Join a fearless lesbian couple on their extraordinary journey to motherhood, fueled by love and resilience. From defying societal norms to choosing the right path of adoption or assisted reproduction, their story is one of unwavering commitment. Navigating challenges with grace, celebrating the joys of pregnancy, and building a robust support system, they culminate their journey by welcoming their little one into the world. This timeless tale inspires others to embrace unique paths to parenthood with open hearts and determination.
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Welcome to the incredible journey of two women who dared to dream beyond societal norms, breaking barriers and embracing the adventure of motherhood together. In this blog, we’ll dive into the personal and heartwarming story of a lesbian couple navigating the exciting path to parenthood.
The decision to become parents is monumental for any couple, and for them also, it was no different. Together, they explored the depths of their hearts and reached a unanimous decision to expand their family. The love they shared was more than enough to create a nurturing environment for a child, and they were determined to make it happen.
Armed with determination and love, the couple embarked on a journey of research.They explored various paths to parenthood, from adoption to assisted reproductive technologies. They attended workshops, sought advice from experts, and connected with other same-sex couples who had walked a similar path.
After careful consideration, they chose a path that felt right for them. They chose a fertility clinic that was inclusive and understanding of their unique needs. The couple embarked on the emotional rollercoaster of fertility treatments, supporting each other through every high and low.
The in vitro fertilization (IVF) process became a central chapter in their journey. From hormone injections to egg retrieval, they faced challenges head-on, leaning on each other for emotional support. The couple openly shares their experiences, demystifying the often-stigmatized process of assisted reproduction.
No journey is without its challenges, and our lesbian couple faced obstacles head-on. From societal judgments to legal complexities, they confronted each challenge with grace and resilience. Their love and commitment to each other and their future child proved to be an unbreakable force.
For some couples, the road to parenthood involves the miraculous experience of pregnancy. This couple embraced this with open hearts, celebrating each milestone and cherishing the miracle growing within. The support they provided each other during this transformative period exemplified the strength of their bond.
Throughout their journey, the couple surrounded themselves with a strong support system. Friends, family, and the LGBTQ+ community rallied behind them, offering encouragement, love, and practical advice. Together, they formed a network of unwavering support that would continue into the joys of parenthood.
Finally, the day arrived when they welcomed their little bundle of joy into the world. The tears of joy, the overwhelming love, and the sheer magic of becoming mothers were moments they would treasure forever. Their family was now complete, and the journey to motherhood had forged an unbreakable bond between them.
In this blog, we’ve followed the heartwarming journey of a lesbian couple who defied societal norms to become the amazing mothers they were meant to be. Their story is a testament to love, resilience, and the power of embracing one’s unique path to parenthood. May their tale inspire others to follow their hearts and embark on their own extraordinary journeys.
📝🎤 Hold onto your seats, it's Meghna Sakshi—a master storyteller who can turn any info into captivating tales with a flick of the pen. As an anchor, I've wrangled even the trickiest topics into submission, and as a content maestro, my words have a habit of sticking around. When I'm not chasing stories, I'm probably chasing down a cup of coffee or the next great adventure. But there's more to it: I aim to shed light on crucial women-centric issues, spreading awareness and empowerment through my blogs. So buckle up, because with me, even the stories get a dose of excitement! 🚀📰
Did you know that almost 70 per cent of the menstruating women in India can’t afford to buy sanitary napkins?
When Bengaluru-based Ira Guha, 28, first began researching period poverty in India, she was astonished by the fact that nearly 50% of girls and women in developing countries cannot afford a safe period solution — which leads to poor health outcomes and prevents them from going to school and work.
This very fact led her to create something that is changing thousands of women’s lives today along with protecting our precious planet. She put together a team at Harvard to create a safe and sustainable menstrual product.
Asan is an eco-friendly, sustainable and safe menstrual cup which Ira designed with her team from scratch. For every single purchase that Asan gets, it donates one menstrual cup for free to underprivileged rural girls and women. Read their inspiring journey to know more!
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Did you know that almost 70 per cent of the menstruating women in India can’t afford to buy sanitary napkins?
A depressing fact it is!!
When Bengaluru-based Ira Guha, 29, first began researching period poverty in India, she was astonished by the fact that nearly 50% of girls and women in developing countries cannot afford a safe period solution — which leads to poor health outcomes and prevents them from going to school and work.
This very fact led her to create something that is changing thousands of women’s lives today along with protecting our precious planet.
I grew up in an unusual household in Bangalore. My mother is a designer and entrepreneur, and she was the main breadwinner in our family. She set an example that women can excel in their careers, have a family, and do whatever else they like. My father is a writer, and both my parents have always encouraged me to follow whichever path I want, which is what inspired me to start Asan.
Ira Guha
Asan is an eco-friendly, sustainable and safe menstrual cup which Ira designed with her team from scratch.
Rewinding to 2017, when Ira was studying Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and was in her hometown for Christmas — “My parents had a cook named Mary. I remember, when I was home, she missed work for 3-4 days. We thought she was unwell, but when I asked her, she told me that she had got very bad rashes and a UTI caused by low quality plastic sanitary pads,” Ira shares how shocked she was on hearing this. This led to her research on period poverty and putting together a team at Harvard to create a safe and sustainable menstrual product.
