Images

4 Pakistani women on using the menstrual cup

4 Pakistani women on using the menstrual cup

Pakistani women are gradually switching to menstrual cups to improve their health and the environment
Updated 28 Jun, 2018

For a few months now, Afifa has been consciously cutting plastic out of her life and becoming more environmentally aware. Not surprisingly, there were some roadblocks, one of the biggest of which was her lifeline for five days every month — sanitary napkins.

Three months ago, the entrepreneur was scrolling through Instagram when she came across an advertisement for something rather strange — a menstrual cup. She thought this could be the answer to her plastic roadblock and immediately placed an order.

“I thought it was something that would work. I’d been cutting out plastic and anything biodegradable anyway so why not give it a try,” she says talking to Dawn. “I wish it had come into my life 10 years ago,” she adds.

Related: Dear Pakistani men, here's how you talk about periods

“For decades women have been using cloth, cotton and variations of the two to soak up their monthly cycle, the cup has been like a revolution for women,” says a woman from Karachi who uses the DivaCup, a foreign brand, which costs around Rs5,000.

“In Pakistan, going into a grocery store to buy a packet of sanitary pads or tampons is nothing less than a public shaming — it has to be wrapped in a paper bag before it makes it to the counter and double wrapped when you take it home,” she says.

Also read: Twitter reveals that Pakistanis still think periods should be a hush-hush matter

Ramsha, a teacher, shares a similar experience. “I wanted a menstrual cup and was planning on asking a cousin to bring it from abroad but then I came across Recircle.life, a company based in Lahore that makes menstrual cups,” she says.

“I first came across menstrual cups while I was living in a tree house in Laos. I was travelling for work with 10 other people when I got my period — and no one had pads as everyone was using menstrual cups,” she says.

According to Ramsha, using the cup has been convenient and clean. “I was worried about using it at first but I called one of the company’s co-founders and watched Youtube videos,” she says.

Her mother, however, doesn’t know that she uses a cup. Nor do other women in her family. “I don’t know how they would react as there are a lot of misconceptions about it especially with concerns to a girl’s virginity etc. When I told my friends at work, initially they were not very encouraging but now they are also using it,” she adds.

Switching from sanitary napkins to menstrual cups is a big step in saving the environment — Illustration courtesy Recircle
Switching from sanitary napkins to menstrual cups is a big step in saving the environment — Illustration courtesy Recircle

Earlier this year, many women in the country were outraged after the central censor board banned Bollywood star Akshay Kumar’s PadMan — a film about a man who started making low-cost sanitary napkins after discovering his wife’s lack of access to them in a small town.

The board claimed that the film was a taboo topic and thus not fit to be screened in the country. Pakistani women were surprised as to why something natural like periods, feminine hygiene and women’s health was taboo.

Read on: This super-fun mobile game is making it easier to talk about periods

This led to an interesting conversation and something that Wasma Imran and Mahin Khan — co-founders of Recircle.life, the first registered company that manufactures and sells menstrual cups and eco-friendly products — brought up during talks at universities and colleges.

“We asked the women how they felt when this happened and they were angry as to why something that was so natural was such a taboo,” says Ms Imran, talking to Dawn.

“About two years ago we were talking about a girl in Africa who couldn’t go to school because she was on her period and how around the world many women and girls were crippled because of this — we wondered if it was the same in Pakistan,” she says.

According to Ms Imran, who also works for the Punjab government, she was scared the first time she used a cup but after that she realised it was something every woman needed to try.

“The first time I used a cup, I didn’t tell my mother. However, when I eventually told her, she looked like she was going to faint. My father on the other hand was very supportive,” she says.

Related: Armeena Khan under fire for 'periods aren't a big deal' statement on Twitter

Many people have asked Ms Imran why the switch is important, she explains that menstrual cups unlike pads and tampons can be reused for up to 10 years.

These cups are made of silicon — pads and tampons have more than 80 per cent of plastic. If every woman uses around 11,000 in a lifetime can you imagine the kind of negative impact this has on the environment? When the used pads and tampons are dumped in landfill or the ocean where they release harmful toxins which damages the environment more,” she explains.

The cups save money in the long run and are good for vaginal health as well — pads and tampons have a lot of chemicals which can change pH levels and increase chances of getting infections.

There is change coming about, she says, “When we started out, people sent in a lot of questions and we made around five to six sales the day we launched the website.”

“Today, we’ve sold over 400 cups. We get good feedback which helps us work on our product more,” she says.


