April 27, 2024 • 45 mins
What if there was a way we could menstruate using products that are healthy, safe and comfortable and do not add to the landfills? What if we could empower ourselves to make a choice that works for us?
Join us in demystifying sustainable menstruation in this warm and friendly conversation with Dr Lata Ghanshamnani, co-founder, RNisarg Foundation and host Ananya Sangameshwar. We explore the what, why and how of sustainable menstruation, discuss menstrual cups and cloth pads and address fears, doubts and concerns in an open and empathetic way. Listen to the story of RNisarg Foundation and Project Sakhi, to empower women with the right knowledge.
Resources
Subscribe to and explore resources on menstrual hygiene and menstrual cups, with simple, science and practice-backed explanations https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBCtrYQ-HPP4qMJMur6O1xg
Choosing a menstrual cup - a collaborative compilation of menstrual cup reviews from real users https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l97nAMSRhoHiEe3RBlitOYzMwdP_VZErGDw3oORDUug/edit
Register here to take up a free short training course to be certified as a menstrual educator with Project Sakhi with AMOGS (You may also sign up for waste-management related trainings here) https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd4QuLkCIF69Eaj57lJyrtVdZQ8WScidQTczK8Vk8KuNLVk9g/viewform
About our guest
Dr Lata Kamal Ghanshamnani is a practising opthalmologist and eye surgeon with more than 2 decades of experience. Over the years, she became concerned about the amount of waste generated at home, work and her city - Thane and how it was not managed effectively, leading to piling unsanitary landfills. Thus she co-founded RNisarg Foundation with fellow medical practitioners who resonated with her cause. She has been actively involved with environmental awareness and community engagement. She is a recipient of multiple prestigious awards and fellowships including Woman of Substance Award from Know your Thane, Covid warrior award, Swachhta Saarthi fellowship under Wealth to Waste initiative and is a Women4Climate Mumbai 2021 cohort member.
About RNisarg Foundation
RNisarg Foundation is a dynamic non-profit organization committed to environmental sustainability and social impact. Founded by Dr. Lata Kamal Ghanshamnani, Dr Leena Kelshikar and Mrs Veena Angadi, RNisarg Foundation operates at the intersection of climate change and waste management, with a particular focus on addressing critical issues related to menstrual waste, pharmaceutical waste, and biomedical waste.
Driven by the belief that sustainable solutions are essential for safeguarding the planet and promoting community well-being, RNisarg Foundation implements innovative programs and initiatives aimed at raising awareness, driving behavioral change, and fostering sustainable practices. Through strategic partnerships, education, and outreach efforts, RNisarg Foundation empowers individuals and communities to take meaningful action towards building a more sustainable and resilient future for generations to come.
To learn more about RNisarg Foundation and join the movement towards environmental stewardship, visit www.rnisargfoundation.com.
Connect with RNisarg Foundation - support@rnisargfoundation.com
Volunteer with RNisarg Foundation -
Join us in demystifying sustainable menstruation in this warm and friendly conversation with Dr Lata Ghanshamnani, co-founder, RNisarg Foundation and host Ananya Sangameshwar. We explore the what, why and how of sustainable menstruation, discuss menstrual cups and cloth pads and address fears, doubts and concerns in an open and empathetic way. Listen to the story of RNisarg Foundation and Project Sakhi, to empower women with the right knowledge.
Resources
Subscribe to and explore resources on menstrual hygiene and menstrual cups, with simple, science and practice-backed explanations https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBCtrYQ-HPP4qMJMur6O1xg
Choosing a menstrual cup - a collaborative compilation of menstrual cup reviews from real users https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l97nAMSRhoHiEe3RBlitOYzMwdP_VZErGDw3oORDUug/edit
Register here to take up a free short training course to be certified as a menstrual educator with Project Sakhi with AMOGS (You may also sign up for waste-management related trainings here) https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd4QuLkCIF69Eaj57lJyrtVdZQ8WScidQTczK8Vk8KuNLVk9g/viewform
About our guest
Dr Lata Kamal Ghanshamnani is a practising opthalmologist and eye surgeon with more than 2 decades of experience. Over the years, she became concerned about the amount of waste generated at home, work and her city - Thane and how it was not managed effectively, leading to piling unsanitary landfills. Thus she co-founded RNisarg Foundation with fellow medical practitioners who resonated with her cause. She has been actively involved with environmental awareness and community engagement. She is a recipient of multiple prestigious awards and fellowships including Woman of Substance Award from Know your Thane, Covid warrior award, Swachhta Saarthi fellowship under Wealth to Waste initiative and is a Women4Climate Mumbai 2021 cohort member.
About RNisarg Foundation
RNisarg Foundation is a dynamic non-profit organization committed to environmental sustainability and social impact. Founded by Dr. Lata Kamal Ghanshamnani, Dr Leena Kelshikar and Mrs Veena Angadi, RNisarg Foundation operates at the intersection of climate change and waste management, with a particular focus on addressing critical issues related to menstrual waste, pharmaceutical waste, and biomedical waste.
Driven by the belief that sustainable solutions are essential for safeguarding the planet and promoting community well-being, RNisarg Foundation implements innovative programs and initiatives aimed at raising awareness, driving behavioral change, and fostering sustainable practices. Through strategic partnerships, education, and outreach efforts, RNisarg Foundation empowers individuals and communities to take meaningful action towards building a more sustainable and resilient future for generations to come.
To learn more about RNisarg Foundation and join the movement towards environmental stewardship, visit www.rnisargfoundation.com.
Connect with RNisarg Foundation - support@rnisargfoundation.com
Volunteer with RNisarg Foundation -
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
So I personally feel the biggest joy for us is not only changing a lady to using a cup
(00:08):
but also empowering her about her body and giving her body confidence.
Do you have to have the why? Without the why, people will not make a change.
Once your head and heart is convinced, then your hands will make the change.
So head, heart and hand together give you a habit.
All of these disposable sanitary napkins are have a component of micro-gel plastic which is
(00:34):
non-biodegradable. So if I discard a pad today, it will, I may die but the pad will prevail
in the environment for more than 500 years. So that is not kind of footprint I would like to
leave behind. Not only is a menstrual cup pocket friendly, health friendly, but also an
environmentally-friendly. I changed for environment, some change because they want to do swimming, some change
(00:57):
because it will save money. So if you find your calling in that or a combination of all
three, I think you will definitely feel like taking the step and trying to change.
Hello and welcome to GoGreenGuru Sustainability in Action. I'm your host Ananya Sangameshwar.
(01:19):
Before we dive into today's episode, it would mean a lot to me if you would hit that like button
and subscribe to our channel. You can support our work and stay in touch with us through our journey.
Today we're talking about something that might be kind of, shhhh,
but not anymore. We are talking sustainable menstruation. We are going to unpack this.
(01:43):
What is this all about? Why sustainable menstruation? And I know you might be having a lot of
questions, concerns, challenges. And we are here to try and unpack them because this is
something that can be so empowering for us, for our bodies and for the environment. We have with us
today Dr. Lata Ghanshamnani, an opthalmologist and co-founder of RNisarg Foundation based in
(02:12):
Thane. It has done extensive work in the fields of waste management, sustainable menstruation and
engaging with communities. This conversation is so open and friendly and I'm sure it'll touch you in
some way. So come join us as we explore this idea and this practice and let us empower ourselves.
(02:34):
Hello Dr. Lata, a very warm welcome to GoGreenGuru. How are you doing?
I'm doing fine Ananya. It's nice to come here today to discuss something which you and me both of us are passionate about.
Yes my pleasure. You are a doctor. I'd love to know about your journey
and how is it that you got interested in environmental issues and are passionate about working on
(02:59):
waste management, sustainable menstruation, civic action, all of those things.
How did you get inspired to start off on this journey?
So honestly it was not something which I had planned. It was over a period of time I have gone through the journey of trying to live sustainably.
