THE TERRA FEMME FORUM

The following sampling of letters that we've received are from people who are concerned about the health and environmental risks of the use and production of tampons.
We welcome your words too!

I find this information very interesting. I recently had a cone biopsy for cervical dysplasia. I am 40 years old and have used tampons mostly Tampax since I was a teenager. Based on my experience and reading your E-Mail, I have stopped using Tampons altogether. Do you have any further information regarding tampon use and dysplasia? I would really appreciate any information you may be able to give me.

(Part 1) Hi. Is it possible to have MILD symptoms from TSS? For several months I've had mild headache, muscle ache, and low-grade fever after the third or fourth day of my period. I ordinarily use Tampax, but have been switching to pads after I start feeling lousy. Can these symptoms be related to Tampon use, or am I barking up the wrong tree? (It's amazing how little one sees about TSS in the media these days. I know more about prostate cancer than I do about TSS.)
(Part 2)
Thanks for your response. Yes, my symptoms do dissipate when I remove the tampon. Since reading the info on your homepage I have resolved to avoid using tampons, and try to learn more. You're right, info is hard to come by - my family doctor told me this week that there is no such thing as a mild case of TSS. HE will get copies of whatever info I do obtain. We're all responsible for educating each other. Thanks for doing your part.

It was with great interest that I read your information on TSS. My daughter, who was then 13 years old, contracted menstrual TSS from a major manufacturer's tampon. Although she survived, the doctors say that she was probably the sickest person with any disease to have lived. She arrested three times after have complete multi-system organ failure (except her brain), was on a respirator for 7 weeks, dialysis for 11 weeks, both lungs collapsed, she developed adult respiratory distress syndrome (which has resulted in progresive airway disease, terrible asthma, pleurisy, and chronic lung infections), her gall bladder had to be removed, she developed gangrene and lost a toe as well as use of the tendons in her foot which required a tendon transfer, has a permanently damaged esophegeal sphincter, and the list goes on. She was in intensive care for three months, in-patient rehab for 1 month to learn how to walk, feed herself, write, and talk again, out-patient rehab for two months, and still has more operations to go through.
She is now 16 and during the past 2 years has only been able to attend school less than 60% of the time because of recurring TSS-related illnesses. My husband and I feel very lucky to have had the doctors in West Palm Beach and a miracle from God to even have her here.
Because of her illness, I have spent the past two and a half years doing research on the disease. Dr. Tierno's and Dr. Hanna's independent research is, of course, what I beleive in. The other researchers, especially Dr. Schlievert's is very suspect. One question I have been unable to find an answer to is prior to the introduction of synthetic fibers in the late 1970's, were there any recorded cases of menstrual toxic shock syndrome from tampons? When was the change made from sun-bleached cotton to chlorine bleached cotton as dioxins lower the immune system thus giving a woman a "double-whammy" effect of synthetics and dioxins.
If you could please help me out with answers and references, I would be very grateful. I would like to be included in a future surveys.

I and others know intuitively about the chlorine/ chlorine dioxide situation, but I'm looking for scientific studies to be able to use. It's amazing how little these products have been studied on a formal basis. I am looking into testing the major tampon brands for dioxin and pesticides.

Hi, Willi! I would love to pass on info to others interested in women's health issues here at _(name suppressed)_ University. It will be great to see you again, too.
I am planning on getting in touch with Tambrands myself, and my roomate has said that she would also be willing to ask for info about the overnight use ads, and the supposed studies that show there's no significant risk in using tampons overnight. I will happily pass along any info we receive- I think it's so important to share! I visited the tampax website today- it made me incredibly angry- there was misinformation about tss- only a mention that too high an absorbancy might be a risk factor, no mention that the rayon materials and ingredients used to increase its absorbancy likely are a big part of the problem, as well as keeping a tampon in for too long. Grrr...

