Today, we’re going to crack open (and crack into) some of the leading myths, debunk them, and shed some light on this series of mistaken beliefs.

But before we go all guns blazing, you can read more about PCOS, its symptoms, causes, and occurrence right here. Once you’ve refreshed your memory, let’s get started: 

Myth 1:

Only if you have polycystic ovaries, will you have PCOS.

Fact:

A lot of people make this assumption (given that the condition’s name is polycystic ovary syndrome), but there are two important points to keep in mind: 

1. Many women who have PCOS do not have cysts on their ovaries 
2. Having cysts on your ovaries does not mean you have PCOS 

The PCOS problem arises when a person has metabolic and reproductive abnormalities. To be diagnosed as having PCOS, an individual needs to have two of the three below symptoms: 

1. An excess of androgen in the body (which leads to hair loss, acne, etc) 
2. Irregular menstrual cycles / menstruation periods 
3. Multiple follicles or cysts in the ovaries 

Myth 2:

If you have PCOS, you can’t get pregnant. 

Fact:

PCOS is a hormonal condition that impairs the ovary’s ability to release an egg for fertilisation. However, by NO means, it puts a full stop to pregnancy forever. Many menstruators today are given the “can’t get pregnant” ultimatum when they receive their PCOS diagnosis – however, pregnancies can still occur, either naturally or through the help of fertility treatments. PCOS may definitely hamper the process, but it doesn’t put a stop to couples trying to get pregnant. The key is to find the right diet, exercise, stress-relieving methods, treatment (if necessary) and above all, the right fertility specialist to help you through the entire process. 

Myth 3:

If you have irregular periods, you have PCOS for sure. 

Fact: 

Not true. It’s common for many people to jump the gun and assume that the reason for their irregular cycles is related to PCOS, but the reality is that there could be many reasons for periods playing truant. 

Reasons for delay could include stress, breastfeeding infants, over-exercise, intense dieting, pelvic inflammatory diseases, your thyroid going out of control…the list of reasons go on. A great way to get to the root cause of your cycle going haywire is to do methodical checkups with your doctor or OBGYN, and embark upon a process of syndrome elimination through blood tests, scans, etc to determine the ‘real’ culprit.

Myth 4:

Everyone who has PCOS is either chubby, overweight or obese.

Fact: 

This may be the biggest misconception of all. Excess weight is immediately associated with the prevalence of PCOS. While most individuals that have PCOS do fall into the larger side of the weight spectrum, this belief discounts the remaining number of PCOS patients that have the ‘lean’ form of it. Therefore, it becomes a double-edged sword. An obese person with irregular periods might be wrongly diagnosed as having PCOS while a thin person might get written off, with medical professionals wrongly diagnosing their inherent PCOS as stress, anxiety, some other medical condition that causes their erratic menstrual cycles, etc.

And finally, last but not the least… 

Myth 5:

Once you get PCOS, you’re doomed 🙁

Fact: 

Even though PCOS is a lifelong condition with no proven cure per se, the key to living in harmony with this syndrome lies in one small hack – your mindset in life. You might never be able to say you’ve cured your body, but you can embrace the healing process that brings your body into harmony every single day. 

The power to ensure PCOS does not go out of hand lies solely in our hands!

The post Breaking 5 Myths About PCOS appeared first on Ignite the Spark.

Wings. Ultra-long. Extra durable. Extra-wide. Extra protection. Pure cotton. Leak lockage technology. But there’s one universal attribute across all sanitary napkins that appeals to most customers – its disposable quality.  

A whopping number of sanitary napkins are modelled on the ‘one-time use’ philosophy – you open the wrapping, wear the pad, wrap it up when it’s soiled, and discard it. No questions asked. 

But where did this practice come from?

Why did one-time-use pads become the norm?

To trace the origins of today’s disposable sanitary napkins, we need to go back in time to explore the trajectory of menstruation, the taboo nature of menstrual blood, and how society has perceived this phenomenon over the years. 

The Unbecoming Nature of Blood

For centuries, menstruators have received the same message over and over again; You are considered ‘dirty’ when you are menstruating. For generations, people have perceived period blood as “unclean” or “bad” blood, which led them to treat the menstruation process (as well as menstruating individuals) with equal disdain.

Many girls and women were subject to these restrictions in their daily lives. They were not able to enter the place of worship or the kitchen, they were restricted from touching holy scriptures, they were not allowed to touch sour foods, they were isolated from their family for the few days they were menstruating…all of this stemmed from the belief that menstruation was ‘impure’. 

