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<ul><li>Doctors and experts believe that an unhealthy lifestyle, triggered largely by the pandemic, is the major cause behind this spurt.</li><li><keyword id="77944" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="pcos" source="Orion">PCOS</keyword> is an endocrine condition that causes <keyword id="14189797" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hormone-imbalances" source="Orion">hormone imbalances</keyword> in the female reproductive system.</li><li>According to a study by Plum, an employee health insurance platform, one in five women in India suffers from PCOS.</li></ul>The number of women suffering from <keyword id="6645980" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="polycystic-ovary-syndrome" source="Orion">polycystic ovary syndrome</keyword> (PCOS) and polycystic ovary disorder (<keyword id="538771" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="PCOD" source="Orion">PCOD</keyword>) has been increasing across the country. During the pandemic, a lack of physical activity and the resultant unhealthy lifestyle has caused a spurt in the incidence of this disease, say doctors. “If you look at the basic causes, lack of exercise and weight gain are the main causes for both. During the pandemic, physical activities had been curtailed a lot and I have seen patients who have put on 15-20 kilos during these two years,” Dr Mini Nampoothiri, consultant at Apollo Hospitals in Navi Mumbai, told Business Insider India. PCOS is an endocrine condition that causes an hormonal imbalance in the female reproductive system. As a result, ovaries swell in size and tiny cysts are created that contain immature eggs. It’s one of the most common causes of infertility in India. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="One woman in five suffers from PCOS" comment="subhead" text="One woman in five suffers from PCOS">One woman in five suffers from PCOS</cmsannotation> The month of September is marked as PCOS awareness month. According to a study by employee health insurance platform Plum, one woman in five suffers from PCOS in India. Women with PCOS also battle with issues such as hair loss, acne, facial hair, weight gain, irregular menstruation cycle and excess bleeding in certain cases. Around 80% of women have faced the problem of infertility as well due to PCOS, the report says. However, PCOS is different from PCOD even though both conditions cause irregular or scanty cycles with defective ovulation. In PCOD, only the ovaries are affected, and immature eggs are not produced. PCOS-affected women experience more changes caused by hormonal imbalance. “We call it Syndrome X, where patients have diabetes and hypertension too. The long-term consequence of PCOS is excessive thickening of the inner lining of the uterus, which can lead to endometrial cancer in the long run. To conclude, people with PCOS have PCOD anyways, but we say only PCOS,” Dr Nampoothiri further explained. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Most cases seen in teenagers" comment="subhead" text="Most cases seen in teenagers">Most cases seen in teenagers</cmsannotation> According to Dr Gayathri D Kamath, senior consultant - obstetrics and gynecology, Fortis Hospitals in Bangalore, the age profile of patients is getting younger. Majority of the cases being reported recently are in the age group of 15-35 years. However, the condition can set in at any age after puberty, at around 13-14 years. The only way to treat this condition is to reduce body weight. “Exercise, weight loss and proper diet are the primary modalities of treatment. Even a 5% weight loss does wonders in terms of treatment. Medicines are given to regularise cycles, but they are not of much use unless lifestyle alterations are made too,” Dr Nampoothiri said. Patients also have to stick to the treatment regime strictly, say doctors. “Second treatment can be through insulin sensitizers to control hormones. Sometimes to control hormones, oral contraceptive pills can be given. If someone has facial hair, then local treatment like laser treatment should be done,” Dr Ranjana Sharma, senior consultant at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/indias-homegrown-cervical-cancer-vaccine-can-be-a-game-changer-say-doctors/articleshow/94151501.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">India’s homegrown cervical cancer vaccine can be a game changer say doctors</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/7-out-of-10-smbs-in-india-prefer-hiring-employees-through-personal-references-report/articleshow/94179381.cms">7 out of 10 SMBs in India prefer hiring employees through personal references : Report</a>

Weight gain during the pandemic is increasing the incidence of PCOS in women

