Organic Tampons

At first glance, some women may wonder what the point of organic tampons could be, particularly if you’re not into the whole Green thing like the rest of us. Organic tampons can still lead to Toxic Shock Syndrome (although they are thought to be much safer), so that’s not a logical reason for switching if you’re already fond of your particular brand. Some of you may know about the dioxin issue connected to traditional non-organic tampons, but that may not be enough reason for you to change tampons if you’ve never become ill as a result. So what other reason could there be for going organic with your menstrual needs? One word: Vaginitis. Keep reading, ladies, and I think you’ll agree that organic is the way to go; your vagina will thank you.

Traditional tampons

Your favorite non-organic brand of tampon is probably either made with bleached cotton or some sort of synthetic material. This may sound innocent enough, perhaps even super clean, but some women develop allergies to these materials and chemicals over time, leading to all sort of unpleasant vaginal issues. Let me be more clear: Your traditional tampons could be causing your yeast infections / vaginal thrush. Infections which only seem to get worse as the years go by, despite all the creams and gels and prescriptions medications your doctor hands you. The reason it doesn’t get better is because you continuously expose yourself to the allergen.

Organic tampons are better

Organic tampons are not bleached and they are made from natural, organic cotton – unless you happen to be allergic to the latter, vaginitis is unlikely to occur as a result of this exposure. Your vulva is a highly sensitive area and things like perfume and chemicals can totally upset the delicate balance of flora. This means you will not be exposed to chlorine, bleach, surfactants, fertilizers, defoliants and other cotton processing treatments used with non-organic tampons. Some say organic tampons eliminate the risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome, but I highly doubt this is the case; they may reduce the risk, but it’s not just tampons which cause TSS, but a combination of tampons and toxins, and we don’t know enough about the true cause of TSS to totally exonerate organic tampons just yet.

Cost Issues

The only downside here is that organic tampons are bit more expensive than traditional tampons. For example: 200 Tampax tampons cost about 30 USD, whereas 192 Natracare tampons cost about 65 USD. All in all, tampons aren’t that expensive (that’s still only 6 USD a pack for the organic tampons) so this may not be too expensive for your needs. If, however, you’d like a highly affordable tampon alternative that you only buy once every few years, check out my article on the Mooncup menstrual cup; not only are the completely eco-friendly, they aren't associated with TSS.