All of it which began around a decade back. So around 10 years back, relatively my practice had
(03:27):
settled and I had a little time to look around to see what is happening around my
you know building, around my profession. And there is where the inquisitive mind to
go and trying to find what happens to the waste which I generally started intriguing. And I think
like I mentioned it's a journey and after 10 years I'm somewhere close to understanding why and how
(03:53):
we should be able to tackle this problem.
How did you start RNisarg Foundation with your co-founders? How is that journey like?
In 2013 I started noticing that there is a lot of waste created and no proper solution to its management was seen. And as a normal citizen normally we feel that if we are
giving the waste, be it segregated or mixed, there should be some mechanism wherein this is fixed.
(04:17):
But to make utter shock there was no system. What I used to get was just getting done. And it is not
only my waste, entire cities' waste was outside the city in a large dump. So after three
years of intensive home work I would say of understanding what are the reasons why people are doing this,
(04:39):
why government is failing to do it. We started realizing there are certain solutions which can or
should be brought to the notice of citizens. And 2016 is what we formally registered as an
NGO called RNisarg Foundation, with the intention of creating awareness among citizens
that through their discipline, through their self-awareness and participation only then a city can
(05:05):
solve its problems of any kind of civic issues. So that is how we, after a lot of understanding of
the subject and creating of solutions we started trying to go to the citizens. And to be honest,
it is all about behavioural change. So it is like habits which have been
(05:25):
wrongly inculcated since childhood. Now we have to unlearn and learn the right habits. So it is a long
journey because as you know breaking a habit and forming a new habit takes a lot of time.
So how did you work on this issue of sustainable menstruation? When I realized that nothing happens
to my waste I started looking at all the options. So for the wet waste I saw that composting is a
(05:50):
solution; for dry waste if I give it dry and clean, I saw that there is a market for recycling and
somebody picks it up. But what about my monthly sanitary waste? I couldn't find a valid
solution for it. And as you are aware, people don't talk about menstruation,
let alone about the menstrual waste which we create. So there is so much of a social taboo around
(06:14):
the subject. It was very difficult for me to even ask that what do people do with the sanitary
napkins which have been used. Again because of a medical profession me asking these questions were
not taken negatively. So coming from a scientific and medical background, I could start raising
valid you know concerns around what will happen to the type of menstrual waste which we are
(06:40):
creating in large quantities what is happening. So to give a small example a city like the one where I
reside, we have a population of around 25 lakhs. So you can imagine even if there is a 6 to 8
lakh women menstruating in the city, it is almost not less than 2 lakh sanitary napkins which
(07:00):
are disposed on a daily basis. If we did a small survey to understand what is the type of product which
the woman in the cities are using. And very rightly so 99% are actually using disposable sanitary pads.
So one single use sanitary napkin is what most of the women have been switching to. And with no
(07:24):
good solution there these pads are choking our nalas, our sewage lines and you know
they are discarded or they are done. So there is where my concerns came in that this
waste which is a combination of plastic, the body fluid and which is non degradable.
(07:46):
We have to do something about it because there is no solution for this. And that is where
the whole idea of sustainable menstruation started coming into being.
Through the project Sakhi I started initiating a talk around this after having self-used
a menstrual cup. Now when I started realizing that my sanitary waste I have no technology to handle
(08:13):
my use sanitary waste. I started looking at sustainable options. A cloth pad was a little difficult considering
the fact it could leak and that I don't have places where I can spend time to wash. And those
you know the feeling of uncomfortable with cloth pads I didn't want to revisit. So somebody
(08:34):
close to me, when they suggested me about a menstrual cup I took it as an opportunity to try and see
if it works. I will not say it was easy... it took me around four to five months to get used to the cup
and once I started using it regularly I realized the benefits and then is where the project started,
because once I was convinced that I as a user benefited. Very confidently I could start converting
(09:02):
people and people started listening to me. So the whole idea was conceptualized in 2019 and
at the forefront of the project is three things - One it has to go through a health care professional
because it is an intra-vaginal product. Two, you cannot expect people to switch overnight.
(09:23):
So you will have to give them a learning curve experience for which the Third - support is essential.
So these are three points but they can care and gradually over the last five years we have evolved
and we have been able to influence more and more people to look up to this product as a you know
(09:45):
point where we can make a major change in the quantity of waste generated.
So maybe from the perspective of a citizen if I ask okay, all this is fine, but why sustainable
menstruation? Why should I care about this? What's in it for me? Absolutely. We have to have the why -
(10:07):
without the why, people will not make a change. So for any habit to have be cultivated three things have
to be motivated one is your mind you need to give reasoning, you need to give logical reasoning
and once that is the reason is giving you like the reason so your heart is converted so your head
(10:27):
your heart once your head and heart is convinced then your hands will meet the change so head
heart and hand together give you a habit unless I influence your head and heart my hand will not
obey they may do it one day two days just because of somebody's enforcing it or somebody's
compelling me but the minute my heart and the head are convinced I will make a move so what is that
(10:54):
which will make you change? Three things in case of you choosing opting for menstrual
a product which is sustainable be it a menstrual cup or a cloth pad or anything which is not
disposable and also is safe for you. The first and foremost is I would say personal benefit.
(11:14):
Using a menstrual cup is very empowering. You feel so much of a freedom, you can become a part of so many
physical activities you in fact don't feel that you're menstruating and you get a good night's
sleep - you need not worry about jogging running swimming dancing any of those activities which are
(11:36):
women avoid during her menses because of the fear of leakage or because of the pad showing out.
Now all of that is eliminated. As a health aspect, when I use a cup, I don't
see the blood flowing out when I'm peeing or pooping so it gives me a very nice feeling of clean.
(11:58):
Also no rashes no itching, all those sort of health comfort is huge and that can be the
turning point for a moment to change. That's the first thing - self - you know benefits of no rashes no itching, the feeling of clean.
The second reason is of course
(12:23):
about environment - the fact that I would discard 10 to 15 pads in one month and which will cause
lot of damage or pollution to my environment because all of these disposable sanitary napkins
are have a component of micro gel plastic which is non-biodegradable so if I discard a pad today
(12:45):
it will I may die but the pad will remain in the environment for more than 500 years so that is not
kind of footprint I would like to be behind so the environmental aspect that what am I throwing in
the environment can be the second reason and the third reason is monetary so if you see pads are a
monthly requirement so there is an amount of money attached to it my investing in a cup I need not
(13:10):
purchase a single pad or any product for next 7 to 10 years that is how economical it is so not
is not only is a menstrual cup pocket friendly health friendly but also environment friendly
so if all these three reasons in different combination or one of this reason is also strongly
(13:31):
a reason then you will make this switch so I changed for environment some change because they
wanted to swim on those days because they will save money so if you find your calling in that
or a combination of all three I think you will definitely feel like taking the step and trying to change.
