KOCHI: For centuries menstruation has been considered a taboo. Instead of putting menstrual hygiene management to the fore, all over the world, women have been taught to not speak about it in the open. In superstitious, traditional societies like India, they were considered a bad omen. Women were denied entry to temples and even stopped from touching things in the house when they are on their menstrual cycle.
With changing times, however, sanitary napkins started appearing on TV commercials. Women and men started being more informed about the reproductive health of women and menstrual hygiene. But even then, many new inventions like tampons and menstrual cups were late to arrive in India and Kerala. Sanitary pads, despite the fact that they lead to infections and generate a humungous amount of non-biodegradable waste, still continue to be used largely by women in the country, mostly due to a lack of awareness about alternatives. A small fraction is still caught in myths that claim tampons and cups that are inserted into a woman’s vagina could cause her to lose her virginity.
Many individuals, organisations and influencers have been working over the past few years to remove these inhibitions. Akhila Asokan and her women’s welfare startup Womelle Care are working to normalise menstrual cups, a safe, sustainable alternative for women to use during their periods
21-year-old Akhila is currently pursuing Clinical Psychology at Mount Carmel College in Bangalore. She is also a dancer and Yoga instructor. “I always felt like sanitary napkins hindered my movement. It also occurred to me, that while there are so many choices to products like shampoo and conditioners, we don’t have as many options when it comes to menstruation products, especially since periods is a more pressing, common concern for women than hair care. This made me do research on international products, and I came across items like period panties. I realised more women around us need to have access to such options,” says Akhila.
Like most women, Akhila was also frustrated by the way society always forced women to keep quiet about everything concerning their reproductive health - from periods to pregnancy. This drove her to start Womelle Care. The Palakkad-based startup has a manufacturing unit in Bengaluru. Akhila is helped by Ashish Vallomkottu, who handles the operation, accounts, and logistics, Alphy Augustine, CMO and PRO Sagar Unni. “When Akhila shared the idea with me, I understood it is high time to bring in change,” says Ashish.
The 20 something wanted to introduce menstrual cups produced within the country. One cup can be used for up to five years. “Imagine how much money women can save if they use cups instead of buying sanitary pads every month. Also, it considerably reduces the waste we put out. The latter was a major reason for me to start Womelle care. I have seen used pads lying on the road, dogs sniffing them out. It was disturbing. It is time we think differently,” says Akhila.
However, Akhila didn’t want to launch the products based on notions and ideas. “After I personally ensured their effectiveness, we gave out 100 menstrual cups free of cost to our college’s students. Those were made in China. A few girls felt its rim was hard, making insertion difficult. The feedback helped us largely in designing our products,” she says.
Awareness first
For Womelle creating awareness about menstrual health and hygiene is more important than selling more units. “I learnt how to use them from YouTube and after many trials. To be honest, it was a daunting experience not having someone to help you out. Women video call me these days asking for help. We want to increase awareness to the point where such discussions are normalised at home. We are focusing on a holistic service rather than a product-based service,” says Akhila.
Addressing concerns
During its campaigns, Womelle found that many Malayali children were not comfortable discussing menstruation and period hygiene with their parents. “This has resulted in several traumatic experiences among kids, especially when they bleed for the first time. Some of them think they are dying! Parents need to encourage such discussions more,” says Ashish.
According to Akhila, during their campaigns, many kids with well-educated parents - some of the teachers and nurses - raised basic queries. “There were concerns like, ‘Can one pee when the menstrual cup is inserted?” or “will my hymen break, and will I lose my virginity?”. In such cases, we have to give them a full class on female anatomy. Some of them even ask us if the blood will flow back into their body if they do a headstand! There is no judgement here, we just want to give them the information they need,” she says.
Womelle has also plans to start a campaign focused on Attappadi. “The non-urban population accepted the cups more readily,” says Akhila, adding that it might take one two or three circles to get comfortable with cups.
Reverse learning
Akhila, who taught her mother how to use the cup, says it was an enriching experience. Ashish’s family, who was always shy about discussing menstrual hygiene out loud, started recommending cups to their acquaintances. “It was just a matter of taking initiative. Those who initially frowned upon me selling menstrual cups have also become Womelle users,” he adds.
Making periods better
Womelle’s cups are made of platinum cured medical-grade silicone. It is flexible with a soft rim. The cups available are in small (till 40 years) and large sizes. The eco-friendly alternative is said to hold menstrual blood for up to 12 hours. “This is beneficial to those who work in PPE kits too,” she adds. The cups can be used by girls as young as 15.
Womelle also puts women in touch with psychologists and doctors who will give them advice and clear apprehensions. According to Ashish, the brand is gearing up to roll out around 30 more menstruation-related products including sterilisers and electric heating pads.
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