This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Kimberly-Clark has announced a recall of a type of tampon after issues with the items falling apart upon removal, in some cases,  leaving behind pieces inside women’s bodies.

According to a press release, the recalled product is U by Kotex Sleek Tampons, regular absorbency, sold throughout the U.S. and Canada. Kimberly-Clark calls the issue a “quality-related defect that could impact the performance of this product.” Retailers have been alerted to remove the lot numbers from shelves and post notifications in stores.

The release states:

“Kimberly-Clark has received reports from consumers of the U by Kotex® Sleek® Tampons, Regular Absorbency, unraveling and/or coming apart upon removal, and in some cases causing users to seek medical attention to remove tampon pieces left in the body. There also have been a small number of reports of infections, vaginal irritation, localized vaginal injury, and other symptoms.”

The particular products included in the recall were manufactured between Oct. 7, 2016, and Oct. 16, 2018. They were distributed between Oct. 17, 2016 and Oct. 23, 2018. The products can be identified by looking for specific lot numbers on the bottoms of packages.

For a full list of those lot numbers, click here. 

Anyone who may have the impacted products are asked to stop using them immediately and contact the consumer service team at 1-888-255-3499.

U.S. health care professionals and consumers can report adverse reactions or quality problems by clicking here.