This past summer, my wife was injured by a tampon and almost bled to death.
I will give you a brief description of the events, and hope you can be of some assistance. She was riding in a rubber innertube at the end of a rope pulled by a boat. As the boat slowed, the tube bounced on the water and landed at such an angle that water was forced into her vagina. Due to the force of the water, the tampon she was using was propelled through her body - lacerating her vagina and ultimately rupturing her uterus. In addition, an artery was damaged and she lost a tremendous amount of blood.
I rushed her to a local hospital where she underwent emergency surgery. The doctors were able to stop the bleeding, but she had to have a partial hysterectomy. This was particularly distressing, as she is only 32 years old.
My wife is upset because the warnings on the package insert deal solely with TSS. In fact, there is a series of questions and answers in the insert which clearly state that a woman may engage in any athletic or watersports while wearing a tampon.
She would like to see additional warnings so that no one else is harmed in this way. Have you ever heard of women being injured in such a fashion? Are there any other resources we should be using? I would appreciate any assistance you can provide.

I started getting concerned about tampon/health issues last year, when I came down with a long and mysterious illness that may have been a mild case of toxic shock syndrome. I had no idea that rayon fibers were suspected of boosting TSS toxin production -- it makes me absolutely spitting mad that I may have gotten seriously ill because a handful of tampon manufacturers didn't want to have to depend on the cotton crop. Obviously the tampon magnates can't be trusted to regulate themselves.
I figure the Greens and other groups that supported Ralph Nader's campaign would be shoo-ins. After all, this bill speaks to issues of feminism, environmentalism, and corporate irresponsibility all at once; it affects women across the lines of race, class, and sexual orientation. Anyway, I'm planning on talking to the local Greenies.
I'd like to see organizations like NOW get in on the act, too -- I think one could make a case that the tampon industry has been patronizing and paternalistic toward women's concerns.

hi willi! So... i spoke with the other riot grrrls today at our meeting and everybody was totally enthusiastic and excited about your willingness to do a seminar at our women's health day, and we'd love to sell your tampons to help raise the funds for you to be here.

Hi my name is _(name suppressed)_and I think your site is extremely helpful and full of good advice. I only hope you can help me personally. I'm 24 years of age and I'm really looking for help. I have been told that I am a staph carrier and that there is very little I can do about it. It never caused me any problems before until last year. I have been told not to use tampons so I don't.
But last year I started getting this green foul heavy discharge. I had a swab taken and the result showed staph. I tryed everything that my doctor could think of to get rid of this discharge for me, eventually an antibiotic cleared it for me. I was delighted. It cleared it just before I went into hospital to have an ovarian cyst and a pollop removed from my cervix. I'm back at home now and its 2 weeks after my operation and the staph discharge has come back again much to my disgust. My doctor has prescribed the antibiotic that cleared it the last time for me but she said that taking that antibiotic on an ongoing basis would not be good for me and my system would eventually become immune to it.
My gyny tells me that I am just one of the unfortunate people who carries the bacteria and that there is little I can do about it. I can't put up with this all the time. PLEASE HELP ME. I wish to get advise on how to clear this, how to prevent it and what causes it. I hope you can help me. I would be really grateful if you could e-mail me any information that you may have that could help me. I would appreciate if you could e-mail some information asap.
Thanking you in advance for your assistance.

Thank you for all of the new information. I have always known about TSS, but I did not know the whole of it. Thank you for your dedication.

Willi, Hi, how are you? I was very interested in the information given by your page and will be adding a link to it very soon.

I would be interested in obtaining samples for the female police officer's in our police association. Please contact me at _(name suppressed)_ for further information needed.

Hi I am a student reporter at _(name suppressed)_ State and am writing an article about the dioxins found in tampons and their link to cervical cancer. I just read the Beth Ann Filiano's article and if this could be addressed to her in anyway that would be great. But if you can answer them for me that would be great too....
The article stated that FDA reports were found stating that trace levels of dioxin were found in tampons and thought to be high levels. Is this true and how did you get this information?
I have spoken to numerous experts and am so frustrated that they don't know anything about this link to tampons. Why do you think this is?
Please give me as much information as you can...I would be really grateful for any comments on this subject or suggestions on who else to talk to...

Dear Terra Femme,
We are two female students enrolled in a women's studies course at the University of _(name suppressed)_. We are participating in an action project concerning dioxins in tampons and the possible dangers surrounding these harmful elements.
We read your website and we are interested in women's health. We would like some more information so that we can begin to educate other women about these important issues. Thankyou for your help and time.