Similarly, everything associated with menstruating individuals – their clothes, their items, and even their menstrual cloths (which they used to stem the blood flow) was considered ‘untouchable’. Therefore, even when menstruators would hang their washed period clothes out to dry, they faced flak for that act. It was considered embarrassing that a menstruating individual was residing in that house (and having their period at that time). 

While such rigid measures aren’t all that common today (with the exception of some extremely religious households), the thought of washing and drying menstrual cloths still has ‘unclean’ connotations. This belief kickstarted the rise of disposable menstrual products.

Disposable became D-word of the hour

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The first “sanitary napkins” came into existence due to the ingenious minds of wartime nurses, who needed quick methods to stop the excessive bleeding of soldiers on the battlefield, and quicker ways to dispose of the bloodied items. Thus, the first attempts were made from wood pulp, a cheap and absorbent material.  

Over the years, many manufacturers borrowed this idea and made their own attempts – 1888’s Southball pad, 1896’s Lister’s Towel: Sanitary Towels for Ladies (by Johnson & Johnson), its eventual rebranding to Nupak in 1920, so on and so forth. 

But one commonality remained across these products – the disposable nature (which seemed to solve a lot of the societal problems menstruators were facing).  

The Advent of Advertising

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Unsurprisingly, this was also the feature that advertisers latched on to. Marketing campaigns tapped into the uneasy mindset of menstruators, their discomfort with reusing menstrual hygiene management products, and positioned disposable products as the “ultimate route to freedom”. They sold tales of liberation and led menstruators to believe that they were being hassle-free, modern, and efficient by stocking up on disposable menstrual products.   

With menstruators now being firmly convinced that disposable menstrual products were the way to go, the amount of plastic being used also increased over time; tampons got plastic applicators, wraparound sticky wings were invented for better grip, individual wrappers started making the rounds to add to the ‘discreteness’ of pad disposal, etc. 

However, due to the amount of disposable plastic menstruating individuals have generated so far and continue to generate, we’re now facing another unprecedented problem. – we are on the brink of an enormous plastic pollution crisis. All because sustainable menstruation practices were regarded as ‘dirty’ at one point in time. 

So, what’s next? 

Only when we do away with the stigma about menstruation, can we open the 

dialogue about greener, safer, and more sustainable period practices, such as natural pads, menstrual cups, and washable sanitary napkins.

The post Shame, Slander, and Scandal: The Rise of (Disposable) Period Products appeared first on Ignite the Spark.

• Smuggling a sanitary napkin (wrapped snugly in newspaper) under your skirt
• Making a beeline to the bathroom
• Avoiding the mocking eyes of the boys in your class (and the teasing), 

you’ve experienced a phenomenon that many menstruators across the world have gone through as well. 

It’s no secret that the concept of menstruation has been widely stigmatized over the years. Across almost all cultures, it has been associated with disgust, dirty looks, fear, and above all, a complete lack of holistic understanding. In addition, the inherent taboo associated with it has not only convinced young boys of its ‘illicit’ nature, but has also contributed to young girls feeling a sense of shame when they are on their period. 

So, why has menstruation been hush hush over the years?

There are several reasons to explain why the practice of menstruation has been swept under the rug, but it all revolves around one central observation – a staggering lack of education. 

In school, biology teachers used to perpetuate this by glossing over the topic in the textbooks. Women would find it delicate to explain this subject to their husbands and sons, and moreover, the opposite gender would take no interest in educating themselves. Daughters, wives, and sisters gave explicit instructions to other women – talk about sanitary napkins in hushed tones, only talk to other menstruators about your needs, and keep it on the down-low. 

Religion and cultural stigma did nothing to better this – in fact, it made things all the more challenging. In some cultures, women were almost ‘punished’ for menstruating; they would be excluded from using water and sanitation facilities, were unable to participate fully in social, educational, productive, and religious activities and, sometimes were even excluded from the home. What’s worse was, men were usually the decision-makers and were making choices without even understanding the complexity of menstrual issues. 

Which brings us to the topic of this blog. 

The real reason men need menstrual education.

Menstruation has been a women-centric topic for ages; it’s now time to turn the tables in favour of it being a human-centric topic. 

Why? 

