Endo and Tampons..What do you think?

I was diagnosed with endo at age 40, I'm now 42, My daughter, 18, was diagnosed last week and when my mother finally gets to the gyno, I'm pretty sure that she's had it too, Mum's 62.

I see a pattern down the line, and think about it, how long have we been using tampons. Mum and Dad came from large families...I have 26 first cousins. I don't remember my aunties carrying tampons, the majority used pads.

I think it was my generation that embraced tampons.

Mum started menses age 15..1st child 20, 2nd 24..Tubal ligation at 25(unrelated medical reason)..several D&C's over the years.
I started menses age 12..1st child 21, 2nd 24..D&C at 31 or 32, Diagnosed with Endo,Complicated Laparoscopy age 40, Hysterectomy age 42.
My daughter Alana started menses age 10, diagnosed HPV age 17 then the all clear, Diagnosed with Endo (waiting for results) age 18.

All three generations had the same sort of periods,1st day.. pain like labour contractions, heavy flow with clots, sometimes nausea and even vomiting. Each day would get better but each generation was clutching a hot water bottle and taking pain killers for the first day or two. Never complaining because "all women go through this".

My Mum's (our family's too) GP was a Gyno and he told her that she shouldn't use tampons because it stopped the natural flow. That was that; Mum never used tampons. I started using tampons at around age 14, only through the day and pads at night.
Alana used tampons from around age 12, full time, day and night from around 13.

I did a bit of research 2 years ago and remember that tampons contain Asbestos, bleaching and another chemical starting with "Diox....." all detrimental, designed to make you bleed more. I anyone can fill me in that'd be great.

Another angle I've heard is that tampons act like a cork and sometimes the blood has nowhere to flow but up through the fallopian tubes....makes sense to me.

I'm no doctor, my research is flimsy but I can't help wondering if this could be a BIG contributing factor.

I would love to put our heads together and ponder. I don't see why we can't discuss the possibilities as experts in the "experience" of living with this creeping epidemic. I'll be damned if I'll just stand idly by when my daughter's fertility is at stake. I thank God that it's been diagnosed early in her so that she has a better fighting chance than others, like my friends who tried for tooo many years before she was diagnosed at 40....she now has 1 baby and one on the way:dance:

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope that we women can help each other. I'd love to know how similar my story is to others.

Linda

Hi Linda

Just came across your post and wanted to say that I have wondered similar things. Only after I was diagnosed with endo, did I discover that my aunty also had it and the reason why she had IVF to have her 2 lovely boys.

Your statement Never complaining because "all women go through this" rings so true. It is exactly how I felt and thought it was all normal for me.

After my laparoscopy I stopped using tampons only because the idea of using them made me feel all icky. Now I'm back to using them again along with pads only because my flow in the first couple of days is so heavy. Never use them at night though.

In my quest to live a healthier lifestyle to fight against endo, I have recently been looking into organic products and am gradually making the switch. The idea that tampons have bleach and chemicals in them is pretty frightening.

Anyway, as you say I also wonder about the idea that tampons can cause the flow to go back up the fallopian tubes etc.

There's lots of interesting theories and I'm always willing to hear about them too....

Lyn

One of the speakers at the first BB conference in 2005, can't remember who, maybe Tracey Habron, said that anyone with endometriosis should definitely not use tampons for the exact reason you said. There is no place for the lining to go, but back inside. It's not the case with all women, but some that are susceptible to endo it can cause major dramas.

As for the asbestos, it's an urban legend. I've researched that one a bit & it's definitely a myth.

If your daughter would prefer something other than pads for her period, you can look into menstrual cups. They are basically a silicone cup that sits inside the vagina & collects the blood. You then remove them, tip it out then rinse & reinsert.

you could try cloth menstrual pads and panty liners they are a great alternative

I haven't been technically diagnoised with endo yet but I rarely wore them for the first few days as I found they exaggerated the already hideous cramps. And ditto with the family history, all the women in my family have had bad periods with nausea, vomitting and diahorrea. My only salvation is that they also have early menopause, otherwise I have another 25 yrs of this to look forward to as we aren't planning on having any more children.

are you planning on having a diagnostic lap to find out ig you have endo? there is no reason you should have to put up with such pain.

Hi ladies,
Thank you for your feedback.
I've been a bit busy, my daughter (who had her lap on 9/7) has been battling an infection at the site of her belly button incision. I haven't had the time yet to research the tampon angle again; I'm going on memory from a few years ago.
Lyn: Isn't it amazing that we all just put up with the pain because we thought it was "normal". I switched to the tampons made from cotton, called "Cottons".....supposedly they don't do as much damage because they don't have to be bleached, hopefully someone can confirm this for us.
Sarah: The information you gave is so helpful, I'll pass it on to my daughter. The menstrual up sounds fantastic, she's only just turned 18 and she would love an alternative to pads. Thank you for clearing up the asbestos theory, that's good to know.
YDI: I had a lap two years ago but unfortunately it didn't help me, I couldn't even walk normally for 18 months. Chronic abdo pain ( i also had adenomyosis), my only option was hysterectomy which gave me my life back. I can certainly relate to your pain.
Saram: Our family histories do sound the same, I forgot about the diahorrea...yes, us too. And yes to the early menopause, good thinking. Mum was 35 when she started. It just crept up on me, they saved my ovaries when I had the hysterectomy(age 42), it wasn't until I was without the pain that I had my hormone levels done. I'd had all the signs of menopause or perimenopause but didn't take any notice because of the great deal of constant pain.

If we keep swapping stories and ideas who knows how much of this jigsaw we can piece together. You guys have helped us already, thank you. Knowledge is power and we need all we can get to help us take a bit of control over our illness.
Kind regards to all,
Linda

Can't say my endo was caused by tampon use as I have never found them that great and so have only used them on the rare occasion....

Certainly interesting reading though.... kinda glad i have not been a fan of them ........because, if they do cause all the problems that have been mentioned in this thread...... I can only imagine how much worse my endo could have been..... as it is, its just about as bad as it can get and that is without the use of them.......

Scary!!

I have also read that endo is genetically passed on...... that's why it affects more than one generation it can also affect cousins... so if your sister has it but you don't your daughters can still have the potential for it being passed on in recessive genes IYKWIM?? This is how I believe mine came about as my first cousin has also suffered from endo terribly but I was not aware of this until I was diagnosed as people don't tend to talk about endo openly unless they are directly affected about it and with people who are also...... its seems to be kinda tabu IYKWIM....

I can only hope that my daughter will not suffer the same problems I have had with TCC and pain, fatigue etc. It certainly an argument for TCC earlier in life and not putting off having kids in favour of career, mortgage or both...... I wish that we had started earlier but thems the breaks also.... We seriously started trying when I was 27 and I was not sucessful in having DD till I was 30 and have been TCC for last five years again....

Well enough about me .....