A tampon shortage is the latest nightmare for women

Top retailers and manufacturers acknowledged the shortages this week, confirming complaints that have been circulating on social media for months. The issue garnered national attention this week after an article in Time called the dearth of tampons and pads the shortage “no one is talking about.”

Tampon prices are up significantly – nearly 10% from a year ago, according to Bloomberg. But an Amazon spokesperson denied rumors of price gouging, saying its policies “help ensure sellers are pricing their products competitively,” and that the company actively monitors pricing and removes offers that violate its fair pricing policy.

The shortages appear to stem from supply constraints around key materials like cotton and plastic, which are also used in personal protective equipment, and have been in high demand from the start of the pandemic. The war in Ukraine has further crimped supply because Russia and Ukraine are both major exporters of fertilizer, which is used to grow cotton. A drought in Texas hasn’t helped, either.

“Getting raw and packed materials to the places we need to get them to continues to be costly and highly volatile,” said Andre Schulten, Procter & Gamble’s chief financial officer, on a recent earnings call.

When Time asked Procter & Gamble, which owns the popular Tampax and Always brands, about the shortage, a company spokesperson blamed increased demand linked to an ad campaign featuring the comedian Amy Schumer.

Since the ads launched in July 2020, “retail sales growth has exploded,” the spokesperson told Time.

Of course, putting the blame on Schumer’s ads doesn’t account for why other brands also are hard to come by. A P&G representative told CNN Business Thursday that the Tampax team is “producing tampons 24/7 to meet the increased demand.”

“We understand it is frustrating for consumers when they can’t find what they need,” the P&G spokeperson said in an email. “We can assure you this is a temporary situation.”

As headlines about the Schumer comment circulated this week, the comedian, who’s spoken publicly about her hysterectomy last year, responded with a quip on social media.

“Whoa, I don’t even have a uterus,” she wrote on Instagram Thursday beneath a screenshot of a headline reading: “Why Amy Schumer is getting blamed for the national tampon shortage.”

Schumer’s representatives did not respond to a request for comment.

Both Walgreens and CVS said they are aware of tampon and other period product shortages in some areas and that they are working with their suppliers to ensure they can restock as soon as possible.