Because menstruators roughly constitute half of the world’s population, their feelings, thoughts and emotions are completely valid, they need understanding during this challenging time, and finally, what they’re going through is a perfectly natural biological phenomenon! 

Knowing the anatomy of a menstruator’s body and being educated about all the challenges associated with getting your period can help young boys and men in many ways: 

A. Debunking the ‘dirty’ feeling associated with getting a period

 Young boys, from a very young age, have been taught to fear bodily fluids, especially someone else’s. Over the years, menstrual blood has been blown out of proportion and reduced to the words ‘tainted’ or ‘impure’ (which it is not) – therefore, there is an imminent need for educating impressionable young boys on what this blood actually is. This can help them understand how menstruation works, remove the ‘gross’ factor, as well as mould them into young men that are allies of the menstruation movement!

B. Helping their menstruator friends

Once young boys and men change their perception of menstruation, this leads them to be more receptive of menstruators and the needs these individuals might have during their period. Running out to get sanitary napkins, learning to take over household chores, helping their mothers or sisters with pain management, being a better support system are all areas where young men can step up to the task. 

C. Be the next generation of taboo-breakers

So many eras have seen men follow traditions and customs blindly when it comes to the topic of menstruation – women and other menstruators usually bear the brunt of this. However, if more young boys grow into men that challenge these orthodox beliefs, age old practices and customs which bear no meaning, a lot of strides will be made towards establishing a sense of respect, and equality towards menstruators. 

Therefore, menstrual education for men is not only necessary, but it is the need of the hour. If we want to progress towards an equal, inclusive society, it is important for men to truly understand the biological processes menstruators go through, and moreover, truly show them the compassion, care and sensitivity that is required during that time. At the end of the day, it’s their topic to understand as much as it is for the menstruators to experience; after all, it’s no coincidence that there’s a ‘men’ in the word  ‘menstruation’!

The post The Importance of Menstrual Education for Men appeared first on Ignite the Spark.

When we take a closer look at what may have started these myths that surround menstruation and period products, it’s shocking that they still exist today. Here are a few interesting myths that we feel would be a great starting point to break the stigmas around periods. If you are already aware of them, good for you. If you aren’t, here we go.

Myth 1: Pads Needn’t Be Changed So Frequently

If you’re considering the possibility of using a pad for more than six hours – don’t. If your flow is heavy, you may even need to change it more frequently. The moist feeling down there while on your period indicates that you are not changing your pad enough, and you should increase the frequency of doing so. If someone tells you that’s unnecessary, it is your responsibility to educate them, too. 

Myth 2: One Size fits all

When it comes to choosing the right sanitary pad for your flow, one size does not fit all. Everyone is unique and so are their menstrual cycles. Depending on your age, lifestyle, diet and other factors your flow may vary from day to day or cycle to cycle. Typically, on your first or second days, when you are experiencing heavy flow, it’s recommended to use a bigger size, XL or overnight, pad with higher absorbency capacity. On medium to light flow days, such as your third or fourth days, you can switch to Large or Regular size pads depending your flow. 

Myth 3: Pads Are Only For Women 

Even today, menstruation is considered a topic that concerns only women, and not all other genders that experience periods. This implies that people who do not fall under the ‘female’ category have absolutely no say in period-related discussions. Think about this for a second. How would a man, who happens to not fall under the ‘female’ gender, but has to undergo periods feel about using a sanitary pad. And likewise, how will a woman, who can never menstruate in her life feel when she’s “expected” to bleed every month? A topic worth pondering, don’t you think? 

Myth 4: Pads Need To Be Hidden In Public 

We’ve all been there. The hushed conversations before taking the pad out and wrapping it in a newspaper without making eye contact with those around. Why? Who says a woman carrying a sanitary pad must undergo ‘the walk of shame’ to the washroom? Pads, like other commodities, are meant to make your life easier and healthier, not to make you feel guilty for a natural and normal biological process. 

The Key Is To Learn. Unlearn. Relearn

The only way to outgrow the stories and myths that have existed for decades or even centuries is to address them with an open mind and practical reasoning rather than stereotypes that have been passed down for generations. More power to you!

The post Busting 4 Common Myths About Sanitary Pads appeared first on Ignite the Spark.

The history of how body hair grooming became a regular beauty standard and the evolution of which kind of body hair humans considered socially and culturally acceptable is quite interesting. Queen Cleopatra had all her body hair removed, including her head and set a trend where hairlessness signified high society, while women in the West were influenced by Queen Elizabeth I who pioneered facial hair removal to the extent that she plucked out all her eyebrows and shaved back her hairline. 

