Tampon


A tampon is a feminine hygiene product designed to absorb the menstrual flow by insertion into the vagina during menstruation. Once inserted correctly, a tampon is held in place by the vagina and expands as it soaks up menstrual blood. The majority of tampons sold are made of rayon, or a blend of rayon and cotton as well as synthetic fibers. Tampons are available in several absorbency ratings.
The average woman may use approximately 11,400 tampons in her lifetime.
Several countries regulate tampons as medical devices. In the United States, they are considered to be a Class II medical device by the Food and Drug Administration. They are sometimes used for hemostasis in surgery.

Design and packaging

Tampon design varies between companies and across product lines in order to offer a variety of applicators, materials and absorbencies. There are two main categories of tampons based on the way of insertion - digital tampons inserted by finger and applicator tampons. Tampon applicators may be made of plastic or cardboard, and are similar in design to a syringe. The applicator consists of two tubes, an "outer", or barrel, and "inner", or plunger. The outer tube has a smooth surface to aid insertion and sometimes comes with a rounded end that is petaled.
The two main differences are in the way the tampon expands when in use; applicator tampons generally expand axially, while digital tampons will expand radially. Most tampons have a cord or string for removal. The majority of tampons sold are made of rayon, or a blend of rayon and cotton. Organic cotton tampons are made from only 100% cotton.

Absorbency ratings

Tampons are available in several absorbency ratings, which are consistent across manufacturers in the U.S. These differ in the amount of cotton in each product and are measured based on the amount of fluid they are able to absorb:
Absorbency ratings outside the US may be different. The majority of non-US manufacturers use absorbency rating and recommended by .
DropletsGramsAlternative size description
1 droplet< 6
2 droplets6–9Mini
3 droplets9–12Regular
4 droplets12–15Super
5 droplets15–18
6 droplets18–21

A piece of test equipment referred to as a Syngina is usually used to test absorbency. The machine uses a condom into which the tampon is inserted, and synthetic menstrual fluid is fed into the test chamber.

Toxic shock syndrome

Menstrual toxic shock syndrome is a life-threatening disease caused by super antigen-producing Staphylococcus aureus. Incidence ranges from 0.03 to 0.50 cases per 100,000 people, with an overall mortality around 8%.
Toxic shock syndrome was named by Dr. James K. Todd in 1978. Dr. Philip M. Tierno Jr., Director of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology at the NYU Langone Medical Center, helped determine that tampons were behind toxic shock syndrome cases in the early 1980s. Tierno blames the introduction of higher-absorbency tampons made with rayon in 1978, as well as the relatively recent decision by manufacturers to recommend that tampons can be worn overnight, for increased incidences of toxic shock syndrome. However, a later meta-analysis found that the absorbency and chemical composition of tampons are not directly correlated to the incidence of toxic shock syndrome, whereas oxygen and carbon dioxide content of menstrual fluid uptake is associated more strongly.
In 1982, a liability case called Kehm v. Proctor & Gamble took place, where the family of Patricia Kehm sued Proctor & Gamble for her death on September 6, 1982 from TSS, while using Rely Tampons. The case was the first successful case to sue the company. Proctor & Gamble paid $300,000 in compensatory damages to the Kehm family. This case can be attributed to the increase in regulations and safety protocol testing for current FDA requirements.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration suggests the following guidelines for decreasing the risk of contracting TSS when using tampons:
Those with a history of TSS should not use tampons, and should instead turn to other feminine hygiene products to control menstrual flow.
Cases of tampon-connected TSS are very rare in the United Kingdom and United States. A now disproven study by Tierno found that all-cotton tampons were less likely to produce the conditions in which TSS can grow. This was done using a direct comparison of 20 brands of tampons, including conventional cotton/rayon tampons and 100% organic cotton tampons from Natracare. In a series of studies conducted after this initial claim, it was shown that all tampons are similar in their effect on TSS and that tampons made with rayon do not have an increased incidence of TSS. Instead, tampons should be selected based on minimum absorbency rating necessary to absorb flow corresponding to the individual.
Sea sponges are also marketed as menstrual hygiene products. A 1980 study by the University of Iowa found that commercially sold sea sponges contained sand, grit, and bacteria. Hence, sea sponges could also potentially cause toxic shock syndrome.
Studies have shown non-significantly higher mean levels of mercury in tampon users compared to non tampon users. No evidence showed an association between tampon use and inflammation biomarkers.

Other uses

Clinical use

Tampons are currently being used and tested to restore and/or maintain the normal microbiota of the vagina to treat bacterial vaginosis. Some of these are available to the public but come with disclaimers. The efficacy of the use of these probiotic tampons has not been established.
Tampons have also been used in cases of tooth extraction to reduce post-extraction bleeding.