<ul><li><keyword id="2698623" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="healthifyme" source="Orion">HealthifyMe</keyword> has unveiled its first ever brand commercial campaign ‘Sab karenge try’ featuring <keyword id="823990" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sara-ali-khan" source="Orion">Sara Ali Khan</keyword>.</li><li>Starring <keyword id="538771" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pcod" source="Orion">PCOD</keyword> fighter Sara Ali Khan, the ad films celebrate HealthifyMe heroes from Sara’s PoV and encourages the viewers to try the app as well. </li><li>The brand campaign will run for the month of January over television and multiple digital media platforms.</li></ul>Health and <keyword id="18974" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fitness" source="Orion">fitness</keyword> app HealthifyMe has unveiled its first ever brand commercial campaign ‘Sab karenge try’ to drive adoption of health in the new year. Starring PCOD fighter Sara Ali Khan, the ad films celebrate HealthifyMe heroes from Sara’s PoV and encourages the viewers to try the app as well. The brand campaign will run for the month of January over television and multiple digital media platforms. <div type="Youtube" id="Zs3QyBrl_ac" title="Watch How Sara Ali Khan &amp; 30 Million Users Healthified | It's Time to Healthify" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Zs3QyBrl_ac/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Conceptualized by <keyword id="12920322" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="wondrlabs" source="Orion">WondrLabs</keyword> and the in-house creative team at HealthifyMe, the films capture the journey of the Healthify heroes from the eyes of Sara Ali Khan. Each of them had their reasons to ‘Healthify’ - Priyanka’s post pregnancy journey, Dr. Rashi’s doctor to patient to back to doctor journey, Sreekanth’s battle against diabetes and Krishan’s determination to be the best dad he can be. The films also reflect the company’s philosophy that crash diets and hyper-workout routines are not sustainable, but in fact, damaging in the long run. It requires a routine, some modifications in diet, and consistency, all of which HealthifyMe’s app is wired to do. Considering its new year when topicality and resolutions spike, the campaign calls upon users to take a resolution this year to add more ‘movement’ and nutrition in one’s life. While many people take fitness resolutions on the new year, the campaign aims to motivate them to link it to a life goal and use HealthifyMe to stay on course towards a sustainable path of weight loss. Speaking about the campaign, <keyword id="2840907" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tushar-vashisht" source="Orion">Tushar Vashisht</keyword>, CEO &amp; Co-founder at HealthifyMe, said, “We are excited to launch our first TV campaign and have Sara Ali Khan as our brand ambassador. Sara is a high achiever who has herself been on a tremendous fitness transformation as she lost 40kgs and overcame PCOS - going from being overweight to one of the fittest bollywood celebrities. She understands the challenges that our customers face when it comes to adopting a fitter lifestyle within their busy schedule. We are confident that she is perfectly placed to motivate millions of Indians to start their fitness journey with HealthifyMe.” Sara Ali Khan said, “When I heard about the Healthify weight loss and wellness stories, it felt like I was listening to my own transformation story told in so many inspiring ways, and that’s why this brand is so close to my heart. HealthifyMe is known for transforming the lives of millions of Indians through its diet and workout plans and partnering with them is so fulfilling, because I get to help more and more people go through the journey I’ve had. The other HealthifyMe heroes and I are proof that lifestyle related diseases like Diabetes, PCOD and Hypertension can be kept at bay and even reversed by adopting a healthy lifestyle from the comfort of our homes via apps like HealthifyMe. In fact, they’re the need of the hour as we enter lockdowns.” To motivate more and more users to start their fitness journey this year with HealthifyMe, the company is offering 1 month of HealthifyStudio access (HealthifyMe’s online fitness studio) for free to everyone. Along with this, users can also explore interesting fitness plans on the app and connect with a wide network of over 2000 nutritionists and coaches from across the globe who will help them achieve sustainable and long term fitness. HealthifyMe coaches and fitness experts will also share byte-sized content on diet and fitness daily on the app. The company will also be celebrating the achievements of its Heroes who have achieved incredible fitness transformations and the stories of HealthifyMe coaches, who have continued to deliver impact through two years of the pandemic.