We spent two years researching and designing the Asan cup. The aim was to make a high-quality menstrual cup that is much easier to use compared with existing products. Our cup went through four rounds of user trials to ensure that every aspect of the design was perfected. It is leak-proof and has a unique removal ring, making it much easier to remove. Our design has registered rights in the US, UK, Europe and India.
Currently, the most popular solution to the crisis of period poverty in India is to distribute low quality plastic sanitary pads. There are three issues with this solution. Firstly, pads tend to be uncomfortable, as they cause rashes and leaks. Secondly, they are expensive as women have to buy them every month. Thirdly, there is a huge environmental challenge as 12.3 billion plastic pads go to landfill every year.
“Asan’s mission is to solve these three problems. Firstly, we believe that every single woman (irrespective of income) deserves access to the highest quality and most comfortable period product. Secondly, we believe that period products should be made as low cost as possible (or ideally free) so that they do not make up a large part of the monthly household expense for low-income families. Thirdly, we are trying to eliminate the waste management challenge in villages, where it is extremely complicated and stressful to dispose of pads safely,” the Bengaluru based entrepreneur shares.
“For this reason, Asan started the 1-for-1 donation scheme. For every single purchase that we get, we donate one Asan menstrual cup for free to underprivileged rural girls and women. We partner with highly experienced women’s health NGOs for our donations. In addition to distributing cups, we conduct menstrual health education workshops and train our beneficiaries on how to use the cup. Every beneficiary receives a user guide in their local language as well as an in-depth training video,” Ira further adds. Currently, the startup operates in English, Hindi, Kannada and Tamil languages.
Even before starting Asan, all Ira wanted was to bring a difference in society! She was 18 when she left Bengaluru to study Geography and Politics at the University of Cambridge. In 2017, she left her London-based corporate job to do a Masters in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. And that is when Asan was born! But creating something merely out of passion has never been possible — “So far, we have not raised any investment. Our entire product development process was funded by prizes and grants,” Ira shares.
She was awarded first place in the King’s College Entrepreneurship Competition at the University of Cambridge (20,000 GBP prize) and received a Warner Fellowship grant from Harvard’s Women and Public Policy Program ($7,000 prize).
Asan launched its commercial sales in February 2021, and now, being post-revenue, will be raising an equity seed round to fund global expansion in the next 3-6 months.
After being in the business for quite some time, running Asan and observing rural women, one thing that Ira realized is how open-minded and independent women in rural India are!
“Very often we are told – “women don’t like to insert anything”, “rural women don’t know what a vagina is”, “women don’t want to try a new product”, “sanitary pads are the best solution”, etc. etc… However, these beliefs are misinformed and completely contrary to what we see in the field. From our own experience — from distributing menstrual cups to conducting workshops — we have found that, when given adequate information, rural women are extremely open-minded and make the best choice for their health and their body. We have women of all ages who use and love the Asan cup, including unmarried girls and teenagers,” Ira further continues.
So why are there so many misconceptions and hesitation in adopting menstrual cups? From my experience, I realized that either half of the girls/ women are misinformed, or half of the menstrual cup brands fail to live up to our expectations!!
Ira believes that for any entrepreneur looking to solve a challenge, scaling shouldn’t be the first priority. One must check and see if s/he can really solve the problem for one city or one community or even a person — if you can perfect your solution even for a few people, it will be easy to scale.
“When I was developing the Asan cup, people always asked me – “why are you spending so long on product development? You have a prototype, now just start selling it because you need to scale”. However, I wasn’t ready to sell a product that was not perfect in every way — it had to be comfortable, cause zero leaks, and be easy to use. It took 4 rounds of prototyping to get to that ‘perfect cup’. But yes, it was worth the effort, because now 100% of women who try our cup love it and recommend it to all their friends,” the 29YO CEO shares.
On asking her biggest regret, Ira says that it is not concentrating enough on her language skills, “growing up, we were encouraged to speak English both at home and in school. I can speak some Tamil, Kannada and Hindi but am not 100% fluent in any of these languages, and it has been an impediment for me when working in the field. Talking about periods is already difficult enough since it is a taboo subject; the language barrier makes it even more difficult!”
The startup feels grateful for having some amazing translators from the NGOs who make sure that all the information is delivered correctly and completely.
But then, hey, skills can always be improved and enhanced!!
And now that the team has achieved their proof of concept, Ira is planning to scale Asan. After stopping countless amounts of plastic ending up in landfill, getting thousands of underprivileged women their first-ever menstrual cup and saving many more Marys from UTI, Asan is partnering with new distributors to grow its sales in India. Ira will also be launching Asan in the UK and Europe soon.
The journey is long but will be more impactful. And as Ira gears up for the next phase of her journey, she encourages every woman to follow her heart, “don’t let anyone bring you down! Focus on the problem you are solving and create the best solution. Everything else is just noise!!”
Write your story to us and let the world get inspired by your wonderful journey!
This #MenstrualHygieneDay, #Infano along with #TheLogicalIndian, is addressing nuanced conversations on period centering on the well being of the menstruators as they power through every day. Share your experience with menstrual cups in the comments because your story can trigger an important aspect that we all need to know and talk about! #IPeriodMyWay #MHD2022
A 'non-9-5 desk job' ambivert geek who chooses her own audience, Sonali loves sharing stories and finding the corners where humanity still exists! She believes that every individual's story is unique and special. She loves writing about the untouched and unspoken segments of society. When not writing, you can find her listening to someone's stories or playing with dogs. Sonali values mental health and encourages people to speak their heart out!