Even men had their own grooming to do: from being clean-shaven to sporting whiskers and long beards, the amount of facial hair from time to time signified masculinity, just as the removal of it became symbolic of being a woman. Little wonder then that for women especially, grooming body hair has become an issue, given the number of taboos surrounding it. But first, let us take a brief peek into the history and science of body hair. 

Of what use is body hair?

When early humans were really hairy, it meant protection from external influences, it meant warmth. But a question lingers: If evolution meant a less hairy Homo sapiens than his caveman ancestors, why didn’t all of the body hair disappear? 

Today, science says hair on the head helps regulate the temperature of the brain. A good head of hair means efficient protection for the scalp and the brain from excess heat and evaporation of sweat. There are an estimated five million follicles of hair on the human body. With age and hormonal changes, these follicles develop and differentiated growth of hair happens to depend on its location on the body. 

In the light of hair grooming, two very specific types invite infamous attention – underarm and pubic. Have you ever wondered, why do humans have underarm and pubic hair? What purpose could they possibly serve if their removal is so highly advertised? Science says, hair in these regions help disperse odour molecules and help protect skin due to friction caused by the constant movement of the arms and legs. 

Pubic hair, in particular, helps reduce friction during intercourse and other activities that cause chafing, and thus protect the sensitive skin around the genitals, help trap dirt and pathogens from entering the body, and also maintain optimal temperature for the genitals. If evolution intended that humans should lose most of their body hair with a few exceptions, who are we to claim that it is undesirable, useless or, as popular opinion, today goes, gross? It is a matter of opinion. And in this clash of opinions, it is the average woman who pays the price. 

Hairlessness and its influence in society as we know it.

Sporting a hairless body has quickly become a beauty standard that many women feel pressured to give into because of social conditioning. Body shaming, bullying and demeaning women who happen to have more body hair than others cause at least some, if not intense, psychological scarring and damage to their self-esteem. So whether it is the men out there who promote the idea of a perfectly smooth body as the epitome of femininity, or whether it is the women who spread the idea for example, that men prefer women who are “totally clean down there” the fact remains that many women go to extreme lengths to keep up being hairless. It’s time-consuming, requires constant check and follow-up, expensive and painful to say the least. 

Awareness about hormonal imbalance caused by various factors such as menopause, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), or simply genetic predisposition which may result in women growing hair in places a man generally would is so poor, especially among men, that it seems it might take our society a long time to evolve, accept these facts and treat them without shame.

Where are we today?

Body hair for women can become, if it isn’t already, a question of both public and intimacy issues. Some people might even go as far as to ask women, either foolishly or mockingly ‘why do you have a moustache?’ or they might be ridiculed for wearing sleeveless clothes without sporting smooth underarms. 

Movie trends seem to be a big influence in those women who opt to shave, wax and thread are severely critical of those who do not (a quick reference: Samantha Jones chiding Miranda Hobbes in the movie Sex and the City for not waxing her bikini lines saying she ‘could be on death row and not have that situation and not to mention simultaneously making light of a subject as grave and serious as the death row.) 

As far as the intimate situation goes, men just as much as women tend to have a preference whether their partners should or should not have hair in various places. So it eventually becomes a matter of choice as to how far either partner is ready to go in order to please the other. And hence that is where the debate might just end for good.

However, today the situation is taking unexpected turns. Body hair removal is becoming more a matter of ‘my hair, my choice’ rather than ‘I will do whatever is expected of me’. Where on one hand more and more girls choose or are being influenced to opt for hairlessness (some even as young as 16) on the other hand, women are embracing trends that celebrate body hair. Celebrities and many strong female voices have led the shift towards the acceptance of body hair. 

The question here is not whether women should or should not be hairless, the core of the matter is – should women be made to feel shameful because they sport body hair in public or should women themselves be ashamed of what is a natural phenomenon and take actions to the degree of severity and remedy it? This is a discussion that can go on endlessly because we live now in a society where free will is encouraged far more than it was in the past. 

So we will leave you to muse upon the following. Nature created women and men with physical differences or in the case of hair growth some similarities. Nature also intended humans to have body hair in places for logical reasons as a perfectly natural phenomenon. Nature also blessed us with a mind to make choices that one feels right for oneself. 

