These Women Tell Us The Story Behind Their Favourite Period Products!

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Period products, over the recent time, have got a lot of recognition and acknowledgement from not only its users but also organisations/ individuals working towards the development of menstrual hygiene and its awareness.

For a menstruator, choosing a period product means a lot and their choice, undoubtedly, does make an impact on several other fellow menstruators.

But the real question is how much impact it brings on ground?

Recognising the #MenstrualHygieneDay this year, Infano decided to talk to some of the women who wanted to share their real-life experiences of choosing a or switching to another period product.

Namrata

It was the first year of my period! So apparently, period and period products were one of the top talks in my school schedule.

I remember using handmade cloth pads — mostly because my family couldn’t afford a packet of synthetic sanitary napkins every month.

In those days, Whisper and Stayfree were luxuries and some of my friends who could afford them were no less than princesses to us.

I remember when I got my first packet of Whisper — I was elated!!

But that feeling lasted only a few years.

Growing up, I used to read about UTIs and vaginal infections. Eventually, I gave up on these synthetic pads and went back to my original option. Fast forward to as of this writing, I am following sustainable practices and hence given up on any kind of disposable or plastic-based period products. I’m completely into menstrual cups and reusable cloth pads now — they are long-lasting, soft to my body and clean and I don’t need to throw them either and oh yes, it saved me loads of money as well! And let me say, I’m so in love with them!!

Sheetal

I’ve always been a pad woman! I could afford to buy the best sanitary pads brands and other menstrual hygiene products but I chose to stick with pads. I don’t know if it was the comfort or lack of knowledge or if I was reluctant not to switch to any other product — but I always remain stuck with these pads. UNTIL — I decided to give in to my passion for swimming.

Now swimming as you can imagine demands daily practice and hours of dedication. While I was totally up for it, my periods weren’t. And that is when my instructor recommended me to switch to menstrual cups. Again, I was reluctant, but I had no choice!

My first few cycles were messy and the very first day was an honest disaster but it took its own time — and one day it felt like that cup was solely made for me!! LOL!

I have to admit, I was being fussy but that menstrual cup is the next best thing that happened to me after swimming. It changed my life completely and I still get mad at myself for not choosing it earlier.

I represent West Bengal in swimming and preparing for Nationals currently.

Meena

I’m 53YO — already hit menopause and now living a blissful period-free life.

Menstruation in our life was considered a curse, a sin and something that women could only talk about behind veils.

From not entering the kitchen to sleeping on the floor to teaching my son about it — I’ve seen it all!

I’ve mostly spent my life using old clothes as pads. Even after marriage, I mostly used clothes. However, while on family trips, I used branded ones too. It was a choice that I made for myself. Mostly, because cloth pads made me feel comfortable while readymade ones were only a choice I had to make on sudden periods. And I stayed with this until a few years ago.

2-3 years before I hit my menopause, my son got me a period panty. He is a very kind and responsible kid and has grown up into a considerate gentleman. He wanted me to switch because he felt those were most relaxing and worry-free for someone at my age. Not only he helped me in understanding, but he also kept asking for feedback until I used it for 3-4 cycles. He wanted to ensure that I was satisfied with what I was wearing.

While I won’t say that it’s as good as my classic cloth pads, I can definitely say that it’s no less than that.

Saba

Being an event manager, I’m always on wheels — sometimes for 16 hours at a stretch and the adventure it brings while I’m on my periods is unmatchable!

I’ve PCOS and mostly have irregular periods. While I always keep a panty liner with me, I’m a great fan of tampons. Maybe because I’ve been using it since 9th grade but I never really thought of replacing it with any other period product. I keep good ol’ sanitary pads for emergency purposes, but as long as the light is green, tampons are my saviours!

Shivi

What do I use? I’m a hardcore traveller — go on trips every alternate month and also suffer from PCOD.

When I’m home, I prefer reusable cloth pads for spotting and menstrual cups for heavy flows and I always keep a set of period panties with me.

For the first two days, a menstrual cup along with a cotton panty liner is a great combination for me. In third and fourth days, I stick to period panties, they are the best! For the fifth day, I say alvida to my periods with a reusable cloth pad. I always keep a packet of biodegradable pads in my bag for emergencies.