Sara Ali Khan gets candid about her weight loss journey for HealthifyMe's first-ever brand campaign

Trigger Warning: Some may feel that the following content is disturbing. <ul><li>A UNICEF report reveals that around 14% of young people aged between 15-25 years or 1 out of 7 people often feel depressed or face some <keyword id="6354774" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mental-Health" source="Orion">mental health</keyword> related issues in India.</li><li>The <keyword id="8902449" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="COVID-19-pandemic" source="Orion">COVID-19 pandemic</keyword> has hit harder on young people and adolescents, as half of them reported that they or someone in their family had lost a job or taken a cut in pay.</li><li>Women who suffer from mental health issues are more likely to invite other diseases, especially problems related to fertility and menstruation.</li><li>Business Insider spoke to senior psychiatrist Dr. <keyword id="1808876" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="jyoti-kapoor" source="Orion">Jyoti Kapoor</keyword> to gain some perspective on this issue.</li></ul> A 21-year old girl, who recently graduated from Delhi University, says she has been facing anxiety issues for the last four years. The girl, who wanted to remain anonymous because of privacy concerns, suffered from massive anxiety issues for the first time when she had to appear for her board exams in class 12. Now, she has graduated from her college and is still thinking about what career path to choose. She says, “Whenever someone asks me about my future plans, I start panicking because I’ve nothing to tell. I graduated during the pandemic and I’m still undecided about my career.” It is not only students or fresh graduates who go through periods of anxiety and depression. More and more women, especially from Generation Z — persons born in the mid-to-late 1990s — seem to be open about their mental health concerns. Radhika Gupta, a 23-year old woman from Delhi, who has her own business of handicraft products shares her mental health journey with Business Insider. “Whether you do a 9-5 job or you start your own company, the professional world comes handy with overthinking, stress, tension and whatnot. It’s like I’m already so used to this habit of overthinking and [being] tense all the time, that now I don’t feel like it's a problem anymore,” says Gupta. She highlights some major issues that she faces on an everyday basis because of her gender. “I have given my number on my Instagram page named ‘Handflys’ for customers who want to place an order for my products. And, on an everyday basis, I receive inappropriate messages and calls. I ignore this most of the time, but sometimes I’m so tense and can’t stop thinking about it.” Another 25-year old woman, a public relations specialist who recently got married, spoke to Business Insider on the condition of anonymity. She talks about how unmanageable her life has become after getting married. She has to manage her work as well as her home — cook meals and take care of her new in-laws. She says, “I wake up at 6 in the morning and I don’t know where all my time goes. I start my office work at 9 a.m., and before that I’m responsible for making breakfast for everybody. I even have to take several breaks in between my office hours as I have to cook lunch and dinner as well. Sometimes it becomes unmanageable for me to handle both the things, I often feel like quitting my job as I don’t have time for myself or do something that makes me feel happy.” According to a report, dated October 5, 2021, by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), around 14% of young people aged between 15-25 years or 1 out of 7 people often feel depressed or face some mental health-related issues in India. And also, children of this group in India have been more resistant in seeking support for these issues, as per the report. People who face these issues, also find themselves distracted or uninterested most of the time, the report says. The report also notes that as the COVID-19 pandemic heads into its third year, the impact on children and young people's mental health continues to weigh heavily. The reason behind this has a lot of key driving factors. As per the Indian Journal of Psychiatry, even before the pandemic, at least 50 million children in India were affected with mental health issues and 80-90% of them have not even sought professional support. Another report by Pew Research Center <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-gen-z-so-depressed-what-we-can-do-jennifer">highlighted </a>that the pandemic has hit harder on young people and adolescents, as half of them reported that they or someone in their family had lost a job or taken a cut in pay, and also most of them haven’t yet established their careers and they’ll likely have a harder time getting back on track. To have a better understanding and gain some perspective, Business Insider spoke to Dr. Jyoti Kapoor, senior psychiatrist and founder of Manasthali, an online platform, which provides mental health related services. Kapoor is of the opinion that young people are succumbing to <keyword id="24492" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mental-health-problems" source="Orion">mental health problems</keyword> far more today than compared to a few years back. “We see a lot of stimulation, a huge amount of information regarding anything is out there and this information exposes us to a lot of conflicts. A younger mind is not ready to handle those conflicts. So the