As of June 7, there is now an official supply chain shortage of tampons. The shortage comes from a multitude of issues in the world right now (read more on that below), and it’s lasting longer than other pandemic shortages like toilet paper and cleaning supplies, perhaps due to the fact that CEOs of manufacturers are mostly men, Time reports. Similar to the baby formula shortage, this lack of production is affecting people who menstruate.
Tampax is blaming Amy Schumer, who worked on a brand campaign back in 2020. I know you’re thinking: Hold up. What? Well, the demand for Tampax tampons has soared up to 7.7 percent since she began doing ads for the company, according to Cheri McMaster, Senior Communications Director the Procter & Gamble, Jezebel reported. However, other brands like Playtex are also experiencing a shortage, so Amy might not have too much to do with it, per Good Housekeeping.
So, what caused this shortage? And what should you do if you can’t access tampons or pads when you need them? Here’s everything WH knows about the current shortage.
Why is there a tampon shortage?
A variety of factors are working against tampon production right now: factory staffing challenges, transportation bottlenecks, and elevated costs of key materials that go into the production of creating them, tampon makers say, per NPR. Because tampons are a Class II medical device which necessitate quality control regulations, companies can’t put just anyone on the assembly line, Time reported.
Tampons are also getting more expensive (just like literally everything else) because of inflation. In April, Procter & Gamble said that the continuing supply chain issues would elevate the price, effective mid-July 2022. The average price for tampons has already gone up by almost 10 percent due to a couple factors: an extreme drought in Texas, diesel prices, high demand for tampon materials (cotton, rayon, fluff pulp, plastic) for use in medical products, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to Bloomberg.
Plus, the cost of shipping tampons to the USA is up by 300% in comparison to last year, Thyme Sullivan, co-founder and CEO of a tampon-making company called The Organic Project, told Time. The company has started flying their products from Italy as an alternative.
Phew! The odds are really stacked against tampons.
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How many tampons does the average woman use per month?
Well, tampons should be changed every 4 to 8 hours. And changing your tampon every 4 hours would mean you’d use six tampons a day. So multiply that by the number of days your cycle typically runs. If it’s five days, that means you’d use roughly 30 tampons. With roughly 40 percent of women in the USA using tampons each month, that’s…a lot of tampons.
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What can you use instead of a pad or tampon?
Thankfully, there are plenty of alternatives to pads and tampons, such as menstrual cups, period underwear, organic tampons, and menstrual discs.
- Menstrual cups: These flexible cup-shaped devices are inserted into your vagina during your period. It collects the blood, rather than soaking it up, so it has to be emptied every four to 12 hours, depending on your flow, according to the Mayo Clinic. They can be made of silicone or rubber, and reusable and disposable options are also available.
- Period underwear: It’s just like normal underwear, but it can hold anywhere from one to five tampons’ worth of blood, and can be worn either on its own, or along with sanitary products. The material is made to absorb liquids without growing wet or smelly.
- Organic tampons: Typically made from 100 percent organic cotton (regular tampons are made of rayon and/or non-organic cotton). Organic tampons are also bleached with peroxide to get their color, rather than chlorine, with which conventional tampons are bleached.
- Menstrual discs: Insertable period products that are meant to provide 12 hours of protection and help minimize cramps, according to Healthline. They’re inserted into the vagina and collect blood, so the contents will be removed when the disc itself is removed.
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When will the tampon shortage end?
Unfortunately, there’s no set time when we can expect tampons production to ramp back up.
However, Procter & Gamble told Good Housekeeping: “We can assure you [the tampon shortage] is a temporary situation.” They’re currently producing tampons 24/7 and working with retailers to make sure period products are available in stores.
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