Company recalls tampons that may fall apart

A tampon manufacturer is recalling some of its product after several reports they came apart as they were being removed, sometimes leaving pieces inside women's bodies.

Kimberly-Clark is recalling some of its U by Kotex® Sleek® Tampons, Regular Absorbency, sold throughout the United States and Canada for what is described as a quality-related defect that could impact the performance of the tampon.

Customers told the company that the tampons unraveled or came apart as they were being removed. Some women needed medical attention to remove tampon pieces left in the body.

Kimberly Clark says there are also reports of infections, vaginal irritation, localized vaginal injury, and other symptoms.

The recall is limited to specific lots of U by Kotex® Sleek® Tampons, Regular Absorbency, that were manufactured between October 7, 2016, and October 16, 2018, and distributed between October 17, 2016, and October 23, 2018.

People can identify this product by looking for specific lot numbers found on the bottom of the package.

A full list of recalled lot numbers is available here:

Retailers have been alerted to remove the recalled lot numbers from shelves and post a notification in their stores.

No other U by Kotex-branded products are subject to this recall.

Any consumer with the impacted U by Kotex® Sleek® Tampons, Regular Absorbency, in their possession should stop using the product immediately and promptly contact Kimberly-Clark's Consumer Service team at 1-888-255-3499 between 7:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday, for information regarding this recall.

Consumers who experience vaginal injury, (pain, bleeding, or discomfort), vaginal irritation (itching or swelling), urogenital infections (bladder and/or vaginal bacterial and/or yeast infections), or other symptoms such as hot flashes, abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting following use of the impacted product should seek immediate medical attention.