I don’t typically listen to this type of news, but has anyone else heard about the toxic metals found in tampons? I guess I’m just more concerned because I’ve been using them daily ever since my iud insertion a couple months ago. Are there any other safe menstrual products other than pads recommended for iud’s? I used to use a menstrual cup but don’t particularly want to risk an increase of expulsion. Here’s the link if anyone’s curious: {ZEAGKHNBo}

Are you excessively bleeding months later that you need tampons every day? In that case it might be a good idea to consider a different method. While the adjustment period is real this is very extreme.

@Yi_eune it’s not excessive bleeding but is consistent. I use light tampons and they never get close to filling up. I just end up using 3 a day because of TSS risk. I also really struggle wearing pads because of the irritation, so I’m not really sure what other method would be suitable.

I’d talk to your doctor about the bleeding while normal, there can be options to maybe try and stop it

From what I understand about the IUD isn’t it super common to have bleeding like this among other side effects for the first 6-9 months?

No it is common to bleed while you adjust to it. It won’t happen to everyone but it does happen a good bit which is why some people chose to discontinue using the iud so early

I don’t have a huge issue with it unless it kept going for the next year😂 but I’m just concerned about constant tampon use especially with the new testing of them resulting in toxic metal results. I’ve looked into menstrual discs as they don’t use suction like cups do, but I wonder if they could get caught on the strings?

@Lemongrass_ yes I was going to recommend menstrual discs because of the lack of suction and they sit lower in the vaginal canal so really not much risk of it getting caught on the strings. However there's no guarantee that they don't contain the same chemicals as tampons either

What causes the irritation from pads or panty liners? Tbh I'd be more worried about the risk of TSS from using tampons that don't fill up daily than from the chemicals in them

Oh I just read about the study. It showed the presence of these chemicals in tampons but doesn't show anything about whether they actually leech into the body or cause any harmful effects.

@Lemongrass_ the adjustment period is 3-6 months but you should not be bleeding consistently for months. If it were me I would consider my options after 5-6 weeks of bleeding regardless of the method.

@aurielle yeah there’s still tons of research to be done, I’m just trying to be as cautious as I can.

@aurielle I didn’t realize there was more of a risk of TSS if the tampon doesn’t fill up?

@Lemongrass_ yes, you're supposed to use the minimum absorbency tampon needed for your flow, but it sounds like your flow is too light to fill any tampon in less than 8 hours

@aurielle thank you so much for that info! I didn’t realize it had anything to do with how much it fills up, I thought it was more of a discomfort thing if it’s not full. I’m honestly not too sure what to do, I really want the IUD to work out but wearing pads every day is super irritating since I have very sensitive skin (I’ve tried tons of diff brands).

100% cotton organic tampons maybe? x

@onthepillxo the study showed that all types of tampons had trace amounts of toxic metals including organic ones

oh really! thanks for the info, that’s awful

@onthepillxo yeah I was considering that until I saw they actually had higher levels of arsenic in them :(

God as a chemist and regulator I’m so sick of seeing news stories like this trying to scare people. Metals are in everything - there’s metals in the food you eat even if it is a natural product. Regulations allow trace amounts of these substances in products as it’s almost impossible to remove them completely and trace amounts are not a safety concern, it even says in the study that they are unclear on effects on safety. Regulations for tampons mean companies must ensure the product is safe before it is sold, they also must consider where the product is being used (eg. In the vagina) when doing safety assessments. The concentration of trace substances allowed in products will differ between foods & cosmetics for example, because one you are consuming and one is typically only applied to skin and not absorbed (it goes into much more detail than that though). This article is not news at all and is extremely irresponsible!

@Awg1 thank you for this perspective! I know it would be so silly in this day and age for something so common to suddenly come out as being unsafe for people to use.