Carine Carmy’s Post

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Co-Founder & CEO at Origin, physical therapy for your pelvic floor and whole body

I never thought I’d be writing these words on LinkedIn, but we need more regulation in women’s health. This past week, a study revealed that tampons are a source of exposure to metal(loid)s. The initial research is not incredibly conclusive given the low levels of toxins, but tampons have been around since the 1930s, and it’s 2024 and there’s not enough information about the risk. Of course, we need more research. But this is also a regulatory failure. The lack of consumer protection not only creates potential harm for folks who use tampons, but it also gives credence to the dark web of health misinformation on social media. This is especially problematic in women’s health given the historic lack of evidence-based research to rely on. Simply put: We need more research into products that impact our health and better regulation, rather than entrusting companies to self-report. If we want to counterbalance the rise of health misinformation on social media, we have to create more trust in the institutions that are supposed to protect our health.

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Lauren Wang

CEO & Founder at The Flex Co. | EY Entrepreneur of the Year

1mo

Thank you so much for sharing this news. It’s really important. I fully agree that there needs to be far more funding for women’s health broadly. While not everyone gets infections from tampons, I personally was getting infections for 15 years which is why I created The Flex Co. Women deserve more options and all of those options healthy ones regardless of what product they choose.

Graham Walker, MD

AI/Tech Innovation @ TPMG | Medical AI & Informatics Strategy | MDCalc Creator

1mo

I always look to Jennifer Gunter for good evidence-based information on topics like this https://vajenda.substack.com/p/dont-panic-about-lead-in-tampons

Angela Fishman, PT

Pelvic Physical Therapist | My Pelvic Therapy, PLLC | VirtualPT Pregnant + Prepared: prenatal course to prevent tears & leaks

1mo

You'd think we would have learned this lesson with back in the 80's with toxic shock syndrome https://time.com/4422774/tampons-toxic-cancer/

Kiran Roest

Founder at PocDoc | Biotech Strategy & Growth Partner | Women in Tech Excellence Award Winner | Women who Tech Finalist

1mo

I would expand the scope to food addictives, processing methods, supplements etc, basically any consumer product coming into contact with us or indirectly affecting something we consume… it’s scary how much modification can occur to food without knowing the full consequences of that

Joe Cardillo

Fighting disinformation, coaching leaders, doing what needs to be done

1mo

Had no idea, and am glad you raised this, Carine Carmy...it's a good reminder that research (creating/testing knowledge) is important, and it is not something industry can do, we need foundational science and regulatory work that isn't dependent on companies.

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Mary Borysova

Design and Product Advisor for Startups | AI-Driven Design | Healthcare Design

1mo

Agree! It’s easier to start a company and a healthcare product these days, and we need to ensure that the regulations are there and also they do not delay the process of innovation.

Molly Cornbleet

Senior Director, Communications at Thermo Fisher Scientific

1mo

Agree 100% - there is not nearly enough research out there, especially on things like herbal supplements during pregnancy too. I wish we had better information, based on research for women.

The Vajenda shared a break down of this study and some context for why we probably shouldn't panic (yet). Thank you Czuee Morey, Ph.D. for pointing me to this: https://vajenda.substack.com/p/dont-panic-about-lead-in-tampons

Taryn Shipley, MBA, CSSBB

Healthcare Consultant | Epic, Analytics, AI

1mo

And they for some reason have dye in them too. I've been avoiding foods with certain ingredients...I didn't realize until recently there are nasty chemicals in tampons!

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