How to Diagnose an Allergy to Perfumed Tampons

If you get hives or itchiness when you use scented tampons, it's possible you're sensitive to the perfumes used in the tampon. Positively diagnosing an allergy to perfumed tampons requires a biopsy, which doctors won't find necessary to do. Instead, you can keep the following guidelines in mind when deciding whether to switch sanitary products.

Instructions

• 1

  Consider your symptoms. If you're hyper-sensitive to the perfume used in scented tampons, you might get vaginitis, an irritation of the vaginal area. Itchiness and bumps will be a problem. If you don't have vaginitis but are suddenly coughing, crampy or have other medical symptoms, you can rule out a tampon allergy as the cause.

• 2

  Think about whether you're sensitive to other products made with perfumes. If not, there could be many causes to vaginitis.

• 3

  Estimate how long you've been using scented tampons. If you've used them for years and just had a bad reaction, there could be many other factors aside from a tampon allergy explaining the problem.

• 4

  Switch to unscented tampons your next menstrual cycle and see whether you still get symptoms.

• 5

  Make an appointment with an allergist if switching products doesn't solve your problem or you suspect you have other allergies.