The former Love Island star had no idea what was happening (Picture: Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Maura Higgins has opened up on a frightening near-death experience from when she suffered toxic shock syndrome (TSS).
The former Love Island star had a ‘very bad experience’ when a tampon got stuck inside her for three months, leading to TSS which, according to the NHS, is a rare but life-threatening condition caused by bacteria getting into the body and releasing harmful toxins.
TSS is a medical emergency, as it gets worse very quickly and can be fatal if not treated promptly. However, if diagnosed and treated, most people make a full recovery.
Sharing her own story, Maura said: ‘I did have a very bad experience. I’m not a doctor, I don’t know much about that [TSS], but I know you are not meant to leave a tampon inside for more than, I think it’s nine hours, I think that’s the max.’
The NHS recommends changing your tampon or menstrual cup around every four to six hours, depending on your period, but products should typically not be left in longer than eight hours.
Maura continued: ‘There was a tampon inside me for three months. When the doctor found it, it was stuck to my cervix. And I was so ill.
Maura wants to help dismantle the stigma surrounding periods (Picture: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)
‘I did not know what was going on.’
Maura has spoken out to raise aware of the dangers of TSS, as people have died from it.
‘Young girls might not have noticed, like you go on a night out, what if you got really drunk and forgot, like, these things actually do happen, and people don’t speak about it,’ she said.
The Irish star went on to discourage shame around periods, which are often a taboo topic.
Symptoms of Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS)
Symptoms of TSS tend to come on all of a sudden and can get worse very quickly. They include:
a high temperature
flu-like symptoms, such as a headache, feeling cold, feeling tired or exhausted, an aching body, a sore throat and a cough
feeling and being sick
diarrhoea
a widespread sunburn-like rash
lips, tongue and the whites of the eyes turning a bright red
dizziness or fainting
difficulty breathing
While these symptoms can be due to another condition, TSS should be treated as a medical emergency. Therefore, you should contact your GP, a local out-of-hours service, or NHS 111 as soon as possible if you have a combination of the above symptoms.
‘I remember even being in school, I used to get my tampon out the bag, push it up my sleeve and then go to the toilet like that… thinking back, why was I doing that? It’s nothing to be ashamed about, that’s why I think it’s an important topic isn’t it?’
As well as dismantling stigma around periods, the 31-year-old believes more women need to teach themselves how to orgasm, rather than rely on a man being ‘good’ in the bedroom.
The former Love Island star is open when it comes to discussing sex (Picture: Instagram)
Speaking on Thursday’s Shopping with Keith Lemon, she added that ‘most girls’ she knows have ‘never had an orgasm.’
The reason for this, Maura believes, is people don’t understand that ‘you have to teach yourself how to orgasm.’
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‘It’s not about how good the man is or whatever, it’s about you as a woman,’ she declared.
‘Us women don’t understand, how lucky we are, the woman that can, do you know what I mean?’
Shopping with Keith Lemon concludes Thursday on ITV2 at 10pm.
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‘I did not know what was going on.’