Originally published in Dawn, June 26th, 2018

Comments

ahmad Jun 26, 2018 12:38pm
glad to be living in a time when we can talk about this openly. thanks dawn.
Recommend (0)
Sameer Jun 26, 2018 01:01pm
Biology is nothing to be ashamed of. Dealing with this subtly and making awareness is key.
Recommend (0)
mr martin Jun 26, 2018 01:53pm
Bravo Pakistan ........... support ur ladies and keep them like Queens
Recommend (0)
Zubaida Jun 26, 2018 02:07pm
from where can i get this
Recommend (0)
Hamid Jun 26, 2018 02:53pm
It require some awareness
Recommend (0)
Sadaf Shahid Jun 26, 2018 03:15pm
It is a great experience i feel more comfortable while having periods and zero leakage and stain and more over its hygienic and less cheaper then regular pads and temphon.
Recommend (0)
raj kumar Jun 26, 2018 03:24pm
Very good,the more we talk and discuss,the more easy life will become for 50 % our population.
Recommend (0)
Zulfiqar Ali Jun 26, 2018 03:43pm
Very informative
Recommend (0)
Rubina Jun 26, 2018 04:16pm
Quite strange that majority of the comments are coming from males instead of females. When ever a new and innovative product is launched, it is all goody goody and later come the drake side. It seems good at the moment but we have to see if there ain't any side effects in the long run.
Recommend (0)
Saleem Jun 26, 2018 04:33pm
good effort , must be encouraged
Recommend (0)
Waheed noor Jun 26, 2018 07:01pm
The movie Padman was not screened in Pakistan as it was considered unsuitable to our culture. But I am happy that this article is published in a leading daily in Pakistan. Way to go Dawn! The need of the hour is this type of educational articles especially for women. Thank you.
Recommend (0)
Saad Razzaq Jun 26, 2018 08:48pm
I don't know why this a taboo topic? It is so natural and happens to our mothers, sisters, and daughters. Linking everything to sexuality is wrong, we as a nation need to grow up
Recommend (0)
gopal Jun 26, 2018 09:05pm
@Waheed noor Cheating and lying is OK but a movie is not because it talks about female hygiene.
Recommend (0)
jaredlee007 Jun 26, 2018 11:19pm
This topic needs to addressed using wisdom as our society needs to be educated about these matters in ways that people respect one another. Taking an antagonistic approach will not help. Many women and men are not comfortable in discussing these matters in public. So, they should also be respected and thus, a very well-crafted approach is needed to address such important topics.
Recommend (0)
The guy Jun 26, 2018 11:29pm
Great. Less leakage, less stain, cost effective, no much shopping hestle and improving confidence is the key to this product where women dont have to look back where they been sitting!
Recommend (0)
Vijay B. Jun 27, 2018 01:49am
There is no sensible reason why menstruation should be a taboo subject and it would not have been one either, if men menstruated as well. Nobody thinks peeing or pooping is a totally taboo subject, then why should Menstruation be one? If the women find it more convenient and sensible than the other methods being used to date, then I am all for promulgating it, But beats me why 5 plastic cups, no matter how intricate their design and manufacturing is, should cost Rs. 10,000. A hundred Rupees for 10 cups is what they should cost. The government should buy them in huge quantities and distribute them at a nominal cost or free even.
Recommend (0)
imdad ahmad Jun 27, 2018 03:46am
make it affordable for even the poorest girls.
Recommend (0)
Anand Jun 27, 2018 05:08am
Good factual useful article !
Recommend (0)
Logicaldude Jun 27, 2018 07:25am
The poor women and those in villages use all kinds of rags and unsanitary pieces of cloth during their periods . Giving them these cups could reduce rate of vaginal infections. Since impact of the cups is also positive on the environment. They should be offered at nominal price at clinics to any women who want to try them.
Recommend (0)
Meet Vyas Jun 27, 2018 09:50am
Great, never thought this kind of info I will be getting from Pakistan. Great info and thanks for the knowledge.
Recommend (0)
k p rao Jun 27, 2018 11:04am
Pakistan is moving ahead with times
Recommend (0)
Mana Jun 28, 2018 12:39pm
About time we can discuss something so natural and normal as periods out in the open and not making it an unholy taboo. I bought a menstrual cup when i read up on the cons of pads and tampons. Tampons have the possibility to cause toxic shock syndrome in rare cases, especially the "super-absorbent" ones. Whereas pads are pretty unhygienic and environmentally terrible. I fully agree that most menstrual cup options are too expensive for much of Pakistan to afford though. Government subsidies could go a long way in helping female health and the environment in this case.
Recommend (0)
talib Jun 29, 2018 04:02pm
good inovation 4 woman
Recommend (0)
Fatma Jun 30, 2018 10:37am
@Waheed noor padman was not released because of akshays political affiliation with modi government and past comments against pakistan. Its ban has no reasons related to theme of movie. Its a political reason and same reason why saif ali khans movies are banned too.
Recommend (0)