You also see a connection between the environment and health and also there is an issue of
(13:57):
disease because of people working in the waste management sector so it also exposes them
to a lot of disease - do you have any experiences from that? 100%! you tell me how many of us
would like to hold a sanitary napkin once we have discarded in a bin again none of us once we have wrapped
(14:21):
and thrown it even if I am asked to pick my own pad I will hesitate then how how you mean is it
for me to expect somebody else to pick it up I mean it is not it is it is a very simple humanity
that whatever waste I am generating somebody else should not be the person who should be handling it
also from the medical aspect a blood is a very you know active medium for any organism to grow
(14:50):
so why are we fearful of blood and blood products because it can grow organisms and thereby spread
diseases so if somebody holds a you know soaked pad which is a blood it is going to be and it is
contaminated because it is exposed to the environment you touch it you may acquire infections and as
(15:11):
you know the poorest of the poorest are the rat pickers so they are the ones who are the most
susceptible because they are putting hands in this mixed waste to get valuable waste out of it
and make their livelihood so hence rat pickers if they have cuts if they have any you know infections
they are and they are already immuno-compromised they will be the ones who may be exposed to this
(15:35):
pad lastly these pads are soaked with you know chemicals bleach and many agents to make it ultra
you know perfume ultra thin extra white all of this don't come then liches like that they are
have chemicals used so these chemicals are actually harmful to your inner organs as well because
(16:01):
our inner anatomy is very sensitive if you are exposing there these this mucus for over a period of time
to such harmful you know harmful genetic chemicals then we ourselves are putting our health into
compromise and there has been a proper study done by toxic links but they based in you
about what are the chemicals which are presenting these commercially available disposable pads
(16:27):
and they sure there are a lot of toxins present so health not only for you but
all likely mentioned for even a picker who's good to you you know sacred age your waste
so in both angles it's not good for us yeah absolutely so then could you talk a little more about
what are the sustainable alternatives could you talk about them explain them how do we use them
(16:50):
so we have a basket of products available now and it is so I'm so glad host pad man the movie
the awareness level or the comfort level of talking about a pad has improved so there is
the there is still a husha surrounding but more or less we are vocal about it even with the men
(17:13):
so many men have come out with lot of solutions for women keeping in mind the challenges we face
during those days both socioeconomically and culturally and in this basket of products which are
available as sustainable the the most oldest one and the time tested one is a plot pad nowadays you
(17:33):
get beautiful cloth pads which are very super absorbent the best quality of cotton they are you know
they are very nice to your sensitive skin so those are very very easily available so you can go
back to your growth plot pads secondly like I mentioned in to a journal product like menstrual cup
(17:54):
and therapeutic panties and there are a lot of biodegradable sanitary napkins made out of
bamboo fibre and you know those kind of biodegradable material so that you don't have to worry about
its integrity to disintegrate later after use I feel the women now are more empowered to choose
(18:20):
whatever options out of these period panties, cloth pads, menstrual cups, bamboo fibre biodegradable
sanitary napkins based on the comfort level based on their convenience based on their pockets
I think each of us should make conscious move towards picking up a product which is not only safe to
(18:41):
their health but also environmentally more sustainable and safe. So being a doctor maybe could you
also address some of these concerns maybe some people might be afraid okay are these really safe
are these things really safe are there any risk to my health how do I actually ensure I maintain my
hygiene and health while you are saying them? Here Ananya I the I was it I didn't mention
(19:07):
I am a medical professional I am a doctor but I am a specialist of ice so I went off the
lumbar largest so I always give this comparison between the contact lens
and menstrual cup both are something which we are going to use in our inside our body
(19:29):
so you may be aware of contact lenses so many people don't want to wear glasses and hence opt for
contact lenses right now when you opt for a contact lens you genuinely have the will power to change
and hence you are using it so the discomfort associated with the contact lens you overcome by
(19:51):
practice and you know eliminating the fear you want to look beautiful you want to have 360 degree
vision and hence you fearlessly you are at makes since your attempt to learn how to use a contact lens
use the same analogy for a menstrual cup there is absolutely no fear like in a contact lenses
(20:15):
even a menstrual cup is as safe as a contact lens you don't have to fear and both have a learning curve
it's not the first day when you got a contact lens you wore it and you are fit and fine and you
moved around you fiddle there was watering you felt for a body sensation you removed it again again you
put it in again you removed again you put it in so ultimately at the end of one day two day three days
(20:39):
you started settling with it you saw there is a learning curve there same goes with a menstrual
cup there is a learning curve but only if you are motivated and you are fearlessly trying to attempt
you will learn it how you learn to do cycling how you learn to wear a saree how you learn to make a
round chapati all of them is coming through practice and your will par if you have the win you will
(21:06):
coming to the aspect of safety yes all of these products are safe but
maintaining general hygiene like washing your hands washing the product that's all how much
care you take for your contact lens lesser than that you need to take care for your menstrual cup
so just washing your hands and keeping the used menstrual cup in boiling water for five minutes
(21:30):
after that just letting it dry keeping it in a cloth bag is enough that little care you need to take
so all of this is in the mind medically it is proven and I can vouch for it as it is 100% safe
talking about cloth pads I think many years ago women used to use rag
(21:54):
cloths or anything they had really to manage their periods and then now we are saying okay
sanitary napkins, now there's a huge push for sanitary napkins because all of that is not very hygienic and safe
but then again now we are saying - let's go back to cloth but as they are more sustainable
(22:17):
so how can we ensure safety. What is your take on this so underneath everything has a
evolution you know things you learn you think something is a really perfect solution
can after a while you realize oh no this also has a problem so it changes over a period time
so cloth pads were never bad nobody said no to cloth pads the problem was the social taboo nobody
(22:42):
should know that I'm menstruating hence I will use a I will wash my pad and not put it for dry
use damp cloth and that would induce a yeast infection or from the infection to me that was wrong
not that the cloth pads were wrong the way we were using the cloth pads was not the right method
(23:02):
so people were using dirty racks not washing them out of so many out of not availability to not
availability of water to you know people not knowing that I'm menstruating or you know fighting
all of this was the reason we said okay switch to a disposable sanitary napkin but that time
that was more important females not suffering from infection was more important
(23:27):
was that when everybody started changing we realized oh we are generating huge quantity of waste
and now we are looking at solution so it's it's like a cycle you know it starts slow but then you add
elements to it now we have somebody called like from padkate who actually are reciting your used
sanitary pads so technology also evolves based on the need now the need has come that we need to
(23:52):
find solutions for the safe disposal of sanitary pads and I'm sure in the coming few days one years
we will get much more better technology to handle all of this waste so it's it's like churning and
you know getting the best out of this situation and hence I'm not critical about pushing earlier
(24:12):
pushing the females to switch from cloth to disposable and not telling them oh go back to cloth
no it's not like that now it is with more understanding that we are asking them to chase situations
and I will say you ideally another year more about empowering you every under 18 I can understand
the mother has to play a big role to make the child understand about menstruation
(24:37):
but after 18 with exposure to so much of social media to knowledge through google and so many
platforms I think everybody and each of us needs to empower ourselves about what is right for me
based on the facts and this scientific backing once you are convinced that this is good for me
(24:59):
I think then that is when your choice lies what is job of hours like people like us or the adures
he should just use take this knowledge to people who cannot access knowledge so anybody living in
the city can easily google but somebody living in the rural tribal areas they are not aware of these
developments there is where I find my role or our organizations role very very essential in
(25:26):
empowering the woman and you know telling her that look there are these options please look into
this yeah so the important part is to maintain the hygiene so like pushing the cloth pad and putting
it in sunlight and that purifies it so yeah well actually engaging with people on this spreading
(25:46):
awareness on the sustainable menstruation alternatives however you found the reception
and how much of a taboo is this topic today what are the challenges in that line
like I mentioned because I am a doctor when I start this subject there is no shyness people
listen to us and we have overcome the shyness because we talk about it we have been taught about it
(26:12):
and for the last 25 years and practicing so talking about this topic comes very easily to me
and to our profession so myself and the other trainers are all from health care so we have somebody
from gynecologist who as much as like a asha worker so all of us have knowledgeable body parts anatomy
(26:34):
and we already taught about it so speaking of the subject is not so much of a shyness to us
okay coming to the audience yes there is an element of shyness in the audience but then again if
you build a rapport if you tell them that I am also like you and this is what my trouble was is it
(26:55):
the same with you relate to them talk to them let them feel that they are they can also share
their inner thoughts with you so if you develop the rapport with the lady and quite sure from any
social economic background they will open up so that is how you should build the connect and I think
the acceptance to at least hearing us out comes very forthcoming now about changing it is a difficult
(27:20):
thing because if two things one they have to actually pay for something which they don't know
whether you really going to use it because it is an intro for a journal product and I click a
pencil it's got a learning curve people may say why should I spend then I'm easily able to use it
essentially in a period discarded so what we have seen in our past experience open
(27:44):
movement out of convenience and out of good standard of living usually don't make them change
don't don't really switch unless they are suffering from brushes unless they want to pick up some
sport or you know anything which concerns they are convenience if it is a matter of convenience only
(28:04):
then they change because money is not an issue with it you know trying to save money from using
a reusable product so conversions and acceptance and educated urban is poor versus somebody in the
urban slums is better versus rural is better versus tribal is more greater so if I see the social
(28:32):
economic the poor of the social economic the more is the acceptance of the menstrual curve which
otherwise if I have been I am starting the beginning was totally misconceived by me I thought the educated