I read with interest a copy of your posting which was forwarded to me by the daughter of one of our correspondents here at _(name suppressed)_News. I'm extremely interested in any supporting documentation you may have about the presence of dioxin in tampons. You don't have to send me anything; just give me the names of the books and articles. I'm sure I can track them down here in Washington. Also, are you aware of any women who had sued the tampon manufacturers as a result of exposure to dioxin. And, although I understand that Rayon is friable and may leave particles inside the vagina, wouldn't cotton do the same? Appreciate any help you can be.

Just wanted to let you know that I'll be starting the performance of my speech tomorrow! It's at a small speech competition in _(name suppressed)_. Both of these tournaments are attended by people from across the nation, and I'm totally plugging your business as a solution to the problem. I did want to ask for permission to give out your address and e-mail so people can contact you.
I've been doing speech for 7 years now, and this is the first time I've done a competitive speech that will probably make me an activist. Thanks so much for your help, I'll be in touch.

I am a law student at the University at _(name suppressed)_. We are studying the proposed Tentative Draft of the Third Restatement of the law in Products Liability. A topic of particular interest to me has been the problem of TSS and tampons. I read at the S.P.O.T. web page about your endeavors and I was wondering if you could give me your opinion on something. The Third Restatement, put out by the American Law Institute and very influential in court decisions if you are not familiar with it, would require a Reasonable Alternative Design to be presented by the plaintiff in a product liability suit in order to prove defect in design. Presently, this is not required. Generally, consumer expectations and risk-utility analysis is the norm.
A plaintiff is not required to develop a prototype for a product but they should be able to show, according to the Restatement, that an alternative design was available to the manufacturer at the time of sale at reasonable cost. Do you think this requirement would improve or worsen a plaintiff's chances for prevailing in a lawsuit concerning tampon-inducing TSS?
Obviously, Terra Femme is a prime example of a Reasonable Alternative Design which presumedly does not create exorbitant production costs. Have you or any of your employees or designers ever been called as expert witnesses in TSS cases? Have you ever encountered the term Reasonable Alternative design?
I would appreciate any thoughts you might have on this topic, or the names and e-mail or phone numbers of anyone who might be able to give me more information on how plaintiffs and plaintiffs' lawyers see the Restatement's proposals.

I just picked up a copy of your "Terra Femme Times" newsletter (Fall 96). I'd like to say that I'm really glad you're making safe, dioxin- and rayon-free menstrual products.
Until a couple of years ago when I tried some tampons very similar to yours ... I had been using Tampax. I was delighted by the cotton product because of the fiber-loss issue. With the Tampax rayon tampons, when I removed them the outside layer of rayon fibers would pull off and stay behind. It was quite worrying. I've had no such problems with Terra Femme or ... tampons.
[Note: competitor name snipped - we're waiting for their response to our offer to collaborate! It's been 3 years!]

I am writing as a woman concerned with the lack of standards in feminine products. I was one of those women who was 'shocked' to learn that sanitary did not mean sterilized.
I think the idea of natural products, unbleached products should be promoted. As I understand it, the vagina is one of the most absorbent parts of the body. There should be some standards in place.
As a woman with endometriosis, I am concerned about dioxins.

I don't like the tampons I'm using becuase they are too harsh to my system.

I am a midwife so I know how difficult it is for some people to talk about menstruation and "women's" issues. It would be nice to have some information for young women. I have an 11 year old daughter and it is hard to find information about products for her.

I found your web page to be very informative. Any additional information which you can provide on your page regarding Toxic Shock Syndrome, etc., would be appreciated by women everywhere.
I feel comfortable about using tampons for the most part, although the stories I have heard about Toxic Shock Syndrome scare me. I will continue to use tampons though, because I prefer them to pads.
I would like to see more testing by manufacturers and more information from them regarding their products. We have a right to be informed about what we are doing to our bodies and any possible negative reactions which may occur. It is unfortunate that it takes some women to be the "guinea pigs" before anyone does anything.
Thanks for caring enough to educate and inform your customers!