To keep all that hair or remove it should be your personal choice and nothing more, nothing less. You get to decide what you should do with your body. If you are comfortable with the hair, by all means, go ahead, Nature is with you. If you desire to remove it, go ahead as well, Nature is still with you.

The post Shaving the Stigma Surrounding Body Hair appeared first on Ignite the Spark.

Before we dive into the details, we need to understand this community of gender non-conforming individuals who have been excluded for years from these conversations.

What does it mean to be transgender, non-binary or intersex?

Before you start making assumptions, let’s make one thing clear, these terms don’t mean the same thing and are not necessarily interdependent. Transgender individuals are people whose gender identity is the opposite of their assigned sex, which means that their bodies and sex organs don’t match their gender identities. This, however, is not a reflection of their sexual orientation, which means that trans men and women can also be gay or lesbians. 

Non-binary individuals, on the other hand, don’t identify as male or female and fall outside the gender binary. Intersex people are biologically different from the other two categories and have anatomy and biological sex organs that cannot be clearly identified as male or female. This again does not define their gender or sexual orientations, but rather just their physical and biological appearance. 

What is gender dysphoria?

You may have heard of ‘euphoria’ which is a blissful state of mind, and ‘dysphoria’ is the exact opposite. Gender dysphoria is a form of psychological and emotional distress that individuals experience when the sex assigned to them at birth differs from the gender that they identify with. While this is not the case with every gender non-conforming person, it is a rather common phenomenon, especially with trans men and women. 

Having breasts and a vagina while identifying as male and vice versa for females is disconcerting, especially for a child who is just maturing and growing. The feeling of helplessness and frustration of being at the mercy of biology can cause a lot of anguish, stress and discomfort beyond simple growing pains. While some people learn to deal with it over time, others continue to struggle even during adulthood. 

What does this have to do with menstruation?

Well, this has a lot more to do with periods than you would think. Unfortunately, over the years, periods have been linked to women, which means that all the gender non-conforming individuals who don’t fall under the category of ‘female’ feel excluded from period-related discussions and conversations. But, this goes beyond just exclusion because this affects the perception that these individuals have of themselves. Linking periods to womanhood with visuals, messaging and packaging makes men who experience periods feel uncomfortable in their own skin. Not only do people who identify as ‘male’ feel awkward during periods, but people who identify as ‘female’ but don’t experience periods feel less feminine. 

The feelings of dysphoria that they normally experience get further aggravated during periods. Can you imagine having to deal with cramps, mood swings and bloating while also struggling with dysphoria? All this makes periods an emotionally and physically draining time for non-conforming individuals, and having to also struggle with being excluded doesn’t help. 

How do they deal with it?

Various sex reassignment surgeries can help stop periods permanently, but they are extremely expensive and isn’t accessible to everyone. As an alternative, hormone therapy can also stop periods, but it isn’t guaranteed and isn’t cheap either. So, many trans men have to continue experiencing periods throughout their lifetime – having to wear tighter chest binding to deal with the swelling breasts, finding comfortable pads – all while coping with dysphoria every single month. They also have to struggle with a lot of practical problems like men’s bathrooms that lack private stalls and dustbins, making it difficult for them to safely use period products while outside their homes. 

We want to bring this to your notice because we must remember that not all women experience menstruation and that everyone who experiences periods aren’t women.

Periods aren’t exclusive for cis women; they are simply a biological process that people undergo on a monthly basis. So, let’s change the way we view periods and make period products more inclusive. This will allow for an open discussion where everyone feels comfortable to discuss their periods and menstruation related problems without feeling ashamed or embarrassed. 

Let’s make periods more about biology and less about gender. Shall we?

The post Inclusive Periods: Looking Beyond The Gender Binary appeared first on Ignite the Spark.

The pandemic made it super tough for many women to get period essentials as they were unprepared for the situation. It was even worse for the millions of migrant workers who were out on roads and travelling by any means to reach their native villages.

Sparkle took the initiative to help girls and women impacted by COVID-19 and donated over 100,000 sanitary pads in association with NGOs and social activists.

As a period brand, we are conscious of our responsibilities to address challenges faced by women to maintain a healthy menstrual hygiene. And it’s great to see that people are talking about this issue and raising their voice to address it.

In the last few weeks, we saw countries like New Zealand and France making menstrual products free for students. Also, government and feminine hygiene brands are launching awareness campaigns to combat period poverty in India.

