Fact Check: No evidence that tampons cause endometriosis

Hyderabad: An Instagram post claiming that tampons are a major cause of endometriosis has gone viral on social media.

The narrator in the viral video says, “You got to stop using a tampon, I’m serious. Ladies, you’re potentially pushing your flow back up, and those endometrium cells can get misplaced in your belly cavity. If this happens you can end up in tremendous pain with a condition called endometriosis.”

Do tampons really cause endometriosis? Let’s find out.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. No clinical data suggests that tampons cause endometriosis.

Mayo Clinic defines endometriosis as an often painful disorder in which tissue similar to the tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus — the endometrium — grows outside your uterus. Endometriosis most commonly involves your ovaries, fallopian tubes and the tissue lining your pelvis. Rarely, endometrial-like tissue may be found beyond the area where pelvic organs are located.

According to the Yale School of Medicine, women with endometriosis have endometrial tissue, which normally grows only in the uterus and is shed during menstruation, growing on the fallopian tubes, ovaries, other sites in the pelvis or, in rare cases, outside the pelvic area. It is typically found in women who are childless or who have children later in life.

Moreover, an article on Riverside states that, “Using tampons and being sexually active does not cause endometriosis. The exact cause of endometriosis is unclear. Research has suggested retrograde menstruation — in which menstrual blood flows back through the fallopian tubes and deposits endometrial cells into the pelvic cavity — as one possible cause. Other avenues of research suggest that endometriosis may be linked to an immune system disorder or that it may be linked to certain inherited genetic factors since the condition tends to run in families.’

Talking to a gynecologist, an article on Tampax, a tampon brand, writes, “Tampons have no effect on endometriosis. There’s still more to learn about the causes of endometriosis, but one cause is related to menstrual flow going “backward” out of the fallopian tubes. Some people think a tampon could block the cervix and send the period blood “backwards” into the uterus and out of the fallopian tubes. Not possible. Tampons can’t block the cervix, and if they get full the overflow goes out the vagina, not back into the uterus.”

Hence, no correlation between tampons and endometriosis was found. It should be noted that endometriosis can be a challenging condition to manage. An early diagnosis, a multidisciplinary medical team and an understanding of your diagnosis may result in better management of your symptoms.