Why did Rely tampons get taken off the market?

Answer 1

Rely tampons were taken off the market because of health risks.

Rely tampons were made from a rough and ultra absorbent combination of carboxymethlycallulose and polyester which caused excessive ulceration in the vaginal walls - this resulted in life-threatening vaginal hemorrhaging and these tears in vaginal walls allowed bacterial toxins to enter the bloodstream so significantly increasing Toxic shock syndrome which is a potentially fatal illness. These tampons also caused issues such as vaginal infections and irritation.

In short Rely tampons may have contributed to millions of cases of TSS and other tampon-associated health problems - CDC were recording TSS cases but the vast majority of cases weren't included in CDC figures as many cases weren't reported (were misdiagnosed, doctors didn't know how to report to CDC due to new protocol, or they didn't have time to report) and CDC criteria for counting TSS only included cases that met specific criteria.

Tampon companies knew about the health risks from initial test markets, and then when they rolled out the brand nationally there was wide concern from customers and health professionals about symptoms resulting from use of Rely. It wasn't until government bodies stepped in that Rely was taken off the market, as it was considered to be a risk to public health.

Answer 2

They were connected to Toxic Shock Syndrome.