I’m focusing on reducing my carbon footprints and these products have helped me a lot in doing that. It’s been two years and I haven’t bought a single packet of synthetic sanitary pads.

Infano thanks these lovely women for sharing their stories!

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 period products in the comments because your story can trigger an important aspect that we all need to know and talk about! #IPeriodMyWay #MHD2022

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Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas recently announced on their Instagram that they had welcomed their first baby via surrogacy and this sparked a lot of hullabaloo on social media about exploitation and reproductive rights. This article will help you understand all you wanted to know about surrogacy.

What is the surrogacy process?

The embryo is created by combining the egg of the intended mother or egg donor with sperm from the intended father or sperm donor. This can be done through in vitro fertilization (IVF) or artificial insemination.

If the intended parents use their own egg and sperm, this is known as autologous surrogacy. With this method, no embryo transfer procedure is used. If they don’t supply their own eggs and sperm, they use the services of an egg donor and a sperm donor who will both provide these gametes to create an embryo that will be transferred to the uterus of the surrogate mother. This method is called allogenic surrogacy therapy.

The fertilized egg is then placed in the uterus of the surrogate mother, who will carry the pregnancy.

Who is a surrogate?

A surrogate mother is a woman who carries and delivers a baby to another person or couple. She has no genetic relationship to the child and carries it for someone else to give birth to. Surrogate mothers may receive compensation and may opt to give up all parental rights once their service is complete.

One of the most expensive things you’ll have to do for your family finds a gestational carrier. There is plenty of caring and trustworthy agencies that will send out a request for potential surrogates based on what kind of thing you’re looking for. Once you’ve found someone, hiring them is as easy as filling out paperwork, providing medical/genetic information, and agreeing to set up a financial agreement.

In some cases, the surrogate mother can also be a family member or a close friend who may agree to this process for no financial gain. Surrogacy is not regulated by any government agency.

Surrogacy, a boon

Surrogacy is a boon to women who cannot conceive. It provides an opportunity for infertile couples to have a baby. It can also be a boon for single mothers or gay couples who want to have a child without all the hassles of surrogacy.

It can be beneficial for both parties as surrogates are compensated for their time and effort, and the commissioning mother is able to spend time with her family rather than being pregnant.

How You Can Use Surrogacy For Treatment

Many fertility packages with surrogates include all the necessary screenings and monitoring for both, as well as an extra FET (frozen embryo transfer) if the initial transfer was unsuccessful. They do not include services of agencies who locate surrogates, legal services, obstetrical services, or compensation or benefits to these gestational carriers.

The legality of Surrogacy in India

The Indian Parliament recently passed two acts around Indian women’s reproductive rights and health– the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill and the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill. This aims to regulate and supervise assisted reproductive technology (ART) clinics and surrogacy and curb unethical practices related to issues like sex selection and exploitation of surrogate mothers by imposing both monetary penalties and jail terms for violations.

Transnational surrogacy was banned in India in 2015, but Assisted Reproductive Techniques and domestic commercial surrogacy continue through agents and private clinics.

The new laws in the bill state that couples seeking surrogacy should be married for at least five years. The couple has to be heterosexual and includes a man between the ages of 26 to 55 years and a woman of 25 to 50 years of age. Both have to be Indians and should have no biological, adopted, or surrogate children (unless the child is mentally or physically challenged or has a life-threatening disorder).

The criteria for anyone opting to be a surrogate mother states that:

The woman in question must be married (at least once in her life) and should have her own child.
She should be between 25 to 35 years of age and a close relative of the couple opting for surrogacy.
Any woman agreeing to be a surrogate cannot be a surrogate more than once in her life and at the time she should be certified for medical and psychological fitness. (Source)

However, these laws exclude same-sex couples or those who are not legally married and hence are not comprehensive enough. It also does not help couples who want to start a family earlier. It also insists on proof of one partner being infertile in order to initiate the surrogacy process.

Hence the laws in India are not inclusive enough.

Also read How to talk about male infertility with your partner