TSS was prolific between 1980 and 1990. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 55 cases of TSS were reported in May 1980. These infections were characterized by high fever and a rash that resembled a sunburn. Low blood pressure and organ function were affected. Further, 95 percent of these cases involved women, and 95 percent of the 40 women who gave their menstrual history were on their periods at the time the illness occurred. 

In June of that year, a link between TSS and tampons was reported in three different studies. Researchers also discovered that women who used tampons frequently had a higher risk than those who rotated products. 

At that time, another link was also uncovered. Researchers found that a brand of tampons called RelyPr elevated a woman’s risk of TSS. And the higher the tampon absorbency, the higher the risk. Consequently, the sale of these products ceased. In September of 1980, the manufacturers of RelyPr voluntarily pulled the tampons from the market. 

In the following years, cases of TSS drastically dropped. Nearly 900 cases were reported in 1980, and more than 90 percent of these cases were linked to menstruation. But by 1989, just 61 cases were reported, and 74 percent of these occurrences were linked to menstruation. Deaths also decreased. In 1980, 5 percent of women with TSS associated with menstruation died. But in 1988 and 1999, no women died of the health issue. 

However, today’s healthcare professionals are again stumped and scrambling for information. The Washington Post reports that four out of the five women affected by recent cases of TSS had used super-absorbency tampons made by Playtex and sold under the brand name Playtex Sport. That said, the fifth woman used a product called U, made by Kotex. This means that the illness is not related to just one product.