Intimate protection: what is toxic shock?
There are two categories of intimate protection on the market today:
- internal intimate protection intended to be inserted into the vagina in order to absorb menstrual flows. The most famous are tampons and menstrual cups (also called cups). Tampons are single use while menstrual cups are reusable;
- external intimate protection, single-use or reusable: sanitary napkins and panty liners.
Menstrual toxic shock syndrome, is an acute and infectious disease. It is caused by the release of a bacterial toxin in the blood, TSST-1 produced by a type of staphylococcus aureus (Staphylococcus aureus).
Expertise on the safety of intimate protection products
ANSES was seized in 2018 to assess the safety of intimate protection. The expertise consisted of assessing the health risks linked to the possible presence of chemical substances in these products, but also the risk of menstrual toxic shock syndrome (TSS). At the end of 2019, the Agency has published additional results concerning menstrual cups and tampons. These additional tests aimed to better characterize the composition of their materials and estimate the risks in relation to Staphylococcus aureus, the bacterium responsible for TSS.
Tests revealed the presence of chemicals in tampons, menstrual cups, sanitary napkins and/or panty liners but without exceeding health thresholds. ANSES does not highlight any risk associated with the presence of these substances.
Improved quality of raw materials and manufacturing processes
The Agency recommends that manufacturers improve the quality of raw materials and revise certain manufacturing processes in order to eliminate or reduce the presence of chemical substances as much as possible.
The risk of menstrual toxic shock syndrome
ANSES has not demonstrated any direct relationship between the physico-chemical properties of the materials of these intimate protections and a risk of increased SCT. Expertise shows that menstrual toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is more closely linked to the conditions of use of intimate protection. The risk of developing the disease increases with prolonged use of internal protection and/or the use of protection with a stronger absorption capacity than necessary.