switch but I know to my adult you know shop that my own friends and my good people they didn't switch
(28:57):
for so many other reasons but then again my weed my you know nursing staff or the tribal movement
just by one talk easily picked up the path yeah that's a surprising story right because we think that
okay when people are coming from which back when they may not understand these technologies but
(29:20):
actually they are they have been much more receptive to all of this very much so I also talk about
another thing so for me personally I've been wanting to switch to menstrual curve for a long time
and I've been trying but I've been kind of unsuccessful so I've been using cloth pads which have
worked okay for me maybe because I didn't understand the technique that well or to actually do it well
(29:48):
and also maybe there's some fear inside of inserting something in the body right so
what is what it be or advice to people like me
I would say there are three mantras one is don't get anxious the minute you get anxious
(30:09):
the vagina opening closes so if I to tell you and then I'm going to put something in your eye
the immediate reflexes to close the eye right if I'm going to put something in your eye you're
going to close your eye so if I say relax don't close I'm just going to gently touch you will let me
do it same goes with your vagina opening fear is a very very important factor if you don't if you
(30:35):
are fear less if you you know see that no no may what come I don't know how to get anxious then the
vagina opening relaxes and it is very easy for you to insert yes people who are not sexually active
may find it and it is difficult but it is not a contraindication for people who are not sexually
active to use a menstrual curve but they may have to be a little bored in the beginning to push it
(30:58):
inside the second point is you have to use the curve only when you are menstruating just because
somebody told you it is very easy to don't try it when you're not menstruating because only
the time when you're menstruating there is a sticky discharge around and it becomes very easy
for you to insert the other time of the cycle the vagina is you relatively dry and when it is dry
(31:25):
for you to push anything inside will be hurtful and three is practice so given some time put it in
it will not the fear is what it will get lost inside your body then that is a very uncalled fear
because there is no way that it will get lost in your body it is just that it may have gone higher
(31:49):
inside but you have to just breathe out a little push it out and it will come so just about keep the
patience there and just follow these three mantras and I think you will be definitely able to successfully
start using the curve yes we feel that still it may have a difficulty so we have a dedicated
(32:13):
channel YouTube channel which we have created with a lot of FAQs around it for all the beginners
and the channel is called Sakhi - RNisarg - on that YouTube channel in many of the regional languages
and the Hindi, English we have kind of just talking about how to use a menstrual cup
(32:34):
like you know as simple as how do you fold it or how do you pull it out, what is a stem
will it get stuck how and how do I clean it - all of these questions having answered very very simple
language in the multiple YouTube videos which we have created on the platform of RNisarg. We also
(32:56):
we have a helpline; anybody who gets stuck anytime we have a helpline through you can reach out to us
and we will definitely be there to guide you in either insertion or removal.
Yes thank you so much for sharing that advice what else have you learnt about sustainable menstruation what have you
learnt about education how do you approach this whole education about this topic I think
(33:21):
under there that is the best thing which I have been able to do more than promoting a sustainable
menstruation is about imparting a movement about her own anatomy I was not aware that even women
didn't know that they have three orifices like you and me have two eyes and nose and one mouth many
of the ladies are not aware that they have three different openings for three different activities
(33:46):
that is passing your newly passing the student passing the blood through the vagina
there are three different openings the knowledge of which is not existing is very sad
so I personally feel the biggest joy for us is not about only changing a lady to using a cup
but also imparting her about her body and giving her body confidence because if one lady gets
(34:11):
educated about this she educates her child girl child she educates her incoming daughter in law her
friend so it's like about one lady cheating in a entire family and I think that means a lot of
difference to the society so the opportunity to be able to impart them with this knowledge about
health hygiene during your menstruation and what is menstruation is the biggest reason of
(34:35):
satisfaction for us yeah that's very true empowering ourselves about our own body can be really
powerful so do you would you be able to demonstrate maybe what is the female anatomy like
in terms of menstruation in a very simple language if you look at yourself in the mirror
you have two eyes which are first then there's a nose with two nostrils
(34:58):
and then there's a mouth similarly important the top must will be your urinary opening then you'll
be your vagina opening and then you will be an anal opening in the same motor the uric thrill
opening on the place from where you pass your ure is the smallest because obviously you're going
to pass only a liquid which is mortuary and hence the ovary is very small also it need not expand
(35:22):
because that is the only job the second opening which is a vagina opening is for three reasons
one to discard the menstrual blood on a monthly basis two when you are having sexual intercourse
that is a place which you have to do your section intercourse and three when you can see that is
a place through which you are going to deliver the bleeding so this place is the vaginal opening
(35:45):
just around seven to nine centimeters long it's very flexible you can imagine something which is
just a couple of centimeters wide opens up to accommodate a baby's head and the entire body to come
out so it is that big opening and that collapsible and flexibility so you cannot compare it with the
(36:08):
uric thrill opening the third opening is for the stool and stool as you know it is not as
a liquidy as your ure but at the same time it is not as big as your head of a baby so in between
is the size and that also is flexible all these three orifices are not interconnected so if I do
(36:28):
something in my vagina you go to my ureloar the stool no there are all three different organs
not connected there no communication amongst them so this is the basic knowledge of your anatomy
perennial in that thing what we call and so where do we actually insert the cup in the vagina how do we
(36:49):
so in the vagina and then it's it will go inside that not in the clitoris but more inside
oh yeah very inside later is this very superficial we are going under the cervix so the uterus has a
cervix we need the cervix is the place where we are going to keep the cup so if you have to see
this is suppose the vagina is that big this is the vagina opening the cup will go from here
(37:16):
and it will sit inside it has to be folded and you put it in and it just goes and sits in your
this is the place beyond this it will not go there is no place for it to go and to just
remain your secured ujáh or do anything it will not come out if you just go in which the water
(37:38):
and just get it out that's how it is so simple and there is no connection with the uterus
so it sits in the 9 centimeter long vagina the vex week and if people want to learn more about this
they can visit your youtube channel yes i miss the foundation yes how would you advise people to
(37:59):
approach this thing what is the very first step that they can take for people who want to change
yes who want to transition into sustainable menstruation first and foremost find out why would you
want to change you should have a strong reason to change only then you will make the effort so it
would be just because you want to start going swimming during those time or it could be just save
(38:23):
money or it could be just save the environment you need to figure out one of the reasons are all three
of them as your motivation once you have picked up the call why you want to do it then i think nobody
can stop you this is enough of resources and material online available for you to make this
which which type what size what everything is there this generation is blessed that so much of
(38:47):
information is so easily available for you to you know and there is so much of ease to reach out
to somebody for support also so i think then nobody can stop you if you can convince yourself that
you want to make the first step and if suppose people want to be involved in educating people about
sustainable menstruation or i can be part of it i could i would recommend every lady to do the
(39:13):
train of course of ours it's just a 20 minutes course online free certified please login give
do this course, become certified as a menstrual health hygiene trainer this training curriculum is
along with our NGO with AMOGS - the Association of Obstetrics and Gynecologist from Maraastra
(39:33):
so it's a certified course just to take 30 minutes with enough of resource material given to you
and a very small evaluation pose that you will get a downloadable certificate and you can claim
that you become a trainer and you can impart yourself and your society and community the more the
women apart themselves the more they can reach out they can conduct successions of mhf in their
(39:57):
community in their societies in their colleges schools and i think nobody can stop you from
imparting others with this much needed knowledge could you repeat the name of the course again
if you go on to our website there are trainer poses in that there is a trainer pose for
(40:19):
sucky trainer that is image of menstrual health in iG trainer pose please go and it's free of post online
lovely i think my friend was a part of this program and she is also a trainer now
i'm so glad it comes with the empowering yeah i'm so glad that more than 200 women have
(40:39):
fought trained under us through an online platform alone and i think even a lot of men also a part of
this movement nowadays in environmental circles even men are being a part of this awareness in education
just then incidents i would like to share many a times we do physical sessions and many a time when
(41:03):
you do the physical sessions or organizers if they are men they leave us alone with the women and they
go out and then just say he okay just do your session and then we'll come back later but most many of
the times these workshops are covered by the photographers so there are men photographer who are
taking pictures when we are doing the session and it does not happen once but it has happened many
(41:24):
of times post the session these photographers who are men come up to us and say ma;am, can we get a
cup for our our wives too so they have not attended but we would be very happy if you let us know
from where we get pick up a cup for my wife so i feel it is so nice that you know
(41:45):
we feel that the men should not be involved in this but i think it is wrong on our part to deprive
them of this knowledge because a man can also bring in change for his own ability yeah that's very true
and i think this can also contribute to removing the taboo around the hashashar on menstruation
(42:07):
and bringing that whole awareness so yeah and how can people support your organization
what are any ongoing campaigns you'd like to talk about uh and then yeah i like i said people can
contribute with three views one we start making a change in your life itself i think that's the biggest
step you can take and that's all we need to do you don't need to do anything go out of your home
(42:32):
doing anything just start doing what you can do within yourself and could be the first thing
we should can do to help us the second is you can educate yourself and start influencing your own
circle and third if you want to work with us please do write to us we have a lot of underground
projects going on you put a volunteer there or with our help you could choose the locality where
(42:58):
you want to work and you will support it lovely and how can people reach out to you
they could write us on our evil it support at the rate artmissile foundation.
