India, Aug. 31 -- For the longest time, like many women, I was also wearing sanitary pads during my menstrual cycle. That's what my mother taught me to wear, what my friends and colleagues around me were wearing, and because it was easy. I was 29 when I first tried a menstrual cup, and periods for me have never been the same. Painful, yes, but also less stressful.

Ditching the sanitary pad was the easiest decision I made. Most importantly, better for the environment since I am not discarding 2 to 3 pads every day. A 2022 study by Cleaner Environmental Systems showed that conventional pads are estimated to be 90% plastic, which, along with their wrappers, wings and adhesives, adds some 2g of non-biodegradable plastic to the environment wi...