Maura Higgins Reveals Terrifying Health Battle After Leaving Tampon In For 3 Months

Love Island legend Maura Higgins has opened up about her terrifying health battle after she forgot to take her tampon out for 3 whole months.

The 31-year-old spoke out to raise awareness of toxic shock syndrome, after she contracted the disease and got brutally sick after accidentally leaving her tampon in.

Maura says she couldn’t understand what was causing her illness, but was shocked after a doctor discovered the 3-month-old tampon stuck up against her cervix:

“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.”

A quick google reveals it’s actually 8 hours, which you’d think Maura would know since she a) almost died and b) is now raising awareness to stop others dying. In the end, the diagnosis was clear:

“There was a tampon inside me for three months. When the doctor found it, it was stuck to my cervix. I was so ill. I did not know what was going on.”

Fair play to Maura for going public with this given the embarrassment and stigma that sometimes exists around the topic of menstrual health. Apparently her experience of forgetting there was a tampon inside her isn’t uncommon:

“Young girls might not have noticed.

Like you go on a night out, what if you get really drunk and forgot. These things actually do happen and people don’t speak about it.”

Well thankfully Maura is all healed up now, because losing one of the most entertaining reality TV stars in UK history to a 3-month old tampon of all things would’ve been devastating. Do I have questions about how anyone could possibly fail to notice the ‘aroma’ of a 3-month old tampon emanating from their vagina? No dudes in there in the meantime? Of course – there are plenty of questions. But I’m not so sure I want the answers right now. Go Maura Go!