NYT Weighs In On O.B. Tampon Mystery

Anyway, since my co-blogger, Carey Goldberg, first wrote about the case last week, comments from frustrated o.b. users continue to deluge our site. "Hell hath no fury like a bunch of menstruating women who can't find their preferred supplies," wrote "jerked around in CA."

The story is not going away until women like "jerked around" get some answers.

The Times did get an answer from Johnson & Johnson (though not a very satisfying one).

Here's what the company said:

Bonnie Jacobs, a spokeswoman for McNeil [which is owned by J&J] said that the company had discontinued the ultra line but that other o.b. products should be available soon.

“o.b. tampons experienced a temporary supply interruption that has resulted in some stores being out of stock,” Ms. Jacobs wrote in an e-mail message. “We are working hard to bring supply back in line with demand and expect these stores to be restocked soon. We apologize to o.b. customers who may have been inconvenienced.”

Ms. Jacobs did not elaborate on what caused the “temporary supply interruption.”

Prescriptions also posed a series of followup questions to Ms. Jacobs about possible manufacturing problems related to o.b. tampons and whether consumers have raised health concerns (flashbacks to toxic shock syndrome? ) about the now-unavailable tampons.

We'll let you know when, and if, J&J responds.