Menstruation- 04

Reproductive Health



Menstruation

1- Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
2- Why Do I Have Cramps but No Period?
3- Your Period: 5 Things You Didn’t Know
4- Common Period Problems

5- Menstrual Pain
6- Heavy Periods (Menorrhagia)
7- Irregular Periods
8- Menstrual Blood Problems: Clots, Color, and Thickness

9- Menstrual Cup
10- Why Am I Spotting Between Periods?
11- Your Period and Your Breasts
12- Painful Ovulation (Mittelschmerz)

13- Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS)
14- Symptoms of Toxic Shock Syndrome
15- Treat and Prevent TSS
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

13- Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS)

Understanding Toxic Shock Syndrome -- the Basics

What Is Toxic Shock Syndrome?

Toxic shock syndrome is a sudden, potentially fatal condition. It's caused by the release of poisonous substances from an overgrowth of bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus, or staph, which is found in many women's bodies. Toxic shock syndrome affects menstruating women, especially those who use super-absorbent tampons. The body responds with a sharp drop in blood pressure that deprives organs of oxygen and can lead to death.

This disease made headlines in the late 1970s and early 1980s after the deaths of several young women who were using a brand of super-absorbent tampon that was later removed from the market.

Toxic shock syndrome is still mostly a disease of menstruating women who use tampons. But it has also been linked to the use of menstrual sponges, diaphragms, and cervical caps. A woman who has recently given birth also has a higher chance of getting toxic shock. And it can happen to men and women who have been exposed to staph bacteria while recovering from surgery, a burn, an open wound, or the use of a prosthetic device.

More than a third of all cases of toxic shock involve women under 19, and up to 30% of women who have had the disease will get it again. If you have ever had toxic shock, you must look out for the symptoms so you can get immediate medical care.

People who die from toxic shock are killed by the body's response to the poisons released by staph bacteria. Most people suffer hypotensive shock, in which the heart and lungs stop working.

If you are menstruating and have a high fever with vomiting, especially if you have been using tampons, you must get medical help right away. If you are using a tampon, menstrual sponge, diaphragm, or cervical cap when you become ill, remove it immediately, even before calling your doctor.

What Causes Toxic Shock Syndrome?

Toxic shock syndrome is caused by a poison produced by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. This bacteria is one of several staph bacteria that cause skin infections in burn patients and hospital patients who have had surgery.

Staph is normally -- and harmlessly -- present in the vagina. How staph causes toxic shock syndrome is not understood. But two conditions are necessary: First, the bacteria need an environment in which they can grow rapidly and release poisons. Then the poisons must get into the bloodstream.

A tampon saturated with blood is a supportive place for rapid growth of bacteria. It also seems to matter what the tampon is made of. Polyester foam provides a better environment for the growth of bacteria than either cotton or rayon fibers.

In cases from menstrual sponges, diaphragms, and cervical caps, either the device had been in the vagina for a long time -- more than 30 hours -- or, in the case of the sponge, pieces of the sponge remained in the vagina.

The way in which bacterial poisons enter the bloodstream may also be related to tampon use. Sliding a tampon into place in the vagina may make microscopic tears in the walls of the vagina, rupturing tiny blood vessels. A super-absorbent tampon -- especially if it's left in place too long, or if it is used when the menstrual flow is light -- can dry out the vagina, making such tearing even more likely.

Researchers investigating the causes of toxic shock syndrome have ruled out feminine deodorant sprays and douches, underwear, and other clothing. The condition is also unrelated to the woman's menstrual history, drug or alcohol use, cigarette smoking, swimming or bathing, or sexual activity.

14- Symptoms of Toxic Shock Syndrome

What Are the Symptoms of Toxic Shock Syndrome?

Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is rare, but it can be life-threatening, so it’s important to know its signs and symptoms so you can spot it and treat it quickly.

Since TSS puts out toxins into your bloodstream, it can affect many different systems in your body at once. The symptoms are a lot like ones you might see from other kinds of infections: swelling, fever, redness, and a general feeling of being unwell.

TSS symptoms usually come on quickly, about 2 days after the bacteria infects you. The way TSS affects your body depends on the type of bacteria causing your condition.

