Leona, her experience with toxic shock syndrome

Meeting with Léona who contracted TSS while traveling in Australia in 2017. The cause: wearing a tampon.

From her first symptoms to the management of her disease, she explains how her views on intimate hygiene, her menstrual cycle, and her periods have changed radically since this event.

Leona, what symptoms did you have when you contracted toxic shock syndrome?

"While each case is unique, the main symptoms I experienced were migraines, discomfort, and a stomachache that made me faint."

ANSE and the gynecologists we interviewed explain that the symptoms of toxic shock syndrome are often likened to the stomach flu.

Leona, in your opinion, is the only way to get TSS by wearing a tampon?

"The gynecologist told me that wearing a tampon, a cup or practicing free instinctive flow is the same thing. This is because one of the causes of TSS is the fact that blood stagnates in your body and promotes the growth of bacteria. Also, I never wore my tampons for more than three hours! And Laura Wasser who is the model who had both her legs amputated due to toxic shock had also not worn her tampon for more than three hours