Toxic Shock, Sex and Cravings: 9 Embarrassing Questions about Your Period, Answered

Get answers to your most embarrassing questions about that time of the month (10 Photos)

and Christine Northrup on Aug 15, 2011 at 3:26PM

1 chime

  • 1 of 10

Toxic Shock, Sex and Cravings: 9 Embarrassing Questions about Your Period, Answered

Amazon

    Loading slides...

I left my tampon in for 2 days! Am I going to get Toxic Shock Syndrome?



While it’s never a good idea to leave a tampon in for an extended period of time, your risk of toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is still very low. In the early 1980s, the incidence of TSS rose to approximately ten cases per one hundred thousand women. After educational efforts and tampon modifications, rates fell to about one case per one hundred thousand women. Recently, for reasons that are unclear, the incidence appears to be on the rise again. But it is still very rare. Contrary to popular belief, most cases of TSS are not due to a tampon stagnating inside the vagina for extended periods of time. Most women with TSS are wearing a tampon and menstruating at the time of diagnosis, but the majority of these women have changed their tampon within a reasonable time frame.

Chime In
What’s your most embarrassing question about your period?
Chime in now!