What you don’t know about Menstrual Pads and Tampons

Most of us use tampons and sanitary napkins without worrying about safety. We’re more concerned with problems like leaking and odors, having to change every couple of hours, stains on clothing, or the embarrassing bulge that shows up under our pants when a pad slips or slides. We assume that, despite the inconvenience and the mess, the products are as safe as possible and we’re not putting our health at risk...and we could be dangerously wrong.

Can your sanitary pad make you sick?

The materials used in their napkins may not be as safe as we think. They’re known to cause vaginal irritation and infection, fever, itchy skin, cervical and endometrial inflammation, occasional vaginal discharge, and hot or painful sensations. These symptoms may be further aggravated by the bleaches and other chemicals used to slow down the growth of bacteria and make menstrual pads look white and appealing.

Are tampons any safer?

Tampons pose an even greater risk because they’re inserted into our bodies and can expose users to a variety of ills including Toxic Shock Syndrome. According to the CDC, 60% of TSS fatalities happen in women ages 15 to 24, although women of all ages are at risk. Once you suffer TSS, you’re more likely to suffer miscarriages, loss of limbs and hair, severe organ damage and miscarriages. The connection between tampons and TSS was first publicized in 1977. High-absorbency tampons were the culprit because they remained in the body long enough to become a breeding ground for bacteria. Women fell ill, lawsuits followed and manufacturers stopped making the improved absorbency tampons for almost ten years. But the demand for a tampon with staying power kept growing, women wanted better protection, and once again “ultra” and “super absorbent” products were available on drug store shelves. That’s why television and magazine ads promise us hours and hours of protection, but the the packaging and directions warn us to remove the tampon after just a few hours.

How clean is clean?

The skin covering the vagina is less than 1/10th of an inch thick. Whatever is on your sanitary pad or your tampon will probably end up in your bloodstream.

In November 2013, the world’s largest manufacturer of tampons had to recall its best selling product because the plastic insertion tubes were found to harbor Enterobacter sakazakii, responsible for vaginal infections, urinary tract infections, pelvic inflammatory disease or other potentially life-threatening infections.

Just one year earlier, a young woman in Texas who was starting her period opened a fresh box of tampons. She decided to take a look at the tampon itself…the part that’s usually hidden away inside the applicator. This is what she saw. When she contacted the manufacturer, she was told not to worry and assured that the mold was not oncommon and, while unsightly, carried “no health risk.” However, a day or so later, the product was recalled and another spokesperson contacted her with a more disturbing reply: “In (our spokesperson’s) eagerness to get back to your e-mail right away, she unfortunately sent you incorrect information concerning this issue…we want to do a full investigation to determine the source...”

The chemical controversy

To prevent this kind of mold and discoloration, tampons are treated with a cocktail of bleaches and chemicals that are known to have unwanted side effect. Even before the material hits the factory, it is generally sprayed with pesticides. Chlorine and other disinfection-by-products (DBPs) such as trihalomethane are used to whiten and prevent discoloration. All can cause illness and damage to internal organs.

Ten years ago, Environmental Health Perspectives found that the best selling tampon brands contained dioxin. In 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency officially warned us that this chemical collects in our fatty tissues, and has no “safe" level of exposure. Even low or trace levels can be linked to damaged reproductive organs, abnormal cell growth, disruption of the hormonal and endocrine systems, and suppression of the immune system. This is not news to the big pharmaceutical companies.

Tampons, pads and menstrual cups retain body fluids in a warm environment, so odors caused by bacterial build up are always present. Chemicals including polyester, adhesives, polyethylene (PET), polypropylene, and propylene glycol (PEG), are used to keep odors down and are linked to hormone disruption, cancer, birth defects, dryness, and infertility. On top of that, conventional tampons usually contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). These are very controversial because there are no long-range studies to tell us what problems they can cause after years of use.

Lack of essential information

Did you know that in the United States alone, 85 million women, almost half the population, regularly use menstrual protection products, spending nearly $3 billion per year. That’s adds up to a whopping 12 billion menstrual napkins with or without wings, thick or thin, ‘light day’ pads, panty liners and maxi-pads, and over 7 million junior, regular, super and super-plus tampons, with or without applicators, designed for every type of menstrual flow, in all sorts of shapes and sizes, perfumed or fragrance free, and chemically bleached to an unnatural whiteness to assure us of their safety and cleanliness. And we need to buy them over and over again, every 28 days, for most of our adult lives. What other product has such a large and recurring consumer group? You’d think with something that is so essential to women we’d know everything about them and how they’re made. We don’t.

Why aren’t we are of all the risks and dangers? Why is information so hard to find? The answer is simple: the law allows manufacturers to keep the process secret. According to the FDA, sanitary napkins and tampons are medical devices, so no listing of components needs to be provided to consumers. The only warnings you’ll find are those required to protect the makers against law suits

Nobody knows much about products that women have used since the beginning of the last century. The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database which offers detailed rating assessments for the toxic potential of more than 80,000 consumer products on the market doesn’t even have a category for pads and/or tampons.

The manufacturers don’t want the information to leak out, and until now, women haven’t been asking many questions. “I think the question of how toxic [feminine care products] might be is one of those things that is not talked about because there is such a mystique around the vagina,” says Ogonnaya Dotson-Newman, Director of Environmental Health at WE ACT for Environmental Justice. “It’s highly taboo and something that’s not supposed to be discussed in polite company.”

Why take risks?

The good news is, things are changing. Those old school pads and tampons are the dinosaurs of the menstrual protection world. Women are more concerned about their bodies, more careful about exposing themselves to toxic risks. Maybe it’s time to think about changing from the kind of sanitary products our grandmothers used to something new and effective, something that does away with medical concerns, and doesn’t have a have a secret downside.

PantiePads and UndiePads give you the protection you need, the carefree confidence you want, and the high-absorbency that’s essential for today’s busy women. Comfortable, lightweight and stylish, you can’t tell them from your favorite panties, but the patented pad will show you why smart women choose this remarkable breakthrough…the only menstrual period underwear that you can wear for up to 12 hours, all day or all night long, without any health risks, and without the slightest worry about odor, leaks, stains or embarrassing bulges.