What kind of information would you (I) like to see on the web pages? I would like to see more complete information on the progress they're making to combat toxic shock syndrome. What would you (I) say to makers/sellers of menstrual products? I would say that they shouldn't be afraid to be honest about the fact that their products aren't perfect.

I am especially concerned about menstrual products now that my daughter is reaching the age when she will start her period for the first time. I want something that is tested and safe for teenagers.

I like a company that is concerned about keeping things, especially personal products natural. I tend to be allergic to synthetic products.

Liked your page - didn't know that paper & plastic applicators can create tiny cuts. I wonder about those with no applicators (like OB), and what about bacteria from your finger as you insert them?
Why isn't there more regulation on grades of materials used? Should be stricter testing and regulation overall. Didn't know about the rayon hazard either!!!!!

I have been using feminine products for almost 11 years and have tried many. So far I have not found anything that I was overly pleased about.

I just stumbled acros your page and think that it's wonderful that there is the oppportunity for women to know that they have alternatives to use safer products and warning us of the dangers.
I would like to try your tampons and hopefully they don't disintegrate as easily as others I have tried. I end up with little pieces sticking to me after I pull it out. I do have a heavy flow.

I usually use pads, but have recently started using tampons again. I had stopped using tampons for a while because they gave me cramps. I would like to find one that is comfortable (doesn't cause cramps).

I just finished watching a segment of WTV [Women's Television Network] about Terra Femme tampons. I think it's fantastic that your organization is developing both products and awareness for women. I've always had problems with my immune system and try to stay away from chlorine bleached products where possible.

I feel it is embarrassing talking about this type of info. I use tampons, but feel ackward when I do. I am concerned about how long they should be in, and when and where you shouldn't use them. I also hate the odor of them.

Your site was very informative! It's amazing how little we consumers are told. I tried the "water test" and was suprised. Please send me a sample of the terra femme tampons. Thank you! :)

I got both of your messages about dioxin in tampons. Great work. I am responding because I want to buy unbleached tampons for me and also because I am the Toxics _(name suppressed)_ campaign coordinator at _(name suppressed)_.
This has a clear right to know implication because the public has no idea what is in tampons. The box should be labelled and the public sufficiently warned.
I would like to think of an action that I could engage _(name suppressed)_ activists in, for instance a phone campaign to Tambrands demanding the manufacturing of tampons without chlorine bleach and maybe also a phone action where people called major drug stores to demand that they carry non-bleach alternatives. Please send me more information about tampon toxicity.

Thank you for sending us information on your work around tampons. It was very eye-opening. Next week we will update our web site and send a "What's New" message to our mailing list. This will include a link to the "Politics of Tampons" page. Please keep us posted, especially if there are any action alerts targeting corporations that we can help publicize.

Hi Willi, I heartily support your cause and believe I can include a link (under women/health) to the "politics of tampons" on the site currently being developed for the _(name suppressed)_ Ministry of Women's Equality (under women/health) which should be launched mid October.

I am so glad I got this information. I am only sixteen years old and relatively new to the wonderful world of "menstrual health care products" and I didn't know any of this. If I had known I was taking such a risk, you can bet I would have thought twice, but I feel gross wearing a pad and I have come to use tampons far more. It really blows my mind because I didn't know about the lawsuit with Playtex and Tampax and those were the two brands I've used for the past two years.

Most recently I wrote a long letter to Self magazine on an article on contraception which I thought was horribly written. The man who wrote it made several very poor assumptions and the article's slant was very biased.
I never received a reply from Self other than "thanks for writing" and of course the letter never appeared in the magazine - which I think is a shame. Self is directed a young athletic women who should be informed properly of the 'good and bad side' of things such as contraception or menstrual products. I only hope that Ms. does a better job of communicating information.

I very much appreciate your page, "The Politics of Tampons..."I wrote to Representative Maloney for news of the bill. She is planning to reintroduce the Women's Health and Dioxin Act this year in the 105th Congress. I've written to my congressman to ask him to co-sponsor the bill; perhaps other readers of your page would like to do the same thing.

From: U.S. Congress
FYI...I can see it know, a bunch of congressMEN discussing how tampons are made.