Environment and waste

Appropriate disposal of used tampons is still lacking in many countries. Because the lack of menstrual management practices in some countries, most women dispose their sanitary pads or other menstrual products into domestic solid wastes or garbage bins that eventually becomes part of a solid wastes.
The issue that underlies the governance or implementation of menstrual waste management is how country categorizes menstrual waste. This waste could be considered as a common household waste, hazardous household waste, biomedical waste given amount of blood it contains, or plastic waste given the plastic content in many commercial disposal pads.
Ecological impact varies according to disposal method. Factors such as tampon composition will likewise impact sewage treatment plants or waste processing. The average woman may use approximately 11,400 tampons in her lifetime. Tampons are made of cotton, rayon, polyester, polyethylene, polypropylene, and fiber finishes. Aside from the cotton, rayon and fiber finishes, these materials are not bio-degradable. Organic cotton tampons are biodegradable, but must be composted to ensure they break down in a reasonable amount of time. Rayon was found to be more biodegradable than cotton.
Environmentally friendly alternatives to using tampons are the menstrual cup, reusable sanitary pads, menstrual sponges, reusable tampons, and reusable absorbent underwear.
The Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm carried out a life cycle assessment comparison of the environmental impact of tampons and sanitary pads. They found that the main environmental impact of the products was in fact caused by the processing of raw materials, particularly LDPE – or the plastics used in the backing of pads and tampon applicators, and cellulose production. As production of these plastics requires a lot of energy and creates long-lasting waste, the main impact from the life cycle of these products is fossil fuel use, though the waste produced is significant in its own right.
The menstrual material was disposed according to the type of product, and even based on cultural beliefs.this was done regardless of giving any importance to the and location and proper techniques of disposal. In some areas, women dispose their menstrual waste into pit latrines as burning and burial were difficult due to limited privacy space. The reason behind that is it was to avoid being seen by men or it also could have been used in witchcraft.

History

Women have used tampons during menstruation for thousands of years. In her book Everything You Must Know About Tampons, Nancy Friedman writes, "There is evidence of tampon use throughout history in a multitude of cultures. The oldest printed medical document, Papyrus Ebers, refers to the use of soft papyrus tampons by Egyptian women in the 15th century BCE. Roman women used wool tampons. Women in ancient Japan fashioned tampons out of paper, held them in place with a bandage, and changed them 10 to 12 times a day. Traditional Hawaiian women used the furry part of a native fern called hapu'u; and grasses, mosses and other plants are still used by women in parts of Asia."
R. G. Mayne defined a tampon in 1860 as: "a less inelegant term for the plug, whether made up of portions of rag, sponge, or a silk handkerchief, where plugging the vagina is had recourse to in cases of hemorrhage."
Dr. Earle Haas patented the first modern tampon, Tampax, with the tube-within-a-tube applicator. Gertrude Schulte Tenderich bought the patent rights to her company trademark Tampax and started as a seller, manufacturer, and spokesperson in 1933. Tenderich hired women to manufacture the item and then hired two sales associates to market the product to drugstores in Colorado and Wyoming; and nurses to give public lectures on the benefits of the creation; and was also instrumental in inducing newspapers to run advertisements.
In 1945, Tampax presented a number of studies to prove the safety of tampons. A 1965 study by the Rock Reproductive Clinic stated that the use of tampons "has no physiological or clinical undesired side effects".
During her study of female anatomy, German gynecologist Dr. Judith Esser-Mittag developed a digital-style tampon, which was made to be inserted without an applicator. In the late 1940s, Dr. Carl Hahn, together with Heinz Mittag, worked on the mass production of this tampon. Dr. Hahn sold his company to Johnson and Johnson in 1974.

Society and culture

Tampon tax

Several political statements have been made in regards to tampon use. In 2000, a 10% goods and services tax was introduced in Australia. While lubricant, condoms, incontinence pads and numerous medical items were regarded as essential and exempt from the tax, tampons continue to be charged GST. Prior to the introduction of GST, several states also applied a luxury tax to tampons at a higher rate than GST. Specific petitions such as "Axe the Tampon Tax" have been created to oppose this tax, although no change has been made.
In the UK, tampons are subject to value added tax at a reduced rate of 5%, as opposed to the standard rate of 20% applied to the vast majority of products sold in the country. The relevant EU legislation was finally changed in 2016. In March 2016, Parliament created legislation to eliminate the tampon VAT. It was expected to go into effect by April 2018 but did not do so. On 3 October 2018, new EU VAT rules that will allow the UK to stop taxing sanitary products were approved by the European Parliament.
In Canada, the federal government has removed the Goods and services tax and Harmonized sales tax from tampons and other feminine hygiene products as of July 1, 2015.

Etymology

Historically, the word "tampon" originated from the medieval French word "tampion", meaning a piece of cloth to stop a hole, a stamp, plug, or stopper.

Virginity

Tampon use may stretch or break the hymen of individuals that have never been sexually active. Some cultures regard preservation of the hymen as a supposed evidence of virginity, which may discourage young women from using tampons.