i'll send it to you yes thank you for sharing and we have any other message for our listeners
i think i have only single point message that if you are empire with the right knowledge don't
(43:23):
limit it to yourself you should be wholeheartedly talking about it and spreading the good word because
you never know who will change because of you so let the good words spread and Adanya i'm
very thankful to you that you have given me this opportunity in this platform to reach out to
more people because that is all this is also one way of trying to support the entire you know
(43:49):
activity which we are doing which you are doing with me with others so i think the spreading of
good word work is also good work so thank you so much and i'm glad that i've been able to
cover some points about this subject yes thank you so much for sharing your story and a board
(44:09):
demystifying this thing around sustainable menstruation and making it so clear and simple to understand
and i'm sure a lot of people have would have wonderful things to take away from this episode
and that was the episode on unpacking sustainable menstruation with Dr. Lata Ghancham
the name of Arnesurak Foundation i learned a lot today and i hope you did too
(44:35):
to share your takeaways with us in the comments below
or connect with us on social media at gogreen guru ss
and on email contact at gogreen guru.com
i'd love it if you'd like share and subscribe and spread the good cheer
(44:56):
and welcome to this journey
So I personally feel the biggest joy for us is not only changing a lady to using a cup
(00:08):
but also empowering her about her body and giving her body confidence.
Do you have to have the why? Without the why, people will not make a change.
Once your head and heart is convinced, then your hands will make the change.
So head, heart and hand together give you a habit.
All of these disposable sanitary napkins are have a component of micro-gel plastic which is
(00:34):
non-biodegradable. So if I discard a pad today, it will, I may die but the pad will prevail
in the environment for more than 500 years. So that is not kind of footprint I would like to
leave behind. Not only is a menstrual cup pocket friendly, health friendly, but also an
environmentally-friendly. I changed for environment, some change because they want to do swimming, some change
(00:57):
because it will save money. So if you find your calling in that or a combination of all
three, I think you will definitely feel like taking the step and trying to change.
Hello and welcome to GoGreenGuru Sustainability in Action. I'm your host Ananya Sangameshwar.
(01:19):
Before we dive into today's episode, it would mean a lot to me if you would hit that like button
and subscribe to our channel. You can support our work and stay in touch with us through our journey.
Today we're talking about something that might be kind of, shhhh,
but not anymore. We are talking sustainable menstruation. We are going to unpack this.
(01:43):
What is this all about? Why sustainable menstruation? And I know you might be having a lot of
questions, concerns, challenges. And we are here to try and unpack them because this is
something that can be so empowering for us, for our bodies and for the environment. We have with us
today Dr. Lata Ghanshamnani, an opthalmologist and co-founder of RNisarg Foundation based in
(02:12):
Thane. It has done extensive work in the fields of waste management, sustainable menstruation and
engaging with communities. This conversation is so open and friendly and I'm sure it'll touch you in
some way. So come join us as we explore this idea and this practice and let us empower ourselves.
(02:34):
Hello Dr. Lata, a very warm welcome to GoGreenGuru. How are you doing?
I'm doing fine Ananya. It's nice to come here today to discuss something which you and me both of us are passionate about.
Yes my pleasure. You are a doctor. I'd love to know about your journey
and how is it that you got interested in environmental issues and are passionate about working on
(02:59):
waste management, sustainable menstruation, civic action, all of those things.
How did you get inspired to start off on this journey?
So honestly it was not something which I had planned. It was over a period of time I have gone through the journey of trying to live sustainably.
All of it which began around a decade back. So around 10 years back, relatively my practice had
(03:27):
settled and I had a little time to look around to see what is happening around my
you know building, around my profession. And there is where the inquisitive mind to
go and trying to find what happens to the waste which I generally started intriguing. And I think
like I mentioned it's a journey and after 10 years I'm somewhere close to understanding why and how
(03:53):
we should be able to tackle this problem.
How did you start RNisarg Foundation with your co-founders? How is that journey like?
In 2013 I started noticing that there is a lot of waste created and no proper solution to its management was seen. And as a normal citizen normally we feel that if we are
giving the waste, be it segregated or mixed, there should be some mechanism wherein this is fixed.
(04:17):
But to make utter shock there was no system. What I used to get was just getting done. And it is not
only my waste, entire cities' waste was outside the city in a large dump. So after three
years of intensive home work I would say of understanding what are the reasons why people are doing this,
(04:39):
why government is failing to do it. We started realizing there are certain solutions which can or
should be brought to the notice of citizens. And 2016 is what we formally registered as an
NGO called RNisarg Foundation, with the intention of creating awareness among citizens
that through their discipline, through their self-awareness and participation only then a city can
(05:05):
solve its problems of any kind of civic issues. So that is how we, after a lot of understanding of
the subject and creating of solutions we started trying to go to the citizens. And to be honest,
it is all about behavioural change. So it is like habits which have been
(05:25):
wrongly inculcated since childhood. Now we have to unlearn and learn the right habits. So it is a long
journey because as you know breaking a habit and forming a new habit takes a lot of time.
So how did you work on this issue of sustainable menstruation? When I realized that nothing happens
to my waste I started looking at all the options. So for the wet waste I saw that composting is a
(05:50):
solution; for dry waste if I give it dry and clean, I saw that there is a market for recycling and
somebody picks it up. But what about my monthly sanitary waste? I couldn't find a valid
solution for it. And as you are aware, people don't talk about menstruation,
let alone about the menstrual waste which we create. So there is so much of a social taboo around
(06:14):
the subject. It was very difficult for me to even ask that what do people do with the sanitary
napkins which have been used. Again because of a medical profession me asking these questions were
not taken negatively. So coming from a scientific and medical background, I could start raising
valid you know concerns around what will happen to the type of menstrual waste which we are
(06:40):
creating in large quantities what is happening. So to give a small example a city like the one where I
reside, we have a population of around 25 lakhs. So you can imagine even if there is a 6 to 8
lakh women menstruating in the city, it is almost not less than 2 lakh sanitary napkins which
(07:00):
are disposed on a daily basis. If we did a small survey to understand what is the type of product which
the woman in the cities are using. And very rightly so 99% are actually using disposable sanitary pads.
So one single use sanitary napkin is what most of the women have been switching to. And with no
(07:24):
good solution there these pads are choking our nalas, our sewage lines and you know
they are discarded or they are done. So there is where my concerns came in that this
waste which is a combination of plastic, the body fluid and which is non degradable.