We are also actively participating in the movement to end period poverty, break the period stigma and make menstrual products available to everyone. However, we want to ensure that any product you use for periods is safe and healthy for your body and also for the environment.

That’s why we aim to promote sustainable menstruation – an idea which supports women to use menstrual products that are free from plastic and harsh chemicals; products that are skin-friendly and environment-friendly.

Choose sustainable products today for a better tomorrow

In recent years, disposable sanitary pads have been showcased as the best possible solution to combat period poverty as they are relatively affordable, easy to use and easily available. But most of the disposable pads available in the market are made of up to 90% plastic. Additionally, many synthetic materials, harsh chemicals and toxic fragrances are used in plastic pads to increase pad’s absorbency and feel good factor.

As we know, plastic can take thousands of years to degrade and waste generated by plastic pads can have a dangerous impact on our planet as most of the sanitary waste ends up in landfills, oceans or clogging the drainage lines. Also, plastic pads may cause rashes, irritation and side effects that may lead to certain skin diseases.

The solution to these problems is to choose sustainable period products that are reusable or biodegradable. Reusable cloth pads, menstrual cups or eco-friendly sanitary pads are some of the alternatives that you can choose from.

Which sustainable menstrual products can replace your plastic pads?

Menstrual cups are made from medical grade silicon and are an effective alternative owing to their durability. You can reuse a cup for as long as 10 years. While menstrual cups are popular in some developed countries, in India, where only 42 percent of women have access to period pads, it will take years to make menstrual cup mainstream.

Reusable cloth pad is a low-cost and flexible alternative. Although the hygiene factor of these pads is in question, as after use, these pads need to be washed properly and dried in the sunlight to kill the bacteria. But due to social stigma women hesitate to dry them out in open and usually air dry washed pads in hidden corners of their homes.

In this scenario, biodegradable sanitary pads are one the most suitable sustainable alternatives to combat plastic pollution and period poverty in India. These pads are made from plant-based ingredients such as banana fibre, bamboo fibre, corn starch that can biodegrade in around 6 to 8 months. However, you must ensure that you are buying authentic eco-friendly pads as many brands claim to be 100% organic and biodegradable, but contain significant amounts of synthetics and chemicals. To know the real difference between what can be actually claimed biodegradable and compostable, you can read this blog.

Brands can be the epicentre of menstrual awareness

Companies producing eco-friendly menstrual products can play a major role in breaking the stigma surrounding menstruation. They can leverage their reach to create awareness and spark conversations on menstrual hygiene and its importance. It’s a win-win situation for both – the company and the community. As more brands focus on providing menstrual education, more people would become aware and conscious about menstrual hygiene and environmental impact of period products. As a result more people would choose sustainable menstrual products that can keep their body and planet healthy and happy.

You can make a difference

Your personal choices can make a huge difference in building informed communities. You can talk to your peers and educate them about sustainable alternatives available in the market. Use the power of social media to spread awareness about menstrual hygiene and harmful effects of plastic products on your body and the environment. 

It’s an initiative that you can take from your end to bring a positive change. And if you need any help, Sparkle is always ready to guide and support you to strengthen the sustainable menstruation movement that aims to revolutionize periods and end period poverty in India.

The post Can Sustainable Menstrual Products Counter Period Poverty in India? appeared first on Ignite the Spark.

From a single pad to a whole range

The Sparkle story started with a simple science experiment in a little kitchen where we made our first sanitary napkin. We used a homemade die and paper lamination machine, manually cut up banana fibers using scissors and cooked them in a pressure cooker to make them soft and absorbent!

After six months of trial and error, we had our first Sparkle pad. Now that our dreams had taken a physical form, we had to scale up, and we knew that no kitchen would be big enough to hold the size of our aspirations. We developed an in-house automatic fiber chopping machine and invested in technology to automate some of the laborious steps of the production process.

We know that women have to deal with different flows during their periods, from the first day’s gushes of blood to the last day’s unexpected stains. So, we experimented and researched until we created a whole range of natural sanitary napkins with a mixture of different materials. But we still had one major problem. Our pads were expensive compared to conventional and popular plastic-based pads. We couldn’t compromise on being eco-friendly or the quality of our product, so we went back to the lab.

