Supply chain problems and inflation have hit just about every type of consumer goods, and period products are no different. Many big retailers are facing a low supply of tampons and pads. Even the non-profits that have been formed in recent years to fight period poverty are now struggling to fill the gap. Dr. Jessica Shepherd, chief medical officer at Verywell Health, joins Cheddar to discuss.

Cheddar's News Wrap

What You Need to Know About the Tampon Shortage

let's switch gears here. Supply chain problems and inflation have hit just about every type of consumer good period products, They're no different. Many big retailers are facing a low supply of tampons and pads. Even the non profits that have been formed in recent years to fight period poverty are now struggling to fill the gap. Joining me now is dr Jessica shepherd, chief medical officer at very well. Health dr shepherd, Welcome back to the show. It's a pleasure to talk to you what factors have caused this shortage. Absolutely. So we are seeing things that are from supply chain really causing some of these outputs, especially when we're thinking of shortages. So this can range anywhere from continued supply chain volatility due to the pandemic. But we're also seeing shortages on some of the raw materials that are used to make some of these personal hygiene products, including tampons and now that is going to be all the way from the raw materials as well as distribution. When we think of labor and the decrease in the labor force, can you explain just how bad it really is? What is the direct impact for people who do men straight? Yeah, this is a direct impact because again, we have a very large population of women and menstruation is a big part of their quality of life and exactly how they live and what things are needed for them to just really have a normal life. Now when we think of menstruation in general, when we think of products that are used or tampons in this particular instance, it really does drive a kind of narrative for women to really think about how they take care of themselves during this time, as you can see that there are shelves that are empty from having these personal hygiene products when most of the time you can go to a store and just pick up a pack. So this is going to impact how women move throughout their day, how they're able to do things such as go to work, take care of their families. And so there are again key stakeholders. When we think of tampon companies and those that have most of the majority of this product, however, this is still making an impact on women's lives, what we see on the shelves and is really driving down economics as well because of how women's health is being impacted. Where are we seeing the majority of these shortages, doctor shepherd, what are we hearing from these people who are being affected the most. Now, that is really going to go down to a region. And again, when we think of distributors such as pharmacies or department stores at really what has most of the stock when we think of most of the tampons that are not being fulfilled on these shelves in the products. Now, I do believe that there are some other companies that do have tampons that are still available and we've seen some of those companies come out right and say that they're not necessarily having a shortage issue. But the main fact is that when you think of the key stakeholders in the personal hygiene world, if the key stakeholders are having an issue with their supply then supply all over is going to be impacted. What should people do? Are there, what are the best alternative products to use now? That's what I love about health and innovation and technologies that we really do have other alternatives. So you know, as a gynecologist, this is a great way for me to introduce other alternatives that there are four women such as pads. We also have menstrual cups which has really had make kind of like a comeback or or really have some popularity in the market as well nowadays. And now if someone is on birth control pills or even some type of contraceptive, they can actually talk to their physician about how they can utilize contraceptive in a way to decrease their menstrual cycles and also their flow. And let's not forget period panties, which are relatively new but can again be an alternative for a woman who maybe relied on tampons as there primary source of female hygiene. There are alternatives that are available. How long do you think this shortage is going to last dr shepherd? You know, I don't think I'm one, I'm positive. I'm optimistic that this is not gonna be um something that's going to, we're going to see for years. But I do know that the companies that are kind of seeing the shortage on their end are really devoted to making sure that we're going to see. This is not a longstanding problem and finding a way to make sure that we get this back on the shelf and really again not having such a supply chain issue and getting women's health taken care of dr Jessica shepherd, chief medical Officer very well health. We always appreciate your insight. Thank you so much. Doctor. Have a great weekend.