How to Navigate the Tampon Shortage

Several months into a baby formula shortage, another health-related product has become difficult to find: Tampons. Though tampon scarcity has been the topic of Reddit threads for months, it gained national attention following an article published in Time, which referred to the shortage as “the supply chain problem no one’s talking about.”

Here’s a quick look at what’s behind the shortage, and what you can do to get the products you need.

What is causing the tampon shortage?

Predictably, there has been a lot of finger-pointing when it comes to assigning blame for the tampon shortage. For example, Procter & Gamble (makers of Tampax-brand tampons) recently indicated that it has been “costly and highly volatile” to acquire the raw materials, like cotton and plastic, the New York Times reports.

Meanwhile, a rep for P&G told Time that Amy Schumer was to blame, because her Tampax ads—which began airing in July 2020—have been so popular that it has resulted in the menstrual products flying off the shelves...nearly two years into the campaign.

In the article she wrote for Time, Alana Semuels makes the case that the tampon shortage is taking longer to resolve than previous shortages of toilet paper and hand sanitizer because unlike those products, many of the people making procurement and supply chain decisions don’t use tampons.

Regardless of the causes, the scarcity of tampons—coupled with rapidly rising prices, up nearly 10% from a year ago, Bloomberg reports—have made the menstrual supplies out of reach for a lot of people.

What to do if you can’t find tampons

As is the case with other shortages prompted by worker shortages and supply chain issues, whether or not you’ll find tampons available for purchase can depend on where you live, with some areas having more inventory than others. So if you haven’t yet checked the shelves of your usual tampon purveyor, start there before panicking.

Those coming up short may want to consider the following strategies:

Check other stores in your area

When Elaine Benes (as portrayed by Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Seinfeld) learned that her favorite form of birth control—her beloved sponge—was being discontinued, she did “a hard-target search of every drug store, general store, health store, and grocery store in a 25-block radius.”

Like Benes, don’t just check one pharmacy: If your usual CVS is out of tampons, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the Walgreens and independent pharmacy is, too. And if price isn’t an issue, look for tampons in places like gas station convenience stores, which aren’t typically a go-to destination for menstrual products, and may still have them in stock.

Try a new brand

In some areas, the tampon shortage is brand-specific—so while your brand-of-choice may not be available, other types of tampons are. They may be from newer, smaller companies, but you could end up finding a new favorite.

Buy them in bulk

Buying anything in bulk—tampons included—requires the financial means to make a higher-cost purchase, so we recognize that this isn’t an option for everyone. One way around that is by getting a few people together to split the cost of one bulk order if you find a supplier that still has tampons in stock.

Check office supply retailers like Staples, as well as others that don’t have brick-and-mortar locations. There are also wholesale companies that supply businesses with tampons, and may also offer consumers the opportunity to purchase menstrual supplies in bulk, like Aunt Flow.

Try other types of menstrual products

Many people also have the option of trying a new type of menstrual product, if tampons aren’t available. This can be easier said than done, though, because some retailers are also reporting that other period care items like pads and menstrual cups, are also selling out. Plus, most menstruators use a particular product because after some trial-and-error, they found that it works best for them—so it’s not like switching from Coke to Pepsi.

But for those who are willing (or need) to try something different, alternatives to tampons include:

Pads

Pros: Unlike other menstrual products, there’s no learning curve for use.Cons: Because they’re the obvious alternative to tampons—and share some of the same supply chain issues—they may be hard to find, too. Plus, some people dislike the feeling of wearing a pad, or may not be able to if it irritates their skin. And they’re not ideal for swimming (and other activities).

Menstrual cups and discs

Pros: Reusable (i.e., more environmentally friendly and cost-efficient than disposable menstrual products). More widely available and affordable now than even a few years ago.
Cons: A higher initial investment than disposable period products. It’s often a trial-and-error process to find a brand and size that works for your shape. It takes practice for some people to insert the product. Not everyone is able to find one that’s comfortable.

Period underwear

Pros: Reusable, and becoming increasingly available and affordable. Cons: Requires a higher initial investment (particularly since you’ll want to have multiple pairs). Even wearing the highest-absorbency underwear available, moderate-to-heavy bleeders often need to use additional menstrual products.

Reusable pads

Pro: Cost-efficient and environmentally friendly.Cons: Require time and effort to launder each month. Unlike disposable pads, aren’t designed to keep the surface fabric semi-dry.

When to proceed with caution

Given the shortage, some people may be tempted to leave their tampon in longer than the recommended limit of eight hours. But doctors, as well as Food and Drug Administration guidelines, advise against this, as it could lead to a bacterial infection. (And yes, increase your risk of developing toxic shock syndrome—though cases of the already-rare condition have dropped significantly over the last few decades.)

What about expired tampons? If you hadn’t already noticed, most have a shelf-life of between three and five years. But Dr. Barbara Wilkinson, an obstetrician and gynecologist with Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an instructor at Harvard Medical School, told the New York Times that there’s no scientific data suggesting that tampons are unsafe solely on the basis that they’re past their expiration date.

So if you happen to come across an old stash of tampons, Wilkinson advises that you “check to make sure the tampon wrapper is intact, and that the tampon looks like it is still well-protected.”