Have you seen this about tampons?

[natalieplusone]

Oh no i use tampons!

www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/28/toxic-pesticide-levels-found-in-tampons-40-times-higher-than-legal-limit-for-water

This is absolutely shocking. I have used them for my whole life and am well past menopause now. There needs to be a lawsuit started by anybody whose health is affected adversely regarding this. I used to think that we lived in a country who kept us safe from things like this and placed my trust in their health and safety protocols. Sadly, no longer.

While that sounds worrying, is it actually dangerous? Can it be absorbed from tampons in dangerous quantities?

Not sure at all. It's awful
to
think of this and yes it needs to be addressed immediately. I wonder if there are any tampons that are organic or free from pesticides as an alternative.

Flo tampons say they don't have these chemicals in. I wonder if the brand Tampax are the culprit.

www.hereweflo.co/blogs/the-vagenius-diaries/flos-response-to-the-recent-report-of-toxic-pesticides-found-in-tampons

What is best alternative - a moon cup? Might convert

Moon cups are great - i used to get Thrush all the time but it stopped once I stopped using tampons (Tampax). Wonder if it was from the chemicals! I thought it was from the dryness but maybe not. Or maybe from both. Much cheaper and more natural to use a cup - cleaner on your insiders too as it’s just silicone, no cotton that might leave fluff or chemicals or whatever. Can be messy but you get used to it and helps to know how your flow is. Plus you’re not polluting the planet!

😮

I just use organic tampons (Natracare).
https://www.natracare.com/blog/tampon-study-shows-toxic-pesticides/

Unfortunately childbirth and ageing don’t make everyone a suitable candidate for a menstrual cup. Was fine pre kids, distinctly not fine post kids even after pelvic floor physio. I end up in agony after a few hours.

Horrible, but probably almost everything we use is similar. Just look at the food we consume

Period pants

I swapped to the mooncup about 20 years ago. Tampons always made me feel unwell with worse period symptoms - draggy thigh pain, nausea, grim odour, vaginal ache, abdominal pressure on top of the usual period pain - I wanted to try something different that would also be better for the environment.

I was convinced within days that I had done the right thing. Yes, I still had the usual abdominal cramps but all the other symptoms never re-appeared. It was liberating.

I also never had leakage despite having heavier periods as I neared peri-menopause.

I put all my unpleasant symptoms down to the tampons. It’s really not that difficult to understand that these perfectly white bundles of cotton have been through so much chemical bleaching to get them the colour they are - there’s no way we should be putting them inside us.

I’ve bought moon cups over the years for all my family and friends - some I’ve managed to convert, some not. They don’t like the thought of using it but maybe reading the article linked above will help them decide.

Hoooolllld on. If you go to the organisation’s own website about this, they say they tested 15 boxes of tampons and highlight particularly high levels of the pesticide in one of them. It doesn’t say what they found in the other 14 boxes.

If they want to protect women’s health, why not say which were the brands with lower levels so people can choose?

This feels like a piece of ‘research’ used selectively to support a particular campaign message, rather than something that should dictate what we put up our fanjos.

I used a moon cup for years it was fab. Now I use period pant, they are easier but I don’t feel as clean

That's terrible. I've never got on with tampons though. I prefer pads and DD uses period knickers.

I switched to a mooncup 15 years ago due to an evangelical friend. I use a softcup now, which is more comfy for me. I'd never go back to tampons because my experience was that my periods were more painful and lasted longer with tampons.

Do people still use tampons? Madness. Mooncup or period pants surely? I don’t know anyone who still uses disposable period products.
I’ve used a mooncup for about 15 years. Used a tampon once or twice when desperate and god they are vile.

Yes, in the rare times I was caught short, I’d use a tampon and always, always felt grim. Symptoms returned.

I was really shocked by this too. I’m going to choose organic cotton in bleached ones next time. I can’t use mooncup due to prolapse.

Exactly this - why are they withholding this information?

There’s also been concerns raised previously about period pants due to high levels of silver and other chemicals. This article is older - I’d be interested to see the latest research on it
www.theguardian.com/society/2023/nov/13/high-silver-levels-some-period-pants-could-pose-health-risk-study

I’ve used tampons since i was 15. I’ve had no issues with extra pain ,feeling worse or longer periods. I’ve been really lucky with my periods tbh v straightforward with minimal discomfort mostly.

Of course it’s worrying reading things like this but it doesn’t surprise me women are never high up in research priorities are we. Didn’t they find something else in tampons and towels a while back? Maybe it was the same study. I’ve not read it.

Lawsuit for what?

Actual research with judgement by a professional.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-06-glyphosate-tampons-indication-residues-health.html

You will note in the article shared there’s no actual risk identified. It’s a cleverly written article to imply risk by making comparators between two things that are not like for like. If you drink water you are ingesting the chemical directly and would be doing consistently and persistently. Inserting a tampon is not the same thing at all.

Was there not something a while back about dangerous chemicals found in period pants I also? I think it was the in the US but I don't trust the ones here either.

The majority of people still use disposal period products.