Dr. Michael Polsinelli, January 24, 2025
Recently, a patient asked me if she could have me muscle test the tampons she used. She suspected that they were causing her vaginal irritation, which was worse right after her period. I admitted to her that I had never considered tampons themselves as a possible irritant. Toxic shock syndrome can occur when a tampon is left in for too long, allowing bacteria to grow. Tampons can also physically stick to the vaginal wall, which can cause microabrasions, allowing bacteria to enter the bloodstream. But I hadn’t considered the actual tampon as a vector for toxic exposure.
According to Tampex, their tampons are made from cotton, rayon, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, glycerin, paraffin, ethoxylated fatty acid esters, PEG-100 Stearate, and titanium dioxide—o.b. has a similar list, replacing ethoxylated fatty acid esters with fatty acid polyglycol ester, and with some tampons replacing PEG-100 Stearate with plant derived oil.
None of these ingredients are listed as even a moderate hazard in the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep® cosmetic database. This is not to say that the ingredients are 100% safe for everyone. Polypropylene can be an allergen and a trigger for immunotoxicity, especially if inhaled.
I started to think about the manufacturing process and the machinery used to create tampons. Could that be a vector for contamination, such as the lubricants to keep the machines functioning correctly?
In August 2024, the journal Environment International published a study that found metals in all the tampons tested in the survey. Scientists from the University of California, Berkeley, found lead in all thirty tampons sampled from 14 manufacturers, including organic and non-organic tampons. They also found other metals, including arsenic, cadmium, nickel, copper, and iron.
The study’s lead author, Jenni Shearston, Ph.D., called for more studies to determine whether these metals can leach out of tampons and, if so, what the health effects are. She also urged people not to panic. Other scientists are calling on the FDA to start testing for toxins in menstrual products.
At this point, I don’t recommend patients change their routine unless they notice irritations. If they do, pads or menstrual cups may be a good solution.
Muscle testing showed that my patient’s tampons were at least contributing to her irritations. I don’t know if she was reacting to a metal contaminant, if she was sensitive to one of the regular ingredients, or if there was some other issue that caused it to show weakening to her. She was relieved to confirm her suspicion but also irritated at the need to find an alternative.
