Gen X shares the fear toxic shock syndrome messaging had on them–and still does

In the 1980s and 1990s, few things were scarier than toxic shock syndrome (TSS), a rare bacterial infection caused by tampons that causes toxins to enter the bloodstream, which can lead to organ damage and even death. Specifically, TSS was linked to sodium polyacrylate (which is also found in disposable diapers), which was infused into super-absorbent tampons. Reddit user 2boredtocare posed the question: "Forget about the quicksand; were any other ladies convinced they were going to die by TSS?"

She shared, "It seemed like SUCH a huge thing back when we were hitting puberty that I was legit afraid of tampons til I was in high school. lol. I don't really read or hear anything about it these days. What's up with that?"

And Gen X had a lot to say about the matter. Here are 20 of the best responses to the question: "Forget about the quicksand; were any other ladies convinced they were going to die by TSS?"

1. "Oh yeah, for sure, I was TERRIFIED when I first started using tampons! Meanwhile, me as a 43-year-old has sometimes wondered 'hmmm...do I still have a tampon in from the Jurassic Period? Oh well...'" – kermit-t-frogster

2. "Yep. Didn't help that my dad's cousin's wife died of TSS. Leaving him a single dad. I think the difference is in the advertising and safety information did its job. People aren't leaving them in longer than they should. Because we've been frightened enough." – kategoad

3. "Oh for sure, it was scary. Something I think about now is, I’m almost at the finish line, I don’t wanna learn new period products. Like the cups and panties now. Is that bad? My brain has so peaced out." – MyBookOfStories

Stop Motion Surf GIF by HeadexplodieGiphy

4. "It's still around. The awareness of the cause helped a lot. Unfortunately, there are women who don't have the cognitive ability to use that sort of product safely but still use them, or have someone in their life that did their best to help out but wasn't around to help later on. I think it was last year that I transported a woman with Down's from the local hospital to a bigger center who had been with a respite caregiver that gave her a tampon. No bleeding, so the Down's patient didn't think she needed to use a pad and had forgotten completely about the tampon being in until TSS set in. I think my last one previous to that was a drug addict on a multi-day binge while on her menses." – Striking_Earth_786

5. "Yes. I still won’t sleep in a tampon! I used to work for P&G and the TSS cases were part of the crisis PR training we received." – DifferentManagement1

6. "When I was in high school I remember having to take a female friend to buy pads after school. She was petite but a heavy bleeder none the less.. why she told me this I don't know. I have probably heard more "women's bodily issues" stories than a man should know for not being an OBGYN. But nevertheless we had gone to 4 different stores looking for "ultra-absorbent" pads because she ran out of the ultra-absorbent tampons and she was on her 4th regular one that day. She was afraid that if she stuck in a 5th one, she would get TSS." – ted_anderson

Period Menstruation GIF by Mighty OakGiphy

7. "Not a lady, but my understanding is that it is still a thing. It is a form of staph infection, so guys can get something similar just not that way. Manufacturing changes to tampons have made them much less likely to cause it, and there's more effective medication to treat it. Mortality from it may still be higher than that for quicksand though." – Melodic_War327

8. "I'm male, but my mom had expressed such outrage in the early 80s about Proctor & Gamble's role in TSS that when I was a kid I would see their soap or shampoo or any other product on the shelf and I'd think there was an aura of evil and corruption around it." – moderngulls

9. "My younger sister almost did! We were camping and I guess she must have gotten distracted while in the bathroom. She didn't remove a tampon before inserting a new one. Day two of camping and she was lethargic and unresponsive. The campground had to call an ambulance (no cell phones yet). She has used pads ever since." – abbys_alibi

10. "I had TSS. I damn near died because I was too embarrassed to tell anyone that I was on my period (I was in 8th grade and dumb). I spiked a fever of 105 and was vomiting like the exorcist. Fun times." – Acceptable-Regret398

11. "It’s because doctors have learned the tell tell signs and it’s widely known now. My wife had an aunt die and a step mom almost die from it. Also manufacturers figured out how to make tampons safer, idk how but they did." – apost8n8

12. "I knew a guy in the Marine Corps that got toxic shock syndrome from the generally unsanitary conditions in which we lived. It was no joke and nearly killed him." – warrior_poet95834

13. "I had a classmate die from it. It definitely made me more aware of the risks." – bakedquestbar

14. "Yep, and when I was about 8 I watched a neighbor leave in an ambulance writhing in pain because she had tss. She lived and I guess was fine. But I was terrified." – No_Today_4903

15. "My Aunt had TSS she survived but was never able to have children because of it. On the upside she got a gigantic check from Tampax." – efreeme

period yes GIF by U by Kotex BrandGiphy

16. "I STILL worry about it sometimes." – StatusUnknown_

17. "I had a high school friend who was in the hospital for toxic shock syndrome so I didn’t think it was exaggerated. She nearly died." – whatzzart

18. "Huh… that reminds me…runs to bathroom." – anti_socialite_77

19. "42 and still NEVER used a tampon. Dolly magazine did an article on TSS when I was 13 and that made my mind up for me." – AmorFatiBarbie

20. "Omg yes. That became a big thing right around the time I got my period. They scared us to death!" – Bakewitch