VISAKHAPATNAM: Moving towards adopting a more hygienic and environmentally sustainable menstrual hygiene product, many women in the city are gradually shifting to menstrual cups as their preferred mode of menstrual hygiene.
The menstrual cup is a bell-shaped structure made of silicon.
Founder of Wings for Life foundation— an NGO working for underpriviledged girl children, Jyotirmayi Mukthineni had recently made a video on the benefits of using menstrual cups in the on-going ‘My Green Vizag’ campaign and posted it on social media. The video is not only going viral but is actually making women change their mind about menstrual hygiene product.
The use of sanitary napkins has become a major concern with regard to its disposal. Unlike other countries, India does not have a waste disposal mechanism for sanitary napkins.
If a woman has a menstrual age of 30 years and uses 7,000 sanitary napkins in her lifetime, she would end up spending more than Rs 72,000 on menstrual hygiene products alone.
Speaking to TOI, Jyothirmayi, who has been using the cup for more than a year now said, “Using menstrual cups is one of the most sustainable practices one can take up. This is not only true in terms of disposal but also in terms of expenditure. One can spend only Rs 5,000 for a cup which can be used any number of times.”
Monika Kansaria, a homemaker said, “Using menstrual cups is the best choice that I have made. Earlier, I used to have severe rashes due to the material used in sanitary napkins, but now the cups make me feel comfortable. Moreover this small step is contributing to a better environment.”
Sreelakshmi Ronanki, a data architect said, “I am using menstrual cups for the last four months and I find my menstrual days like any other day. I am also able to do my regular 7K run without any trouble.”