French researchers conducted a study on more than 180 women, some of whom had been victims of a toxic shock. They recommend reinforcing prevention messages on wearing tampons.
- About twenty women in France are victims each year of a toxic shock due to the use of a tampon.
- The risk is often linked to misuse, hence the importance of better information for young women
Between 60 and 80% of French women wear tampons. Each year, about twenty women are victims of a toxic shock related to their use. In January, a young Belgian woman died of it. To better avoid these tragic cases, a French research team analyzed the risk factors. Scientists from Inserm, CNRS, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 and ENS Lyon published their results on March 10 in the journal EClinical Medicine.
A syndrome linked to misuse
Toxic shock syndrome is the consequence of the presence of a bacterium, Staphylococcus aureus, in the vaginal microbiota, which produces a toxin called TSST-1. “Nevertheless, the presence of this bacterium is not enough in itself to explain the toxic shock, specify the researchers, in a press release on the Inserm website. The woman must also wear intravaginal protection (tampon, menstrual cup, etc.) and must be free of antibodies capable of fighting against the TSST1 toxin. The fact that some women combine these three risk factors but do not develop any complications, however, suggests that it is not so much wearing a tampon that is problematic, but rather its misuse.
The objective of the research was to better define the level of risk according to use. The study gathered nearly 200 women, whose median age was 17 years old: 55 of them suffered from a toxic shock between 2011 and 2016, and 126 constituted the control group. All responded to a questionnaire on their use of the tampon, their reading of the instructions included in the boxes and the advice they had received on this subject.
Better inform young girls
“In the United States, the FDA recommends not to exceed eight hours of use, and this is generally what is indicated on the boxes of tampons coming to France”, explains Gérard Lina, director of the study. In this new research, the data collected attest to an increased risk when wearing the tampon for longer: if it lasts more than six hours, the risk of toxic shock syndrome is multiplied by two, by three when exceeds eight hours. “We want to draw attention to the need to improve the education of young girls, adds the director of the study. Often, it is the mothers who take care of it, and if they are quite capable of explain the use of tampons to their daughters, they are not always well informed about the risk of toxic shock and how to prevent it.”
[#communiqué] What are the risk factors for menstrual toxic shock syndrome? New study shows misuse of tampons can be problematic
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— Inserm (@Inserm) March 10, 2020
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