Generally, TSS causes:

• Fever
• Rash
• Low blood pressure
• Kidney problems or failure
• Respiratory problems or failure
• Confusion

In order to figure out what kind of TSS you have, and to rule out other causes of infection or disease, your doctor will check for symptoms that are specific to certain types of bacteria. The bacteria that most commonly cause TSS are:

• Staphylococcus aureus
• Streptococcus pyogenes
• Clostridium sordellii (C. sordellii)

Staphylococcal TSS Symptoms

Staphylococcal TSS happens most often in women. Sometimes, you can get it if you use superabsorbent tampons, and the bacteria gets trapped for too long in your vagina. You’re also more at risk if you have an infection after surgery, childbirth, or have burns or pus buildup in your body. This type of TSS causes:

• Fever above 102 F
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Flat, red rash like a sunburn on most of your body
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Muscle pain
• Redder than usual mouth, eyes, and vagina
• Bruising
• Low urine output

You may also start to shed your skin in sheets, usually on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet, 1 to 2 weeks after your symptoms start.

Streptococcal TSS Symptoms

This kind of TSS usually happens after you have chickenpox, a skin infection, or if you have a weak immune system. The first symptom is most often severe pain that comes on suddenly. Other symptoms include:

• Very low blood pressure
• Shock (not enough blood flow to the systems in your body)
• Bleeding problems
• Bruising
• Flat, red rash like a sunburn on most of your body
• Trouble breathing

You may also have sheets of skin shed off, like in staphylococcal TSS, but this doesn’t always happen.

C. sordellii TSS Symptoms

Clostridium sordellii infection happens in the uterus. You can also get it from IV drug use. Its symptoms include:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Low energy and weakness
• Flu-like symptoms
• Pain when you touch your abdomen
• Swelling
• High red and white blood cell count
• Fast heart rate

Unlike the other most common types of TSS, such as staphylococcal TSS, C. sordellii does not usually cause a fever.

15- Treat and Prevent TSS

Toxic Shock Syndrome: Treatment and Prevention

Toxic shock syndrome (also called “TSS”) is a rare but serious condition that affects many systems in your body at once. It is caused when your immune system reacts to toxins produced by bacteria. It’s serious, but with the right treatment, it’s also curable.

Because this condition can be life-threatening, your doctor will probably send you to a hospital to get treatment.

At the hospital, doctors can keep an eye on your condition as they treat the toxic shock syndrome and the symptoms it’s causing. You may have to stay there for a few days or longer, depending on how severe your case is.

Before choosing a treatment for you, your doctor will need to examine you to find out more about:

• Your age and medical history
• Your recent health history, including what might be causing your TSS
• What kind of symptoms you’re having
• How serious your symptoms are
• How you react to certain medications or treatments

Your doctor may have to run tests or collect tissue or blood samples in order to figure out the specific treatments that will work for you. You may need:

IV Antibiotics

This the most common way doctors treat TSS. Antibiotics will help stop the bacteria from growing in your system. They do not get rid of the toxins that have already built up in your body. The type of antibiotic you get depends on which kind of bacteria is causing your TSS.

Immunoglobulin Therapy

If your TSS is very severe, your doctor may try to treat it with immunoglobulin. Immunoglobulin is a part of blood plasma that has antibodies. You get it through an IV. Immunoglobulin therapy can help boost your body’s defense systems against infection.

Treatment for Symptoms

You may also need treatment for the symptoms of TSS, such as:

• IV fluid for dehydration, shock, and organ damage prevention
• Medication to help low blood pressure
• Dialysis for kidney failure
• Extra oxygen or other devices to help you breathe
• Blood transfusion

Depending on what caused your TSS, your doctor may also want to:

• Take out any tampons or other contraceptive devices you may be using
• Clean any wounds you have
• Drain pus from any infected areas

If you have an infection that is very severe, you may have to have surgery to remove dead tissue and deep clean your wound to get rid of all of it.

Prevention

TSS is rare. You’re unlikely to get it if you’ve never had it. But once you get it, you’re at a higher risk of getting it again. You can take these steps to keep your chances as low as possible:

• If you get a wound, keep it clean, dry, and bandaged. Make sure to change your bandages regularly.
• Any time you see signs of infection in a wound -- redness, swelling, pain, fever -- tell your doctor as soon as possible so it can be treated.

For Women Only

Be careful when you use tampons, diaphragms, or contraceptive sponges. All three carry some risk of TSS. If you’ve had TSS before, or if you’ve had a serious bacterial infection, you’re at a greater risk of getting TSS, and shouldn’t use them at all.

Because of improved designs, the risk of getting TSS from tampons is much lower than it used to be. But it’s still important to practice good tampon hygiene. To use tampons safely and reduce your risk of TSS, you should:

• Use the lowest absorbency tampon you can
• Change your tampon frequently -- every 4 to 6 hours, or more often, depending on your flow
• Use pads on light flow days
• Don’t use tampons when you don’t have your period
• Keep your tampon box in a cool, dry place to keep bacteria from growing
• Always wash your hands before putting a tampon in, or taking one out