(07:46):
We have to do something about it because there is no solution for this. And that is where
the whole idea of sustainable menstruation started coming into being.
Through the project Sakhi I started initiating a talk around this after having self-used
a menstrual cup. Now when I started realizing that my sanitary waste I have no technology to handle
(08:13):
my use sanitary waste. I started looking at sustainable options. A cloth pad was a little difficult considering
the fact it could leak and that I don't have places where I can spend time to wash. And those
you know the feeling of uncomfortable with cloth pads I didn't want to revisit. So somebody
(08:34):
close to me, when they suggested me about a menstrual cup I took it as an opportunity to try and see
if it works. I will not say it was easy... it took me around four to five months to get used to the cup
and once I started using it regularly I realized the benefits and then is where the project started,
because once I was convinced that I as a user benefited. Very confidently I could start converting
(09:02):
people and people started listening to me. So the whole idea was conceptualized in 2019 and
at the forefront of the project is three things - One it has to go through a health care professional
because it is an intra-vaginal product. Two, you cannot expect people to switch overnight.
(09:23):
So you will have to give them a learning curve experience for which the Third - support is essential.
So these are three points but they can care and gradually over the last five years we have evolved
and we have been able to influence more and more people to look up to this product as a you know
(09:45):
point where we can make a major change in the quantity of waste generated.
So maybe from the perspective of a citizen if I ask okay, all this is fine, but why sustainable
menstruation? Why should I care about this? What's in it for me? Absolutely. We have to have the why -
(10:07):
without the why, people will not make a change. So for any habit to have be cultivated three things have
to be motivated one is your mind you need to give reasoning, you need to give logical reasoning
and once that is the reason is giving you like the reason so your heart is converted so your head
(10:27):
your heart once your head and heart is convinced then your hands will meet the change so head
heart and hand together give you a habit unless I influence your head and heart my hand will not
obey they may do it one day two days just because of somebody's enforcing it or somebody's
compelling me but the minute my heart and the head are convinced I will make a move so what is that
(10:54):
which will make you change? Three things in case of you choosing opting for menstrual
a product which is sustainable be it a menstrual cup or a cloth pad or anything which is not
disposable and also is safe for you. The first and foremost is I would say personal benefit.
(11:14):
Using a menstrual cup is very empowering. You feel so much of a freedom, you can become a part of so many
physical activities you in fact don't feel that you're menstruating and you get a good night's
sleep - you need not worry about jogging running swimming dancing any of those activities which are
(11:36):
women avoid during her menses because of the fear of leakage or because of the pad showing out.
Now all of that is eliminated. As a health aspect, when I use a cup, I don't
see the blood flowing out when I'm peeing or pooping so it gives me a very nice feeling of clean.
(11:58):
Also no rashes no itching, all those sort of health comfort is huge and that can be the
turning point for a moment to change. That's the first thing - self - you know benefits of no rashes no itching, the feeling of clean.
The second reason is of course
(12:23):
about environment - the fact that I would discard 10 to 15 pads in one month and which will cause
lot of damage or pollution to my environment because all of these disposable sanitary napkins
are have a component of micro gel plastic which is non-biodegradable so if I discard a pad today
(12:45):
it will I may die but the pad will remain in the environment for more than 500 years so that is not
kind of footprint I would like to be behind so the environmental aspect that what am I throwing in
the environment can be the second reason and the third reason is monetary so if you see pads are a
monthly requirement so there is an amount of money attached to it my investing in a cup I need not
(13:10):
purchase a single pad or any product for next 7 to 10 years that is how economical it is so not
is not only is a menstrual cup pocket friendly health friendly but also environment friendly
so if all these three reasons in different combination or one of this reason is also strongly
(13:31):
a reason then you will make this switch so I changed for environment some change because they
wanted to swim on those days because they will save money so if you find your calling in that
or a combination of all three I think you will definitely feel like taking the step and trying to change.
You also see a connection between the environment and health and also there is an issue of
(13:57):
disease because of people working in the waste management sector so it also exposes them
to a lot of disease - do you have any experiences from that? 100%! you tell me how many of us
would like to hold a sanitary napkin once we have discarded in a bin again none of us once we have wrapped
(14:21):
and thrown it even if I am asked to pick my own pad I will hesitate then how how you mean is it
for me to expect somebody else to pick it up I mean it is not it is it is a very simple humanity
that whatever waste I am generating somebody else should not be the person who should be handling it
also from the medical aspect a blood is a very you know active medium for any organism to grow
(14:50):
so why are we fearful of blood and blood products because it can grow organisms and thereby spread
diseases so if somebody holds a you know soaked pad which is a blood it is going to be and it is
contaminated because it is exposed to the environment you touch it you may acquire infections and as
(15:11):
you know the poorest of the poorest are the rat pickers so they are the ones who are the most
susceptible because they are putting hands in this mixed waste to get valuable waste out of it
and make their livelihood so hence rat pickers if they have cuts if they have any you know infections
they are and they are already immuno-compromised they will be the ones who may be exposed to this
(15:35):
pad lastly these pads are soaked with you know chemicals bleach and many agents to make it ultra
you know perfume ultra thin extra white all of this don't come then liches like that they are
have chemicals used so these chemicals are actually harmful to your inner organs as well because
(16:01):
our inner anatomy is very sensitive if you are exposing there these this mucus for over a period of time
to such harmful you know harmful genetic chemicals then we ourselves are putting our health into
compromise and there has been a proper study done by toxic links but they based in you
about what are the chemicals which are presenting these commercially available disposable pads
(16:27):
and they sure there are a lot of toxins present so health not only for you but
all likely mentioned for even a picker who's good to you you know sacred age your waste
so in both angles it's not good for us yeah absolutely so then could you talk a little more about
what are the sustainable alternatives could you talk about them explain them how do we use them
(16:50):
so we have a basket of products available now and it is so I'm so glad host pad man the movie
the awareness level or the comfort level of talking about a pad has improved so there is
the there is still a husha surrounding but more or less we are vocal about it even with the men
(17:13):
so many men have come out with lot of solutions for women keeping in mind the challenges we face
during those days both socioeconomically and culturally and in this basket of products which are
available as sustainable the the most oldest one and the time tested one is a plot pad nowadays you
(17:33):
get beautiful cloth pads which are very super absorbent the best quality of cotton they are you know
they are very nice to your sensitive skin so those are very very easily available so you can go
back to your growth plot pads secondly like I mentioned in to a journal product like menstrual cup
(17:54):
and therapeutic panties and there are a lot of biodegradable sanitary napkins made out of
bamboo fibre and you know those kind of biodegradable material so that you don't have to worry about
its integrity to disintegrate later after use I feel the women now are more empowered to choose
(18:20):
whatever options out of these period panties, cloth pads, menstrual cups, bamboo fibre biodegradable
sanitary napkins based on the comfort level based on their convenience based on their pockets
I think each of us should make conscious move towards picking up a product which is not only safe to
(18:41):
their health but also environmentally more sustainable and safe. So being a doctor maybe could you
also address some of these concerns maybe some people might be afraid okay are these really safe
are these things really safe are there any risk to my health how do I actually ensure I maintain my
hygiene and health while you are saying them? Here Ananya I the I was it I didn't mention
(19:07):
I am a medical professional I am a doctor but I am a specialist of ice so I went off the
lumbar largest so I always give this comparison between the contact lens
and menstrual cup both are something which we are going to use in our inside our body
(19:29):
so you may be aware of contact lenses so many people don't want to wear glasses and hence opt for
contact lenses right now when you opt for a contact lens you genuinely have the will power to change
and hence you are using it so the discomfort associated with the contact lens you overcome by
(19:51):
practice and you know eliminating the fear you want to look beautiful you want to have 360 degree
vision and hence you fearlessly you are at makes since your attempt to learn how to use a contact lens
use the same analogy for a menstrual cup there is absolutely no fear like in a contact lenses
(20:15):
even a menstrual cup is as safe as a contact lens you don't have to fear and both have a learning curve
it's not the first day when you got a contact lens you wore it and you are fit and fine and you
moved around you fiddle there was watering you felt for a body sensation you removed it again again you
