Right. Kudos for getting so in-depth on this subject. I happen to be male, however I’ve got a lovely wife, teenage daughter and sisters. I remember the scare when it was first on the news and thinking it was terrifying. Read more

“But four other scientists I called—all of whom are among the world’s leading experts on TSS (also all, incidentally, white and male)“ Read more

You can buy sex tampons in Europe and on Amazon (Joy Division makes nice pink heart shaped ones) they’re basically like the makeup sponges but more absorbent, easier to remove and cuter. So seems fine. Personally I don’t bother but if I were going to use them I'd think it’s worth getting the dedicated product just… Read more

Dear Nona. I can explain the hostile reaction you got from Dr. Jen. Read more

I am a man but was curious about what you discovered, especially since I remember the furor over TSS in the late 70's. Great article - well-researched, unbiased and thorough. Read more

After an initial follow-up interview, Gunter declined to participate in this article when Lifehacker’s fact-checker called this past summer, expressing her disapproval that I hadn’t followed up personally. When I followed up with Gunter after that, she expressed further disapproval and hung up on me. Read more

Fantastic, well-researched, and surprisingly interesting article, thank you! I have been a vagina-haver for 42 years, and didn’t know any of this. After having read “A Short History of Nearly Everything” I came to the realization that scientists are just people, rife with pig-headedness and personality conflicts, so… Read more

Sure, why not. I doubt it’ll be comfortable though and you might risk a yeast infection, but probably not TSS? lol Read more

I mean, it’s a sexual boundary. Maybe it means you’re not compatible if period sex is important to you but it seems pretty fucked up to be judgemental about it. People are allowed to have boundaries about what they’re okay with in bed. Read more

Your comment caught my attention, so I looked him up: Read more

Does anyone actually wake up to change tampons during the night?  I certainly never have. Read more

You are the hero we need but don’t deserve (yes I misquoted). Thank you for this epic post. You are doing God’s work.
Read more

Nah. Read more

As a scientist? I really have to hand it to you that you went on this deep-dive into this topic. This is pretty much what I’d have expected, if a journalist tried to find an answer to a controversial scientific question, and yet you didn’t try to streamline all this insanity or cut it down. You let it be long and… Read more

Having watched someone pass away from multiple organ failure due to T.S.S., any piece written calling attention to anything that can be done to help prevent or shine a light on warning signs, I’m eternally grateful for. Educated information versus some celebrity with her “magic vagina rock” gives some meaning to her… Read more

Well you clearly didn’t read past the headline. Read more

As soon as he got all up into the art of lovemaking and how rude it would be to get up and go to the bathroom, I was like ok literally all your interpretations are suspect now. Read more

Tierno is going to get hella UTIs. Forget the “art of lovemaking” — go pee after sex, always. If you’re that into not letting him know you have body functions you have to handle, wait until he falls asleep, THEN go pee. Read more

I strongly believe this question is generational, especially if you’re in possession of a vagina: When you’re, say, 18, the city is AWESOME and sex is pretttttttyyyy shitty, but as you get older, those things start to reverse, so that by the time you’re in your mid-thirties, you’re approaching your sexual prime just… Read more