Women can use more than 11,000 tampons or pads until menopause and a study reveals that the chemicals they contain are absorbed through vaginal and vulvar tissue and can affect their reproductive health.
Endocrine disruptors are chemical substances present in a wide variety of everyday products, including some intimate hygiene products such as pads and tampons. A review of studies by researchers Joanna Marroquin, a doctoral student in Public Health at George Mason University, and Anna Pollack, an associate professor in the School of Public Health, has found endocrine-disrupting chemicals in menstrual products, including tampons, pads and protectors.
The vaginal and vulvar tissue that comes into contact with pads and tampons is very permeable, so the chemicals are absorbed without being metabolized, making them potentially dangerous when found in menstrual products. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals can interfere with human hormones and trigger health problems, including gynecological conditions such as endometriosis and uterine fibroids.
This data is especially worrying if we take into account that women can use more than 11,000 tampons or pads from menarche to menopause, which can be even more if they have heavy bleeding. The researchers reviewed studies conducted since 2103 that measured chemicals in menstrual products and human biomarkers of chemical exposure and determined that endocrine-disrupting chemicals were found in menstrual products, including tampons, pads and pads.
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals in menstrual products
They found that products used during menstruation contain a variety of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including phthalates, volatile organic compounds, parabens, environmental phenols, chemical fragrances, dioxins, and dioxin-like compounds. “Identifying the chemicals in menstrual products that menstruating women use regularly is important because exposure through these products can affect their reproductive health,” said Marroquín, first author of the paper.
The Robin Danielson Menstrual and Intimate Care Products Safety Act of 2023 was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in October 2023, which would establish a research program on the risks posed by dioxins, phthalates, pesticides , chemical fragrances and other components of menstrual and intimate care products.
“Identifying the chemicals in the menstrual products that women use is important because exposure through these products can affect their reproductive health”
The authors of the new research analyzed 15 articles published between 2013 and 2023 that tested menstrual products in the United States, Japan and South Korea, and highlighted that there are few publications available that measure the chemicals in menstrual products. Additionally, although permanent chemicals (PFAS) have been found in menstrual intimate hygiene products, peer-reviewed research is lacking on menstrual underwear and other products that are increasingly used, such as menstrual cups.