Finally, after almost two and half years, we created pads that could be sold at just Rs 59 per box of seven pads. We had finally come closer to eliminating one of the biggest barriers to sustainability- the high cost of products. As we grow, we continue to work hard towards developing even more sustainable and affordable sanitary pads to make sure they are accessible for everyone.

The Lives We’ve Changed

Our objective was never just to sell pads, we wanted to touch people’s lives to create change, and we never forgot that. So, when our pads were ready for sale, we started the ‘Buy One Give One’ initiative through which every time we sell a banana fiber pad online, we donate a pad to underprivileged women who could not afford it.

This wasn’t enough though, because menstruation is still a topic that is considered a taboo. Cultural and social stigma prevents young girls and women from getting information about how to manage their periods safely and hygienically. With the help of gynecologists, volunteers and community members we conducted awareness seminars in rural communities so that girls can learn to treat menstruation as a healthy part of their lives.

The next challenge that we took on was sanitation workers’ safety and the proper disposal of pads. We came up with an eco-friendly disposable bag that women could use to dispose of their soiled sanitary napkins. We started providing individual disposal bags made with corn based bio-plastic with every pad for hassle-free and safe disposal of used sanitary pads.

We wanted to give back to the community, and we had made a good head start in that direction. That’s when the COVID 19 pandemic hit and most of our initiatives had to be put on hold temporarily. Migrants and daily wage workers were walking miles to reach their hometowns, and we realized that these women needed us now more than ever. Many NGOs provided food and water to migrants, but no one had considered sanitary products. Periods didn’t stop during the pandemic, so neither did we. We gave away over 100,000 sanitary pads to women and young girls affected by the pandemic.

We founded Sparkle to promote gender equality, improve menstrual health, support circular economy and reduce plastic pollution by making sustainable, plastic-free and chemical-free sanitary pads affordable and accessible for everyone.

We will continue to keep this Sparkle story going until we can include every single woman in our story by being a part of their lives. We sincerely thank everyone who helped us get this far: our team members, volunteers, NGO partners, community members and most importantly, our customers, for choosing sustainable period products and helping us build a better world.

We hope that you will continue to be a part of our journey.

The post The Sparkle Story: Our First Year & First Chapter appeared first on Ignite the Spark.

Myth 1: Sour Food Can Worsen Period Pain

There is no direct connection between sour food and period pain. If you are someone who likes sour tasting food, you can consume it without the worry of worsening menstrual cramps. Having said that, while you are on your period, it is good to have leafy vegetables, pulses and yoghurt as well. These will help soothe your stomach and lighten your mood.

Myth 2: Consuming Chocolate May Lead To Menstrual Cramps

This is just pure logic. Chocolate releases endorphins that can improve your mood instantly. Moreover, dark chocolate contains healthy cocoa bean, which is high in magnesium, potassium and iron. These can help relax your muscles and get your good mood up and running in no time without the worry of menstrual cramps.

Myth 3: Menstruating Women Can Spoil Pickle By Touching Them

Ladies, engrave this fact into your brains – ‘No pickle will get spoilt if a menstruating woman touches it’. Menstruation is a normal biological process that all women go through during their lifetime. But some people do not understand this, or rather choose to ignore this. They consider ‘period blood’ to be impure and thus demonize menstruating women by telling them that their touch makes the pickle go rotten. This is completely ridiculous, and feminists all over the country have been fighting for years to take this myth down.

Myth 4: Milk Soothes Your Uterus While On Period

Although dairy is an integral part of a well-balanced diet, consuming milk while on your period may cause bloating, gas formation and may sometimes worsen the effects of period cramps. Having said that, milk is not your enemy during periods. If you have it in limited quantities, milk will do you no harm when you’re menstruating.

And The Best One So Far…

Myth 5: You Aren’t Supposed To Cook While On Your Period

The myth surrounding this states that if you cook while you’re menstruating, there’s a chance you’ll spoil the food. Sorry to burst your ancestors’ bubble, but entering the kitchen or cooking while you are on your period WILL NOT spoil the food. In fact, it will be an activity that will help you take your mind off the pain (if any) and do what you love. Also, if you are a foodie, then cooking is the best way to satisfy your food cravings.

Following tradition is good, but blindly following superstitions or such menstruation myths is just sad and doesn’t help you in any way. So think before you believe in a myth and try to understand what is right and what is wrong. And if your parents force you to do something against your wish, try to make them understand too!

