Can blood inside the menstrual cup leak into body if laying down/upside down?
I know this may seem like a strange question and I don’t know much about TSS but I was under the impression that it’s caused by old blood re entering the body from waiting too long to change a tampon. My bf and I rough house a lot and sometimes he’ll pick me up and I’ll be upside down over his shoulder or something. In this instance blood inside the menstrual cup would leak back in, no? Since it’s upside down? Curious if that’s a reasonable concern since my first menstrual cup is on its way.
Hi There!
TSS is caused by the presence of either Streptococcus pyogenes or Staphylococcus aureus. Both of which are bacterial toxins. Risks with tampons were said to be higher when a person would use a high absorbency tampon when not needed and skin lesions. Since a dry tampon can cause micro lesions, it can allow the toxins into the bloodstream.
Any skin wound, surgery, a cut on your hand or a jagged nail can be a contributor and anyone can get TSS. Not just those who use tampons.
While TSS is very rare (approx 3 in 100,000 per year in the developed world according to Wikipedia), it can also be fatal. Symptoms may include but are not limited to fever, rash, skin peeling, low blood pressure, vomiting, diarrhea, confusion, muscle aches, seizures, headaches, or redness of your eyes, mouth, and throat.
If you experience any of these symptoms especially if you’ve recently used a tampon or have any skin or wound infections, seek medical help.
Many believe that using a Menstrual Cup lowers the risk of TSS (not scientifically tested) since cups collect the flow instead of absorbing it. It will not interfere with your bodies natural secretions and is less drying even with a high capacity cup vs a high capacity tampon. This means there’s a lower chance to leave behind micro lesions.
As for blood “leaking back in”, it’s almost impossible. Our cervix is pretty much a one-way tunnel. Even sperm has a hard making their way up there. Plus, the opening to the cervix is so small and gravity (unless maybe you’re upside down for a very, VERY long time) keeps it from traveling back through. You have nothing to worry about with that. Roughhouse away! 😀
Congrats on making the switch to reusable!
Good Luck with your cup!! <3
