Box of 6 Gynotex Wet soft tampons

Box of 6 Gynotex Wet soft tampons with aseptic lubricating jelly (4 remaining), expiration date January 2008, Gynotex, Oisterwijk, Netherlands, 2005

These disposable soft sponge tampons, produced for the European market, sit closer to the cervix than their cotton equivalents, enabling users to have sex with the tampon in place. The ‘wet’ version is coated in a lubricating jelly containing chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG), an antiseptic more commonly used in mouthwash.

Visually similar to the contraceptive sponges of earlier decades, the product does not claim to prevent pregnancy but rather make “intercourse during the period possible and hygienic”.

As well as reinforcing shame and social stigma, the use of germicidal agents can disrupt the vagina’s natural pH balance, potentially leading to irritation or infection.