tampons are loaded with dioxins/asbestos etc. It's such a big issue that the government has it's own web site.

http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/ocd/tamponsabs.html

Naw...I don't use 'em, but I had to research it for a client who was terrified of the email she received.

 

[Cirrus]

I remember seeing that a while ago. Sounds like something Todd would say. I'm all for using natural and unprocessed things when they're a better alternative, but if standard tampons were so dangerous, I wouldn't think they'd still be on the market.

 

[KillerMuffin]

I believe it's called Reyes Syndrome. Some women who use tampons can go into a toxic shock of some sort. I did know of a woman who did that. She apparently lost a hand and foot, but gained an undisclosed some about 11 million dollars. She was in the papers for months.

Yes, your tampons can hurt you. I don't know what the odds are that you can get Reyes Syndrome from tampons, but I have a feeling your just as likely to get hit by a bus.

Don't pooh pooh information just because it's against a product you lik.e

 

[Cirrus]

I'm not poo-pooing information because it's a product I like, I'm poo-pooing it because there are some people who exaggerate that information and turn it into a conspiracy claim. It's called Toxic Shock Syndrome...Reyes Syndrome is what kids who have the flu or chicken pox can get after taking aspirin.

Yes, you can get TSS from using a tampon, but you can also get it if you don't. The odds are so miniscule I think it's worth the risk. The urban legend going around that they put asbestos in tampons to increase menstrual bleeding and thereby sell more tampons is insane. The FDA has to analyze just about everything we take or use on our bodies, and the chances of it being a giant conspiracy are about the same as getting TSS.

The people that rush in and say anything not organic/natural is bad are the ones who latch onto a work like "dioxins" and run with it just to perpetuate their viewpoint.

 

[Angel]

Yes, you can get TSS from using a tampon, but you can also get it if you don't.

I always thought it just increased the risk, not caused it. Maybe I should go read the tampon insert and see.

Someone also told me tampons could increase the risk of endometriosis, but I don't know if that is true or not.

 

[KillerMuffin]

Hey, that's me. I know just enough to be truly dangerous, but not enough to be informed.

 

[Quiet Smiles]

My sis-in-law got TSS

About 14 years ago, my sister-in-law became very ill. She went to the family dr., and it just so happened that the nurses in the office had recently attended a workshop on Toxic Shock Syndrome. They immediately recognized that she had it, and got her to the hospital right away. She survived it, but could have died they told her. The nurses/dr. told her if they hadn't just been to that workshop, they wouldn't have figured out that's what she had - saved her life. I think the key on using tampons safely is to change them often - you can't leave them in for too many hours in a row (that's what they told her).

 

[morninggirl5]

I always thought it just increased the risk, not caused it. Maybe I should go read the tampon insert and see.

Someone also told me tampons could increase the risk of endometriosis, but I don't know if that is true or not.

Endometriosis has nothing to do with tampon use. Women who suffer from endometriosis have endometrial tissue (it's the lining of the uterus) adhering to other parts of the body. This site has an excellent FAQ on endometriosis. http://www.femhealthtoday.com/endometriosis.html

 

[Angel]

I know what Endo is.


But I've heard somewhere (I think someone told me once) that there could be a possible connection to the Dioxins in tampons to causing the condition. I don't think this has been documented in a human though.

I didn't say it was true, but who knows? I don't know if all the articles I dug up today are bullshit or paranoia. I'm not a medical expert. I do know that Endometriosis is still fairly mysterious as to what all of its causes are.


Most likely it isn't true, and if it is, the chances are probably about as likely as TSS, but it would be nice to know about it.

http://www.web.apc.org/terrafemme/dioxin.filiano.htm

 

[morninggirl5]

I guess it's time to reread the warning in the tampons. I did the first time I ever bought a box, then my Mother (she's a nurse) told me that the incidence of TSS was so rare and not to worry about it. Since then, I throw the thing away as soon as I open the box.

The dioxins causing problems only makes sense if the concentration is great enough for them to be released from the tampon and absorbed into your blood. That would require a lot of liquid in the tampon so changing them frequently still seems to be the best prevention.

 

[Guest]

If you read the insert, it will tell you to change your tampon often and use the lowest level of absorbency to control your flow that you can to reduce your risk of TSS.

