In a survey published this Wednesday and relayed by francetvinfo.fr, the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF) issues a warning about menstrual cups.
It is up to the organization to indicate that if " this investigation did not reveal any migration of chemical substances on the products analyzed; user information on the conditions of their use is generally insufficient , or even erroneous, which can generate a serious risk of toxic shock ”.
Cheaper and more environmentally friendly than tampons, menstrual cups can cause women carrying a particular strain of staphylococcus to create bacteria and then toxins that can poison the whole body; this is because of blocked blood in the vagina. This is called toxic shock syndrome, which can be fatal.
Rare dramas that could be avoided by following the right recommendations and these are not always listed in the instructions for use , in the absence of regulation. "User information is disparate from one brand to another and rarely complies with all of the recommended recommendations “, thus denounces the DGCCRF.
And indeed, with each notice, different information which recommends using a menstrual cup from 4 to 12 hours or even instructions for keeping it on at night. However, health authorities recommend wearing the menstrual cup for a maximum of 8 hours and not sleeping with it. From a bacteriological point of view, it therefore presents as many risks as tampons.
As a reminder, toxic shock syndrome or TSS is caused by a bacterium present in 4% of women . This disease is difficult to detect, for lack of studies and statistics. A lack linked to the persistent taboo on the rules. So watch out!
