Toxic shock syndrome associated with menstrual cup use

Hind El Soufi; Yahya El Soufi; Sarah Al-Nuaimi; Farshad Bagheri

doi:10.1016/j.idcr.2021.e01171

Toxic shock syndrome associated with menstrual cup use

IDCases. 2021 May 28:25:e01171. doi: 10.1016/j.idcr.2021.e01171. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Hind El Soufi¹, Yahya El Soufi², Sarah Al-Nuaimi¹, Farshad Bagheri³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Queens, NY, United States.
² Lebanese University, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Beirut, Lebanon.
³ Director of Infectious Diseases Department, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Queens, NY, United States.

Abstract

Staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome is a rare but life-threatening condition. It occurs when Staphylococcus aureus bacteria colonizing the vagina of a healthy woman, produce toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 activating the immune system and leading to multiorgan failure. Menstrual cups also known as vaginal cups are usually used as alternatives to other intravaginal products for menstrual blood collection. In rare cases, they can also lead to toxic shock syndrome. We report a case of toxic shock syndrome associated with vaginal cup use in a healthy menstruating woman. The diagnosis was made based on the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria of the syndrome and confirmed with a vaginal cultural growth of Staphylococcus aureus.

Keywords: Menstrual cup; Staphylococcus aureus; Toxic shock syndrome; Vaginal cup.

Publication types

Case Reports