Time for one of my favorite thread links:

http://www.literotica.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=12675&perpage=20&pagenumber=1

Just because you can use tampons and stay healthy doesn't mean that some of the alternatives aren't better. I never use tampons, only the Keeper.

 

[Cheyenne]

Hey, how come I was unregistered??? That was me up there for you that didn't already figure it out.

 

[Angel]

Cheyenne? That you?


Actually I just ordered one last week. Be proud.

 

[Siren]

You gotta pull the damn thing out every once in a while

 

[Cheyenne]

Cheyenne? That you?


Actually I just ordered one last week. Be proud.

hehe... I knew many of you would recognize me from the content of the post even if I screwed up and my name wasn't on it.

You're going to like it, Angel. I have no doubt. The hardest part is getting women past the "ick" factor. But once you have used it for a few cycles and are comfortable with it, I think it is actually much neater/cleaner than either tampons or pads. And for me, I can usually go the maximum 12 hours without having to empty it so I really can forget that I'm having my period.

 

[Laurel]

I use tampons when I'm swimming or wearing something that precludes a pad, but I'm weird about using them too often. I HAVE forgotten they were there and left them in - not for days, but for a few hours more than you're supposed to - and it scares me. Not to be nasty, but the vagina is a perfect breeding ground for all sorts of bacteria, yeasts, and other little buggers. Leaving any kind of foreign body - especially a spongy, absorbent one - in for any length of time just seems like asking for P.I.D.

Yes, I know - I'm mega-paranoid. No, I don't soak my toothbrush in bleach before every use. But the possibilities worry me too much for me to be a carefree tampon user like some of my friends. It's a shame, because pads are annoying to wear. Ah well...

 

[Angel]

Great. Me and my body are well past any possible ick factors.

I should be fine, and if I'm not I know where to whine.

 

[Kasha]

Endo...

I have endometriosis and I had used tampons since I had started my period. When I finally was diagnosed correctly my doctor told me to switch to tampons and although I still have pain and have surgery for it usually once a year, I have noticed that just using a pad now has decreased the pain quite a bit. I am sure it is healthier to ...well as ya'll are putting it.. Let it flow...

 

[PacificBlue]

OK...I'm going to be gross here so if your a man or a woman who grosses out easily....back of out the thread now..................





























I used pads when I first got my period and no matter what kind I tried, I leaked. I swear somebody let the damn free all at once. I use tampons because it seems to be the only thing that works and even then I have to use the highest absorbency. I still leak sometimes and I only leave them in for a couple of hours. Does anybody else have this problem or is it just me? On the toxic shock thing...I think this is rare. I ALWAYS change my tampons frequently and never leave them in longer that what's recommended on the box.

 

[LadyDarkFire]

There is actually a disposable product like the Keeper available that is called Instead. It has all the same benefits, but you don't have to rinse it out and reuse (handy for places where it is hard to rinse it out, or you can't be too sure how clean the area is) and comes in pouches that are fairly small.

 

[Debbie]

I too use tampons all the time, ahem, I know that the little instruction sheet tells us about TSS and it sounds so gross but I detest pads and the organic tampons cost a fortune!

Sometimes it must be easier to be a man and not have to worry about these things.

 

[Closet Desire]

peace of mind...

...the site I posted from the FDA basically says that the manufacturing process has been modified over the years and that the chemical group known as "dioxins" includes many different forms. The ones used are not the same ones which cause problems like cancer and, even in that case, the levels in routine samples taken by the FDA are below detectable.

 

[Cheyenne]

There is actually a disposable product like the Keeper available that is called Instead. It has all the same benefits, but you don't have to rinse it out and reuse (handy for places where it is hard to rinse it out, or you can't be too sure how clean the area is) and comes in pouches that are fairly small.

I have an almost full box of those Instead things in my bathroom- anyone want them? For me, they leak. It isn't the same as the Keeper, although the principle is the same. Instead is more like a disposable diaphram. The Keeper is harder to describe, but it is worn lower in the vagina. The Keeper is also much cheaper- those Instead things are EXPENSIVE. For about the cost of 5 boxes of Instead (from what I remember) you can buy the Keeper which will last for 10 years before needing to be replaced.