Organic Cotton Tampons Don't Protect You From Toxic Shock Syndrome

A new study challenges the idea that cotton tampons and menstrual cups are less risky than traditional tampons when it comes to TSS.

 Toxic shock syndrome is rare. Be vigilant but not alarmed

The disease was first detected in children in 1978, but gained notoriety in the 1980s and 90s when it was found to be associated with tampon use in menstruating women, especially young women. But it should be stressed that anyone with a Staph or Strep infection can potentially develop TSS, including children, older women and men. It can for instance result from cuts or burns on the skin, recent surgery, viral infections or recreational intravenous drug use. Very rarely, it has been associated with use of the contraceptive diaphragm during menstruation and the menstrual cup.

 Using super-absorbent tampons when your period is light could lead to toxic shock syndrome

The benefit of using a smaller tampon is that you will naturally have to change it more frequently, whereas you might falsely assume you can leave a larger tampon in for longer periods of time, which may then up your chances that bacteria will grow on the tampon and enter your bloodstream, explains Dr. Bohn.

How Much Should I Worry About Toxic Shock Syndrome Symptoms If I Use Tampons?

It’s incredibly rare, affecting less than one out of every 100,000 people in the U.S. And if you use your tampons properly, your risk of developing TSS is no higher than that of a man who’s never had a period or used a tampon to staunch anything other than a bad nosebleed.

'I nearly died from toxic shock syndrome and never used a tampon'

TSS can kill but it doesn't just affect people who menstruate - as these people found out. Today, non-menstrual related TSS is actually more common in the UK than menstrual-related, which means it can also affect men and even children.

A confirmed case of toxic shock syndrome associated with the use of a menstrual cup

The present article documents the first case of toxic shock syndrome associated with the use of a menstrual cup in a woman 37 years of age, using a menstrual cup for the first time. Toxic shock syndrome and the literature on menstrual cups is reviewed and a possible mechanism for the development of toxic shock syndrome in the patient is described.

Everyone Calm Down About Chemicals In Tampons

Statements about toxic chemicals from companies like Seventh Generation and Honest are marketing tactics disguised as activism and consumer advocacy.

Is Toxic Shock Syndrome on the Rise Among Young Women?

Barring updated research, it's difficult to pinpoint exactly how common TSS is today, but the recently reported cases show that it's certainly not obsolete.

Is Toxic Shock Syndrome Real? 5 Questions About TSS, Answered

So it pays to start from the beginning, ensuring we have all the information we need to prevent Lauren Wasser's tragedy from happening to another innocent woman. Here are the facts you need to know about TSS.

Teen Dies from Toxic Shock Syndrome. Why Is It Linked to Tampons?

It's important to note that tampons aren't the only cause of TSS and that the condition doesn't affect only women using tampons; men, children and postmenopausal women can develop the syndrome as well. Other risk factors for TSS include skin infections, surgical wounds, burns, childbirth and the use of packings to stop nosebleeds, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Today, about half of TSS cases are in menstruating women.

Toxic Shock Syndrome Awareness

Maxim Hygiene is pleased to announce our first call to action amongst women everywhere to learn about and help with You ARE Loved, a developing non-profit committed to educating women about Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS). You ARE Loved was started by this month’s Fierce Woman, Lisa Elifritz, after her daughter, Amy, passed away from TSS at 20 years old.

Toxic Shock Syndrome Doesn’t Result From Just Tampon Use. Here’s What You Should Know.

Toxic shock syndrome develops as a rare complication of a bacterial infection, either from toxins created by the Staphylococcus aureus (staph) or group A streptococcus (strep) bacteria. Men, women, and children who have had recent surgery or a recent deep wound or skin infection should be cognizant of the symptoms.

Toxic Shock Syndrome – What Every Woman Should Know

In spite of the fact that TSS warnings are on every tampon box and a TSS pamphlet within, teens and young women are developing tampon related Toxic Shock Syndrome and many are dying from it. If you use traditional tampons, or know someone who does, please continue reading. What follows may well save your life, or the life of someone you know and love.

Toxic Shock Syndrome: It’s Not Just About Tampons

It’s true that TSS, a complication of bacterial infections, has been associated with tampon use, but it doesn’t only happen in women and you don’t need to stop using tampons...

Toxic Shock Syndrome; What You Need to Know

Most of us have heard of Toxic Shock Syndrome at one point or another. It’s a big, scary name for a mysterious illness that many of us don’t fully understand.