The Directorate General for Competition, Consumption and the Suppression of Fraud (DGCCRF) warns of menstrual cups which can be very dangerous in the event of misuse.
In a survey unveiled by Franceinfo, centered around 19 brands of cups, the Directorate General for Competition, Consumption and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF) issues a warning and highlights ANSES recommendations concerning the use of menstrual cups. Because "user information is disparate from one brand to another and rarely conforms to all of the recommendations recommended," said the organization. Of these 19 models checked, five manufacturers have received a warning from the DGCCRF, reports Franceinfo.
According to ANSES, a menstrual cup should not be kept for more than 6 to 8 hours. It should also be emptied every 4 to 6 hours and only used during menstruation. And according to the DGCCRF study, of the 19 brands studied, "the wearing time indicated varies a lot (from 4h to 12h)".
"Almost half of the references checked announced the possibility of wearing menstrual cups for more than 10 hours or gave no limits," said the investigators.
Likewise, ANSES, based on scientific studies, has an unequivocal opinion: at night, external protection such as a towel or menstrual pants should be preferred to a tampon or menstrual cup.
Still according to the DGCCRF, on the packaging of menstrual cups, "night use is almost always indicated as possible, even recommended".
What is toxic shock? In some women with a particular strain of staph, the menstrual cup can cause the creation of bacteria and toxins which can then develop throughout the body due to blocked blood in the vagina.
With the use of a menstrual cup or a tampon "the menstrual fluid is blocked, it will stay warm. It is therefore a great culture medium and if there is this famous bacteria, it will get to produce a toxin (TSST-1) which will pass into the blood ”, explained professor Gérard Lina at Huffingtonpost, already in 2017.
A 17-year-old Belgian teenager died of this shock linked to the use of a tampon, last December.
First official study on menstrual cup: is it really a good alternative?
by Celine Peschard