put it in again you removed again you put it in so ultimately at the end of one day two day three days
(20:39):
you started settling with it you saw there is a learning curve there same goes with a menstrual
cup there is a learning curve but only if you are motivated and you are fearlessly trying to attempt
you will learn it how you learn to do cycling how you learn to wear a saree how you learn to make a
round chapati all of them is coming through practice and your will par if you have the win you will
(21:06):
coming to the aspect of safety yes all of these products are safe but
maintaining general hygiene like washing your hands washing the product that's all how much
care you take for your contact lens lesser than that you need to take care for your menstrual cup
so just washing your hands and keeping the used menstrual cup in boiling water for five minutes
(21:30):
after that just letting it dry keeping it in a cloth bag is enough that little care you need to take
so all of this is in the mind medically it is proven and I can vouch for it as it is 100% safe
talking about cloth pads I think many years ago women used to use rag
(21:54):
cloths or anything they had really to manage their periods and then now we are saying okay
sanitary napkins, now there's a huge push for sanitary napkins because all of that is not very hygienic and safe
but then again now we are saying - let's go back to cloth but as they are more sustainable
(22:17):
so how can we ensure safety. What is your take on this so underneath everything has a
evolution you know things you learn you think something is a really perfect solution
can after a while you realize oh no this also has a problem so it changes over a period time
so cloth pads were never bad nobody said no to cloth pads the problem was the social taboo nobody
(22:42):
should know that I'm menstruating hence I will use a I will wash my pad and not put it for dry
use damp cloth and that would induce a yeast infection or from the infection to me that was wrong
not that the cloth pads were wrong the way we were using the cloth pads was not the right method
(23:02):
so people were using dirty racks not washing them out of so many out of not availability to not
availability of water to you know people not knowing that I'm menstruating or you know fighting
all of this was the reason we said okay switch to a disposable sanitary napkin but that time
that was more important females not suffering from infection was more important
(23:27):
was that when everybody started changing we realized oh we are generating huge quantity of waste
and now we are looking at solution so it's it's like a cycle you know it starts slow but then you add
elements to it now we have somebody called like from padkate who actually are reciting your used
sanitary pads so technology also evolves based on the need now the need has come that we need to
(23:52):
find solutions for the safe disposal of sanitary pads and I'm sure in the coming few days one years
we will get much more better technology to handle all of this waste so it's it's like churning and
you know getting the best out of this situation and hence I'm not critical about pushing earlier
(24:12):
pushing the females to switch from cloth to disposable and not telling them oh go back to cloth
no it's not like that now it is with more understanding that we are asking them to chase situations
and I will say you ideally another year more about empowering you every under 18 I can understand
the mother has to play a big role to make the child understand about menstruation
(24:37):
but after 18 with exposure to so much of social media to knowledge through google and so many
platforms I think everybody and each of us needs to empower ourselves about what is right for me
based on the facts and this scientific backing once you are convinced that this is good for me
(24:59):
I think then that is when your choice lies what is job of hours like people like us or the adures
he should just use take this knowledge to people who cannot access knowledge so anybody living in
the city can easily google but somebody living in the rural tribal areas they are not aware of these
developments there is where I find my role or our organizations role very very essential in
(25:26):
empowering the woman and you know telling her that look there are these options please look into
this yeah so the important part is to maintain the hygiene so like pushing the cloth pad and putting
it in sunlight and that purifies it so yeah well actually engaging with people on this spreading
(25:46):
awareness on the sustainable menstruation alternatives however you found the reception
and how much of a taboo is this topic today what are the challenges in that line
like I mentioned because I am a doctor when I start this subject there is no shyness people
listen to us and we have overcome the shyness because we talk about it we have been taught about it
(26:12):
and for the last 25 years and practicing so talking about this topic comes very easily to me
and to our profession so myself and the other trainers are all from health care so we have somebody
from gynecologist who as much as like a asha worker so all of us have knowledgeable body parts anatomy
(26:34):
and we already taught about it so speaking of the subject is not so much of a shyness to us
okay coming to the audience yes there is an element of shyness in the audience but then again if
you build a rapport if you tell them that I am also like you and this is what my trouble was is it
(26:55):
the same with you relate to them talk to them let them feel that they are they can also share
their inner thoughts with you so if you develop the rapport with the lady and quite sure from any
social economic background they will open up so that is how you should build the connect and I think
the acceptance to at least hearing us out comes very forthcoming now about changing it is a difficult
(27:20):
thing because if two things one they have to actually pay for something which they don't know
whether you really going to use it because it is an intro for a journal product and I click a
pencil it's got a learning curve people may say why should I spend then I'm easily able to use it
essentially in a period discarded so what we have seen in our past experience open
(27:44):
movement out of convenience and out of good standard of living usually don't make them change
don't don't really switch unless they are suffering from brushes unless they want to pick up some
sport or you know anything which concerns they are convenience if it is a matter of convenience only
(28:04):
then they change because money is not an issue with it you know trying to save money from using
a reusable product so conversions and acceptance and educated urban is poor versus somebody in the
urban slums is better versus rural is better versus tribal is more greater so if I see the social
(28:32):
economic the poor of the social economic the more is the acceptance of the menstrual curve which
otherwise if I have been I am starting the beginning was totally misconceived by me I thought the educated
switch but I know to my adult you know shop that my own friends and my good people they didn't switch
(28:57):
for so many other reasons but then again my weed my you know nursing staff or the tribal movement
just by one talk easily picked up the path yeah that's a surprising story right because we think that
okay when people are coming from which back when they may not understand these technologies but
(29:20):
actually they are they have been much more receptive to all of this very much so I also talk about
another thing so for me personally I've been wanting to switch to menstrual curve for a long time
and I've been trying but I've been kind of unsuccessful so I've been using cloth pads which have
worked okay for me maybe because I didn't understand the technique that well or to actually do it well
(29:48):
and also maybe there's some fear inside of inserting something in the body right so
what is what it be or advice to people like me
I would say there are three mantras one is don't get anxious the minute you get anxious
(30:09):
the vagina opening closes so if I to tell you and then I'm going to put something in your eye
the immediate reflexes to close the eye right if I'm going to put something in your eye you're
going to close your eye so if I say relax don't close I'm just going to gently touch you will let me
do it same goes with your vagina opening fear is a very very important factor if you don't if you
(30:35):
are fear less if you you know see that no no may what come I don't know how to get anxious then the
vagina opening relaxes and it is very easy for you to insert yes people who are not sexually active
may find it and it is difficult but it is not a contraindication for people who are not sexually
active to use a menstrual curve but they may have to be a little bored in the beginning to push it
(30:58):
inside the second point is you have to use the curve only when you are menstruating just because
somebody told you it is very easy to don't try it when you're not menstruating because only
the time when you're menstruating there is a sticky discharge around and it becomes very easy
for you to insert the other time of the cycle the vagina is you relatively dry and when it is dry
(31:25):
for you to push anything inside will be hurtful and three is practice so given some time put it in
it will not the fear is what it will get lost inside your body then that is a very uncalled fear
because there is no way that it will get lost in your body it is just that it may have gone higher
(31:49):
inside but you have to just breathe out a little push it out and it will come so just about keep the
patience there and just follow these three mantras and I think you will be definitely able to successfully
start using the curve yes we feel that still it may have a difficulty so we have a dedicated
(32:13):
channel YouTube channel which we have created with a lot of FAQs around it for all the beginners
and the channel is called Sakhi - RNisarg - on that YouTube channel in many of the regional languages
and the Hindi, English we have kind of just talking about how to use a menstrual cup
(32:34):
like you know as simple as how do you fold it or how do you pull it out, what is a stem
will it get stuck how and how do I clean it - all of these questions having answered very very simple
language in the multiple YouTube videos which we have created on the platform of RNisarg. We also
(32:56):
we have a helpline; anybody who gets stuck anytime we have a helpline through you can reach out to us
and we will definitely be there to guide you in either insertion or removal.
