A massive recall of Kotex tampons has been ordered by Kimberly-Clark after there were reports of the tampon parts getting stuck inside the body. The regular absorbency U by Kotex Sleek tampons in the US and Canada. According to reports, some of the tampons broke down inside the body while removal, leaving parts of it behind. Many women had to seek medical attention to get the parts out of the body. Even more worryingly, there have been a few reports of infections among women who used the tampons.

The complete list of the recalled tampons is available on Kimberly-Clark’s website (ubykotex.com). These products were manufactured between October 7, 2016, and October 16, 2018. They were distributed between October 17, 2016, and October 23, 2018. Only these tampons and no others belonged to the faulty lot.

What Are The Health Risks of Tampons?

Tampons are a cylindrical-shaped female sanitary product used by women during menses. Unlike sanitary pads, tampons are meant to be inserted into the vagina where it absorbs the menstrual flow. They are about the size of a finger, but they expand when they come in contact with fluids, allowing them to absorb all the menstrual blood as the flow out. Menstrual Cup More Dangerous Than Tampon: Here’s How You Can Prevent Toxic Shock Syndrome While Using the Cup.

Tampons are generally made of a sturdy material, a mix of rayon and cotton, and in most cases are considered safe for use. But sometimes, it can unravel inside the human body, especially if it has been poorly made or kept inside for too long. The cord attached at the base, which is generally left outside the body for pulling the tampon out, can sometimes detach. Medical intervention might be needed at this point to extract the stuck bits.

Leaving the tampon inside can lead to Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), a life-threatening infection caused by the Staphylococcus bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus Streptococcus pyogenes and Clostridium sordellii (C. sordellii). Tampon Allegedly Kills Canadian Teen: Toxic Shock Syndrome Symptoms You Should Know About.

If left untreated, TSS can result in fever, multiorgan failure and, in extreme cases, death. Although TSS has been around since the 1920s, there was a spurt in the number of cases in the 1980s. The most shocking example of TSS was that of Model Lauren Wasser who had to get her leg amputated due to toxic shock in 2015. But such instances are quite rare. However, two main reasons can cause TSS:

• Leaving it inside the body for too long

• Pieces of tampons staying inside the vagina, causing micro injuries during removal

What Are The Symptoms of Toxic Shock Syndrome?

The symptoms of TSS start showing quite quickly, within two days after the bacterial infection. These are some of the general symptoms:

• Fever

• Rash

• Headache

• Low blood pressure

• Confusion

• Breathing problems

• Diarrhoea

• Muscle pain

• Redness of eyes, mouth and vagina

• Bruising

• Reduce urine output

How To Prevent Toxic Shock Syndrome?

Although it is a near-fatal disease, TSS is also a highly-preventable one. Some precautions can be followed to reduce your TSS risk:

• Use low absorbency tampons so that you will change it more frequently.

• Change tampons ever four-six hours.

• Use pad during light-flow days to avoid chances of tampon sticking to the vaginal wall.

• Don’t use tampons when you don’t have periods.

• Store tampons in a dry place to prevent bacteria or mould from growing on them.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reached out to the consumers who have bought tampons belonging to the batch and asked them to “stop using the product immediately.” FDA has also directed the retailers to remove the fault Kotex products from the shelves.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 13, 2018 01:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).