{"id":8610,"date":"2025-04-11T15:08:55","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T15:08:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/?p=8610"},"modified":"2025-07-16T14:06:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T14:06:09","slug":"could-a-tampon-tell-you-if-you-have-an-sti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/could-a-tampon-tell-you-if-you-have-an-sti\/","title":{"rendered":"Could a tampon tell you if you have an STI?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Could a tampon tell you if you have an STI?\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/orScoM8CESA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>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. &nbsp;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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s the idea behind a new study published in <em>BMC Women\u2019s Health<\/em>. Researchers wanted to explore the effectiveness of using tampons to test for STIs that could seriously damage a woman\u2019s health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep reading to find out more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"752\" height=\"381\" src=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image-3.jpeg\" alt=\"A tampon on a string\n\nAI-generated content may be incorrect.\" class=\"wp-image-8612\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image-3.jpeg 752w, https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image-3-300x152.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 752px) 100vw, 752px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Testing with tampons is a way\u2019s away. If you\u2019re worried about an STI, get tested with Better2Know\u2019s Full STI Screen.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/shop\/products\/home-testing-kits\/full-screen\">Get tested<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2>Why tampons?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The idea of using tampons to determine someone\u2019s sexual health status might seem strange, but it actually makes a lot of sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cervical cancer, which is primarily caused by certain strains of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/std-sti-testing\/hpv\"><strong>HPV<\/strong><\/a>, remains a significant issue for health systems around the world, especially in low-income and middle-income countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other infections like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/std-sti-testing\/chlamydia\"><strong>Chlamydia<\/strong><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/std-sti-testing\/gonorrhoea\"><strong>Gonorrhoea<\/strong><\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/could-bacterial-vaginosis-become-an-sti\/\"><strong>Bacterial Vaginosis<\/strong><\/a> also cause long-term <a href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/what-is-pelvic-inflammatory-disease-pid\/\"><strong>damage to a woman\u2019s reproductive system if left untreated<\/strong><\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>What did the study show?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s12905-025-03652-z\"><strong>study<\/strong><\/a>, published in <em>BMC Women\u2019s Health<\/em>, explored how self-collected medical-grade tampons could be used to detect HPV and other STIs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study&#8217;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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The participants also expressed a preference for tampon self-collection over healthcare workers&#8217; collected swabs. This may not be surprising since participants didn\u2019t have to participate in a potentially embarrassing or uncomfortable swab to get their sample collected\u2014they could just do it on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using medical grade tampons as a sample-collection method for STIs could have lots of upsides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It will be interesting to see how this works in everyday practice. The study was controlled in a clinic, and, therefore, we don\u2019t know what transportation of the sample would do to the quality of the study results. Hopefully, we will see this new information in future studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The world of science is constantly advancing, and new testing methods will be developed to help people fight all sorts of diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But until that time comes, traditional testing for STIs remains a reliable and accurate way of knowing whether you\u2019ve got a sexually transmitted infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re concerned about a recent sexual encounter, are experiencing symptoms of an STI, or you\u2019re just interested in protecting your sexual health. It\u2019s always Better2Know your sexual health status by getting tested. Click the button below to book an appointment for an STI test near you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"752\" height=\"381\" src=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image-2.jpeg\" alt=\"A person looking at her phone\n\nAI-generated content may be incorrect.\" class=\"wp-image-8611\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image-2.jpeg 752w, https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/image-2-300x152.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 752px) 100vw, 752px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Don\u2019t leave your sexual health to chance. Book an appointment at a sexual health clinic near you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/clinics\/book-online\">Get tested<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This article was medically reviewed by <a href=\"http:\/\/It would be interesting to see how this works in every day practice. The study was controlled in a clinic, and we don\u2019t know what transportation of the sample would do to the quality of the study results. Hopefully we will see this new information in future studies.\"><strong>Dr. Steve Chapman<\/strong><\/a>, 16\/07\/2025.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<!-- Simple Share Buttons Adder (8.1.2) simplesharebuttons.com --><div class=\"ssba-classic-2 ssba ssbp-wrap left ssbp--theme-1\"><div style=\"text-align:left\"><span class=\"ssba-share-text\">Share this...<\/span><br\/><a data-site=\"\" class=\"ssba_facebook_share\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8610\"  target=\"_blank\" ><img src=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/simple-share-buttons-adder\/buttons\/somacro\/facebook.png\" style=\"width: 35px;\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"ssba ssba-img\" alt=\"Share on Facebook\" \/><div title=\"Facebook\" class=\"ssbp-text\">Facebook<\/div><\/a><a data-site='pinterest' class='ssba_pinterest_share' href='javascript:void((function()%7Bvar%20e=document.createElement(&apos;script&apos;);e.setAttribute(&apos;type&apos;,&apos;text\/javascript&apos;);e.setAttribute(&apos;charset&apos;,&apos;UTF-8&apos;);e.setAttribute(&apos;src&apos;,&apos;\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/js\/pinmarklet.js?r=&apos;+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e)%7D)());'><img src=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/simple-share-buttons-adder\/buttons\/somacro\/pinterest.png\" style=\"width: 35px;\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"ssba ssba-img\" alt=\"Pin on Pinterest\" \/><div title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"ssbp-text\">Pinterest<\/div><\/a><a data-site=\"\" class=\"ssba_twitter_share\" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8610&amp;text=Could%20a%20tampon%20tell%20you%20if%20you%20have%20an%20STI%3F%20\"  target=&quot;_blank&quot; ><img src=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/simple-share-buttons-adder\/buttons\/somacro\/twitter.png\" style=\"width: 35px;\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"ssba ssba-img\" alt=\"Tweet about this on Twitter\" \/><div title=\"Twitter\" class=\"ssbp-text\">Twitter<\/div><\/a><a data-site=\"linkedin\" class=\"ssba_linkedin_share ssba_share_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8610\"  target=&quot;_blank&quot; ><img src=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/simple-share-buttons-adder\/buttons\/somacro\/linkedin.png\" style=\"width: 35px;\" title=\"LinkedIn\" class=\"ssba ssba-img\" alt=\"Share on LinkedIn\" \/><div title=\"Linkedin\" class=\"ssbp-text\">Linkedin<\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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. &nbsp;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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":""},"categories":[11,3,4,21,20,14,2606,19],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[568,2694,563,961,735,3263],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8610"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8610"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8610\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8719,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8610\/revisions\/8719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8610"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=8610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}