Yes thank you so much for sharing that advice what else have you learnt about sustainable menstruation what have you
learnt about education how do you approach this whole education about this topic I think
(33:21):
under there that is the best thing which I have been able to do more than promoting a sustainable
menstruation is about imparting a movement about her own anatomy I was not aware that even women
didn't know that they have three orifices like you and me have two eyes and nose and one mouth many
of the ladies are not aware that they have three different openings for three different activities
(33:46):
that is passing your newly passing the student passing the blood through the vagina
there are three different openings the knowledge of which is not existing is very sad
so I personally feel the biggest joy for us is not about only changing a lady to using a cup
but also imparting her about her body and giving her body confidence because if one lady gets
(34:11):
educated about this she educates her child girl child she educates her incoming daughter in law her
friend so it's like about one lady cheating in a entire family and I think that means a lot of
difference to the society so the opportunity to be able to impart them with this knowledge about
health hygiene during your menstruation and what is menstruation is the biggest reason of
(34:35):
satisfaction for us yeah that's very true empowering ourselves about our own body can be really
powerful so do you would you be able to demonstrate maybe what is the female anatomy like
in terms of menstruation in a very simple language if you look at yourself in the mirror
you have two eyes which are first then there's a nose with two nostrils
(34:58):
and then there's a mouth similarly important the top must will be your urinary opening then you'll
be your vagina opening and then you will be an anal opening in the same motor the uric thrill
opening on the place from where you pass your ure is the smallest because obviously you're going
to pass only a liquid which is mortuary and hence the ovary is very small also it need not expand
(35:22):
because that is the only job the second opening which is a vagina opening is for three reasons
one to discard the menstrual blood on a monthly basis two when you are having sexual intercourse
that is a place which you have to do your section intercourse and three when you can see that is
a place through which you are going to deliver the bleeding so this place is the vaginal opening
(35:45):
just around seven to nine centimeters long it's very flexible you can imagine something which is
just a couple of centimeters wide opens up to accommodate a baby's head and the entire body to come
out so it is that big opening and that collapsible and flexibility so you cannot compare it with the
(36:08):
uric thrill opening the third opening is for the stool and stool as you know it is not as
a liquidy as your ure but at the same time it is not as big as your head of a baby so in between
is the size and that also is flexible all these three orifices are not interconnected so if I do
(36:28):
something in my vagina you go to my ureloar the stool no there are all three different organs
not connected there no communication amongst them so this is the basic knowledge of your anatomy
perennial in that thing what we call and so where do we actually insert the cup in the vagina how do we
(36:49):
so in the vagina and then it's it will go inside that not in the clitoris but more inside
oh yeah very inside later is this very superficial we are going under the cervix so the uterus has a
cervix we need the cervix is the place where we are going to keep the cup so if you have to see
this is suppose the vagina is that big this is the vagina opening the cup will go from here
(37:16):
and it will sit inside it has to be folded and you put it in and it just goes and sits in your
this is the place beyond this it will not go there is no place for it to go and to just
remain your secured ujáh or do anything it will not come out if you just go in which the water
(37:38):
and just get it out that's how it is so simple and there is no connection with the uterus
so it sits in the 9 centimeter long vagina the vex week and if people want to learn more about this
they can visit your youtube channel yes i miss the foundation yes how would you advise people to
(37:59):
approach this thing what is the very first step that they can take for people who want to change
yes who want to transition into sustainable menstruation first and foremost find out why would you
want to change you should have a strong reason to change only then you will make the effort so it
would be just because you want to start going swimming during those time or it could be just save
(38:23):
money or it could be just save the environment you need to figure out one of the reasons are all three
of them as your motivation once you have picked up the call why you want to do it then i think nobody
can stop you this is enough of resources and material online available for you to make this
which which type what size what everything is there this generation is blessed that so much of
(38:47):
information is so easily available for you to you know and there is so much of ease to reach out
to somebody for support also so i think then nobody can stop you if you can convince yourself that
you want to make the first step and if suppose people want to be involved in educating people about
sustainable menstruation or i can be part of it i could i would recommend every lady to do the
(39:13):
train of course of ours it's just a 20 minutes course online free certified please login give
do this course, become certified as a menstrual health hygiene trainer this training curriculum is
along with our NGO with AMOGS - the Association of Obstetrics and Gynecologist from Maraastra
(39:33):
so it's a certified course just to take 30 minutes with enough of resource material given to you
and a very small evaluation pose that you will get a downloadable certificate and you can claim
that you become a trainer and you can impart yourself and your society and community the more the
women apart themselves the more they can reach out they can conduct successions of mhf in their
(39:57):
community in their societies in their colleges schools and i think nobody can stop you from
imparting others with this much needed knowledge could you repeat the name of the course again
if you go on to our website there are trainer poses in that there is a trainer pose for
(40:19):
sucky trainer that is image of menstrual health in iG trainer pose please go and it's free of post online
lovely i think my friend was a part of this program and she is also a trainer now
i'm so glad it comes with the empowering yeah i'm so glad that more than 200 women have
(40:39):
fought trained under us through an online platform alone and i think even a lot of men also a part of
this movement nowadays in environmental circles even men are being a part of this awareness in education
just then incidents i would like to share many a times we do physical sessions and many a time when
(41:03):
you do the physical sessions or organizers if they are men they leave us alone with the women and they
go out and then just say he okay just do your session and then we'll come back later but most many of
the times these workshops are covered by the photographers so there are men photographer who are
taking pictures when we are doing the session and it does not happen once but it has happened many
(41:24):
of times post the session these photographers who are men come up to us and say ma;am, can we get a
cup for our our wives too so they have not attended but we would be very happy if you let us know
from where we get pick up a cup for my wife so i feel it is so nice that you know
(41:45):
we feel that the men should not be involved in this but i think it is wrong on our part to deprive
them of this knowledge because a man can also bring in change for his own ability yeah that's very true
and i think this can also contribute to removing the taboo around the hashashar on menstruation
(42:07):
and bringing that whole awareness so yeah and how can people support your organization
what are any ongoing campaigns you'd like to talk about uh and then yeah i like i said people can
contribute with three views one we start making a change in your life itself i think that's the biggest
step you can take and that's all we need to do you don't need to do anything go out of your home
(42:32):
doing anything just start doing what you can do within yourself and could be the first thing
we should can do to help us the second is you can educate yourself and start influencing your own
circle and third if you want to work with us please do write to us we have a lot of underground
projects going on you put a volunteer there or with our help you could choose the locality where
(42:58):
you want to work and you will support it lovely and how can people reach out to you
they could write us on our evil it support at the rate artmissile foundation.
i'll send it to you yes thank you for sharing and we have any other message for our listeners
i think i have only single point message that if you are empire with the right knowledge don't
(43:23):
limit it to yourself you should be wholeheartedly talking about it and spreading the good word because
you never know who will change because of you so let the good words spread and Adanya i'm
very thankful to you that you have given me this opportunity in this platform to reach out to
more people because that is all this is also one way of trying to support the entire you know
(43:49):
activity which we are doing which you are doing with me with others so i think the spreading of
good word work is also good work so thank you so much and i'm glad that i've been able to
cover some points about this subject yes thank you so much for sharing your story and a board
(44:09):
demystifying this thing around sustainable menstruation and making it so clear and simple to understand
and i'm sure a lot of people have would have wonderful things to take away from this episode
and that was the episode on unpacking sustainable menstruation with Dr. Lata Ghancham
the name of Arnesurak Foundation i learned a lot today and i hope you did too
(44:35):
to share your takeaways with us in the comments below
or connect with us on social media at gogreen guru ss
and on email contact at gogreen guru.com
i'd love it if you'd like share and subscribe and spread the good cheer
(44:56):
and welcome to this journey
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