Molly Pawlett, a 14-year-old teenager, was about to die.

As reported by Good Housekeeping, the teen learned for herself the serious health risk that many women casually overlook each and every month.

As Pawlett headed to bed that night, she decided to leave her tampon in. But what she expected to be a normal, peaceful night's sleep turned into a real-life nightmare. She awoke with a feeling of discomfort and went to her sleeping mother for help. When her mom noticed a strange red rash covering her daughter's body, she took her to the hospital immediately.

"At first I assumed Molly had a bug, but for some reason I had strange feeling it was something more serious," mother Sonia Pawlett said.

A diagnosis she never thought she'd get

Doctors diagnosed Molly with toxic shock syndrome, a life-threatening complication involving certain bacterial infections. Often, it results from toxins produced by Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria, but the condition may also be caused by toxins produced by group A streptococcus (strep) bacteria, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Luckily, the teen got to the hospital in time, but if she had ignored her symptoms, her case could have ended tragically.

Who does it affect?

Toxic shock syndrome is primarily associated with the use of tampons - usually the superabsorbent kind. The longer you wear a tampon, the higher your risk for TSS. Most tampon box warning labels recommend you never wear a tampon for longer than eight hours.

Though TSS commonly affects women, the bacterial infection can also afflict men and children, usually caused by infected insect bites, open wounds, piercings, surgery, etc.

Symptoms

According to WebMD, the most frequent symptoms of TSS are flu-like:

• Fever

• Rash

• Low blood pressure

• Kidney problems or failure

• Respiratory problems or failure

• Confusion

While these symptoms can be signs of other health problems as well, they are big red flags of TSS, especially if you've been wearing a tampon.

Treatment

TSS is a medical emergency. If you are experiencing the above symptoms while (particularly while wearing a tampon), the best thing to do is remove the tampon right away and go to the nearest hospital.

Some people diagnosed with TSS have to stay in intensive care for several days, according to healthline. Doctors usually prescribe an antibiotic to help the body fight its bacterial infection, medication to regulate your blood pressure, fluids to help combate dehydration and injections to help support your body's immune system.

How to use tampons safely

1. Notice timing

The most important tampon safety precaution you can take is to change your tampon every four to eight hours. Never leave one in for more than eight hours, and avoid sleeping while wearing a tampon if you can. The longer you leave the tampon in, the higher the risk of getting a bacterial infection.

2. Watch the absorbency

It's essential to choose tampons with the appropriate absorbency. Using a size too large for your needs also increases your chance of TSS. Do your best to match your tampon size (light, regular, super, etc.) to your flow.

3. Use other options

Most store-bought tampons contain chemicals for scent, shape and absorption which can cause other complications. If you want to stay on the absolute safe side, use pads, menstrual cups or other female sanitation options instead of tampons.

Many women don't read the fine print on their tampon boxes, but should. Spreading awareness about TSS is incredibly important - it could be the difference between life or death.

This article has been adapted and translated from the original "Esta adolescente olvidó hacer algo muy importante a la noche y 10 horas más tarde estaba perdiendo su vida" which was originally published on familias.com.