Women face another product shortage: tampons

Supply chain thicknesses they’re coming to the women’s care aisle, with women telling social media how hard it is to find tampons in stores right now.

On Twitter, #tamponshortage is trending, with some users calling it the latest “nightmare” for women after the Food and Drug Administration recognized it widespread shortage of infant formula. People and non-profit organizations that collect donated products for female care also complain about the empty shelves where monthly commodities are usually stored.

“I thought I was going crazy noticing empty shelves where the tampons should be,” a Twitter user said.

Members of an online forum for parents in the Washington, DC area also reported problems getting tampons. One member said he had visited three different CVS sites just to find them “99% naked from all tampons.”

Dana Marlowe, founder of I Support the Girls, a nonprofit group that provides bras and menstrual products to homeless and poor women, said the organization is currently being impacted by the shortage of tampons. .

“We’ve been receiving requests for tampons and our store shelves are empty. We’re literally dealing with boxes versus pallets,” he told CBS MoneyWatch. “It’s been noticed a lot.”

And Support the Girls receives donated products from individuals and corporations, which they then distribute to partners in social service agencies, such as homeless shelters, refugee agencies, and organizations that support victims of human trafficking. As of May 25, the organization had received more than 213,000 tampons, 61% less than the nearly 548,000 tampons donated in 2020.

Marlowe believes the issue is not getting the attention it deserves. “It is so stigmatized in society and, moreover, most legislators do not have periods,” he added.

“Periods don’t stop for pandemics”

Some tampon manufacturers have acknowledged the scarcity of products. P&G, which makes Tampax brand tampons, called it a “temporary situation” and said Tampax is working “24/7 to meet the growing demand for our products,” as well as helping retailers get more. products on store shelves.

“We understand that it’s frustrating for consumers when they can’t find what they need,” said a P&G spokesman.

Walgreens told CBS MoneyWatch that the pharmacy chain is experiencing temporary shortages at some of its locations across the country.

A CVS Health spokesman said some providers have struggled to meet orders from the pharmacy chain. “If a local store is temporarily out of specific products, we are working to replace those items as soon as possible,” the spokesman said, adding that CVS Health has not stopped rationing tampons.

Alternatives to tampons, including menstrual pads, underwear, and menstrual cups and discs may be good substitutes for tampons, but they don’t work for everyone.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Marlowe of I Support the Girls said she has seen women go inside cut-out dirty mattresses, sheets and T-shirts and cardboard to slow their flow, which health experts say which can be harmful.

“Periods don’t stop for pandemics,” he said. “The fact that there is a shortage does not mean that your period will end this month.”