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At Sparkle, we are aware that, for as long as the human race exists, the generation of waste materials will also exist. So, what we can do is focus on reducing the amount of waste, while also trying our best to develop products that can generate biodegradable waste. This will allow our planet to breathe and prevent the accumulation of toxic materials and non-biodegradable pollutants that do not decompose for hundreds of years. This is where proper solid waste management systems come into play. Keeping reading to know more:

The Fundamental Problem And Its Solution

What’s keeping organizations from adapting and implementing effective solid management procedures? The answer to this question is quite simple, yet so complicated. To begin with, solid waste management is a challenge because of the increasing amount of waste generation and the corresponding low budget allocations for various municipal corporations. The lack of infrastructure also affects the organized segregation, collection and transportation of waste materials including menstrual and other sanitary waste. In addition to these, solid waste management also requires efforts to raise the overall awareness of why we need to do this and how we can help the environment by doing so.

What About Sanitary Pads?

Yes, what about them? ‘segregation’ and ‘proper disposal’ have been the main obstacles concerning the management of the waste generated by menstrual products. Conventional sanitary pads contain up to 90% plastic and other petrochemical byproducts which remain unchanged in the landfill for around 600-800 years after disposal. What makes brands like Sparkle and other natural pad brands a better choice is that they do not contain plastic. Since these pads are made with bio-based, natural and compostable ingredients, they can break down much faster than conventional plastic pads, even in a landfill.

Another issue that needs to be addressed in the same context is that, apart from the accumulation of waste in dump yards, the exposure of used sanitary pads can cause a series of serious health problems to the sanitation workers as it is easy for several germs and infections to culture on a bloody pad which is left out in the open. This may lead to life-threatening health issues for these workers in the long run.

Controlling The Damage

From our individual choices about what type of products we purchase and how we dispose of them, to municipal or national waste management systems that include large scale industrial material recovery facilities or landfills, we can see that waste generation is a process that cannot be avoided completely. What we can do is try and bring in an effective waste management system from the time of production to the consumption of various products. For instance, plastic-free and chemical-free Sparkle pads are made from natural and sustainable plant-based ingredients. To ensure responsible disposal of used sanitary pads and to make segregation of sanitary pad waste easier, Sparkle provides individual leak proof and odor resistant disposal bags made from corn based bioplastic with every pad. This initiative is also aimed at reducing the risks of healthcare and sanitation workers who handle the waste after its disposal.

Next On The List

As a brand that has always been proactive in coming up with innovative and environment-friendly solutions, Sparkle’s next move is to provide a large disposal bag with each box of 7 pads.  Customers can do their part by putting smaller individual disposal bags containing soiled pads inside the bigger, clearly marked disposal bag which can be easily identified by sanitation workers when segregating bio-medical waste at source. The bigger disposal bag, with all the soiled pads inside, will have instructions written in multiple languages as well as icons that visibly highlight that the disposal bag contains bio-medical waste. We believe that this simple idea can help waste-collectors segregate the waste materials at the source itself, and transfer them to the respective waste management facility, such as industrial composting facilities or bio-medical waste management facilities.

Our Long-Term Goal

When companies that manufacture and sell products put in genuine efforts towards educating customers about the entire product life cycle, starting from transparently outlining all the ingredients to facilitating ways to properly dispose the product after being used, we can initiate a sustainable change at a large scale.  At Sparkle, we believe that once an effective waste management system is set in motion, customers will gradually adapt to segregating sanitary pads/diapers/condoms/tampons/tissues and other biomedical waste materials accordingly.

This initiative can then be launched as a nationwide campaign that can lead to significant alterations in government policies such as introducing biomedical waste segregation, collection and transportation systems within local waste collection facilities. We hope to encourage municipal waste collection systems to introduce a new category of waste in addition to ‘dry waste’ and ‘wet waste’ that can accommodate biomedical waste materials. As the biomedical waste collection system evolves and segregation at source becomes more efficient, this category can be further divided into biodegradable and non-biodegradable bio-medical waste. The biodegradable waste can be directed to industrial composting facilities and the non-biodegradable waste can be directed to solid bio-medical waste management facilities. This will help prevent the thousands of tonnes of waste from going to a landfill thereby reducing the amount of waste that is being accumulated.

We are aware that the journey towards establishing a proper waste management system towards this purpose can be quite challenging. Nevertheless, we are sure it is going to be a fulfilling one. After all, it is for the greater good of our planet and its people in the coming years.

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