Could a tampon tell you if you have an STI?

One of the perennial challenges of STI testing remains the testing process itself. For lots of people, getting tested for STIs can be inconvenient and laced with stigma.  When faced with the prospect of having to pee into a cup, get blood drawn, and swab their genitals, many people would easily opt to roll the dice and not get tested at all.

But what if there was a small, inexpensive household item, something that many people use every day, that could tell you whether you have an STI?

That’s the idea behind a new study published in BMC Women’s Health. Researchers wanted to explore the effectiveness of using tampons to test for STIs that could seriously damage a woman’s health.

Keep reading to find out more.

Testing with tampons is a way’s away. If you’re worried about an STI, get tested with Better2Know’s Full STI Screen.

Why tampons?

The idea of using tampons to determine someone’s sexual health status might seem strange, but it actually makes a lot of sense.

Cervical cancer, which is primarily caused by certain strains of HPV, remains a significant issue for health systems around the world, especially in low-income and middle-income countries.

Other infections like Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, and Bacterial Vaginosis also cause long-term damage to a woman’s reproductive system if left untreated. Using an everyday item, like a tampon, to collect samples could go a long way to helping women identify infections they may not know they have.

What did the study show?

The study, published in BMC Women’s Health, explored how self-collected medical-grade tampons could be used to detect HPV and other STIs.

Researchers selected a cohort of 75 female participants aged 18-54. This cohort underwent healthcare worker sample collection and self-collected sample collection using a medical-grade tampon. Testing for HPV and other STIs was performed on both sample collection methods using TMA-based assays.

The study’s results were very interesting. Of the 60 participants who completed the study, the self-collected tampons showed high levels of sensitivity and specificity when testing for HPV, Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, and Bacterial Vaginosis.

The participants also expressed a preference for tampon self-collection over healthcare workers’ collected swabs. This may not be surprising since participants didn’t have to participate in a potentially embarrassing or uncomfortable swab to get their sample collected—they could just do it on their own.

Using medical grade tampons as a sample-collection method for STIs could have lots of upsides.

Visiting a sexual health clinic may be a barrier for many women in low-income regions to get STI testing. Using medical grade tampons could offer a solution to people who may not be able to visit a clinic or who may not live near health infrastructure. Using household items that people use every day is also more likely to be accepted and used by patients. This may make it easier for health authorities to prevent cervical cancer with more widespread testing.

Accuracy is probably the most important aspect of any medical test. This study showed that medical-grade tampons can be just as accurate and reliable as samples taken by healthcare workers.  

While the findings of this study were interesting, more research is needed in this area to determine how effective such sample collection methods could be.

Final thoughts

The world of science is constantly advancing, and new testing methods will be developed to help people fight all sorts of diseases.

But until that time comes, traditional testing for STIs remains a reliable and accurate way of knowing whether you’ve got a sexually transmitted infection.

If you’re concerned about a recent sexual encounter, are experiencing symptoms of an STI, or you’re just interested in protecting your sexual health. It’s always Better2Know your sexual health status by getting tested. Click the button below to book an appointment for an STI test near you.

Don’t leave your sexual health to chance. Book an appointment at a sexual health clinic near you.

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