TruCup: This Startup Is Fighting The Taboo Of Menstruation With Sustainable Sanitary Products

A country like India which is influenced by diverse cultures and religions over the ages, there are multiple belief systems which also come with their own share of taboos and stigmas.  Most of these taboos are based in deep rooted ignorance and also the lack of proper educational awareness among the Indian population.  One such taboo, is the stigma surrounding menstruation, because it is treated like a societal evil. The problem is due to the old school thinking which associates menstruation with impurity.  While the stigma is one problem, another problem is the lack of means for a large number of women to purchase the necessary sanitary products because of their high price.

This is where a startup named TruCup comes into the picture.  TruCup was founded by two women entrepreneurs Shivangi Bagri and Alakshi Tomar.  Shivangi Bagri used to have to endure excruciatingly painful periods before purchasing a menstrual cup from Singapore and realised the product made her life better by easing her periods.  Being a Yoga teacher and a dive enthusiast, Shivangi’s life changed for the better after using a menstrual cup.  It was then she realised how the current market products are misleading women by convincing them to buy products which contain synthetic fabrics, fragrances and chemicals.  This motivated Shivangi to come up with the perfect menstrual cup. 

Alakshi Tomar on the other hand used to work with schools in the slums of Mumbai and it was there she saw the neglect of menstrual hygiene.  The problems she saw while working in the slums coupled with her own sedentary lifestyle during her periods made her switch to a menstrual cup. 

The two (Shivangi and Alakshi) became friends in school, and remained so even when they moved to different cities for higher education.  A chance WhatsApp conversation between Shivangi and Alakshi led to them realising they are the only two women using cups in a group of 15 friends from school.  The two figured there was an urgent need to create the perfect cup for all menstruating women.  After months of research and constant design feedback from women who used cups, they came up with a comfortable design.  

According to TruCup, one billion pads and tampons are disposed of in India each month.  Another 64% of women use cloth for sanitary purposes in India and another 95% of women do not use menstrual products due to taboo/myths surrounding insertion, virginity and hygiene.  

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Shivangi and Alakshi set out to create demand in a market dominated by sanitary napkins and were able to expand organically to 56 cities through online and offline sales.  Women who used their products are their best promoters as they are vocal about the quality of their products and recommend it to other women.  TruCup trained more than 1600 women on menstrual hygiene, established partnerships through governmental and non governmental agencies and impacted more than 60,000 women through different projects.  Shivangi and Alakshi however have a long term goal to destigmatize the taboo surrounding menstruation and to make the public have conversations on menstrual health and hygiene.  TruCup plans to train people of gender roles and how gender roles shape the way people think, organise and know the world.  TruCup also provides training on sexual and reproductive health as well as menstruation.  Furthermore, TruCup also aims to create awareness about the environmental impacts due to unsafe disposal practices of sanitary napkins and the importance of sustainable menstrual products.

TruCup is bringing a revolution to women’s health with their community awareness programs and their top quality TruCup!