New York will become the first state to legally require manufacturers of menstrual products to list the ingredients used and, to be quite frank, every other state should follow in Governor Cuomo's steps. Growing up, I never understood why I paid so much money for tampons and pads. After all, this entire situation was out of my control — I never wanted to bleed uncontrollably every month for a few days. Menstruating is a normal process that women go through and I shouldn't be penalized for it, nor should it be society's taboo topic.
Not only do I deserve the right to low-cost supplies, but I deserve the right to know what is being used to make menstrual products.
When I first heard of what Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) was, it was painted as a "rare disease that you can catch from wearing tampons for too long" but no one explained to me that the very ingredients, despite the length used, can increase my chances of getting TSS anyway. According to WebMD, Toxic Shock Syndrome is explained as:
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"A sudden, potentially fatal condition. It's caused by the release of toxins from an overgrowth of bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus, or staph, which is found in many women's bodies. Toxic shock syndrome affects menstruating women, especially those who use super-absorbent tampons."
As I mentioned before, it may be considered a "rare disease" but it has been estimated to affect 3-6 people per 100,000 per year" and thus, should be taken more seriously. I would be lying if I said I personally have never feared I might have been going through TSS. The symptoms of TSS are sudden and are listed online as typical symptoms like high fever, headaches, muscle aches, etc.
TSS is a fatal condition and yet, somehow, New York just became the first state to legally require ingredients be listed for its consumers.
We have warning labels on cigarette packages, alcoholic beverages, and even extremely spicy, hot sauce. The difference between these warning labels and the ones that should be implemented on all menstrual products is that I have the choice to use all these products. I don't have to smoke or drink or try the hottest hot sauce, but every month for a few days I need to use tampons (sorry free-bleeding isn't my cup of tea), and most importantly, I deserve the right to know if the very thing that is supposed to help me increases my chances of contracting a fatal disease.