stress levels are pretty high, especially expectations from ourselves,” says Kapoor. Further talking about stimulus, she also highlights that people of this age group (15-25) are almost starters or freshers who are just entering the professional world or are heading towards career-deciding exams. People of this age group have over the time become more competitive, or have a jealousy factor that shoots up the anxiety and stress level way more, according to Kapoor. “Younger people want to achieve success very fast. People now want to have their own startups, they want to have luxurious items and that can become quite stressful as people don’t want to give up so easily,” she adds. The people who belong to Gen Z are mostly night owls rather than early risers as compared to millennials, says Kapoor. A study cited by The Economic Times in 2018 <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/sleepless-in-the-city-53-per-cent-indians-go-to-bed-late-thanks-to-facebook-instagram/articleshow/65559905.cms">revealed</a> that 53% of Gen Z population in India go to bed late or sleep late due to gadgets or social media scrolling. “Not only people using social media or watching Netflix, the globalisation of work culture has also eradicated the sleep culture. People more often come across work-related situations at night, which disrupts their sleeping patterns.” — Dr. Jyoti Kapoor, a senior psychiatrist Mental health not only disrupts your peace of mind, but it brings out a chain of side effects in your body. Women who suffer from mental health issues are more likely to invite other diseases, especially problems related to fertility and menstruation. “PCOS [Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome] and PCOD [Polycystic Ovarian Disease] are one [sic] of the major psychosomatic problems. As it is a problem of hormonal imbalance, it requires treatment of stress management. Mental health can also bring you infertility issues. Higher the person is stressed, the lower will be the chances to conceive,” Kapoor highlights. A report by<a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/one-in-five-indian-women-suffers-from-pcos/article29513588.ece"> The Hindu </a>says that one in five women in India suffer from (PCOS) or (PCOD). These are hormonal disorders in women, which affect their reproductive system. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/world-mental-health-day-2021-how-to-avoid-depression-in-kids-and-teens/articleshow/86886330.cms">World Mental Health Day 2021: How to avoid depression in kids and teens</a>

Are GenZ women suffering more from mental health issues?

<ul><li>RIO was the first brand in India to break the cycle of showing blue blood in TV commercials. </li><li>Globally, the advertising watchdogs of only 2 countries have allowed showing the red. ASCI giving a go-ahead to finally representing period blood in TVCs is hopefully the beginning of a new era and a step in the right direction. </li><li>We spoke to Kartik Johari, Vice-President, Nobel Hygiene and Shweta Purandare, Secretary General, ASCI and Brand Experts to understand what kind of complaints did the two receive from consumers, how challenging was it to break an age-old taboo, what kind of research went behind the ad, what role ASCI as an industry body can play in driving change and what the feminine hygiene industry needs to talk about in their ads. </li></ul>Over the years, most women have grown up wondering why menstrual products represent period blood with a weird, clinical blue liquid and why do women always look so happy in commercials? Many Multinational Corporations (MNCs) have misrepresented periods. They show women forgetting about menstrual pains, (which leave me with no strength to even leave my bed) once they use a sanitary napkin. While for some women it is not as painful, (many can dance, sing, play sports while bleeding as shown in commercials), there are many other women who are dealing with very complicated periods and conditions like PCOD and PCOS. There is no representation or mention of period cramps in the commercials we have grown up watching at all. For someone who has no knowledge of periods, these ads can make them believe that women bleed blue and periods are effortless. Besides seeing period blood on screen, periods in general are still taboo in India, making it an uncomfortable topic for people to discuss. However, brands have the authority to either drive change in our country, start that much-needed conversation or misrepresent periods, misinform teenagers and continue validating stigmatisation of menstruation. Nobel Hygiene’s RIO was the first brand in India that woke up to the challenge of breaking this decades-old patriarchal and misleading practice of using blue liquid in its commercials. Even its product packaging has a hint of red, unlike any other hygiene companies that usually use green or blue to denote they stand for ‘purity’ or ‘cleanliness.’ However, RIO’s advertisement wasn’t very welcomed in the country at first. A few consumers reached out to Advertising Standards Council India (ASCI) to lodge a complaint on the usage of blood shown in the commercial. <div type="Youtube" id="2bgM2Aak-3A" title="Make The Right Choice With RIO Heavy Duty Pads For Heavy Flow | Balloon TVC" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2bgM2Aak-3A/mqdefault.jpg"></div> “The complaints varied in nature but split into three buckets. One was people were simply shocked to see red blood on TV. Second bucket was ‘I saw this ad with my children. How am I supposed to explain this red blood on TV coming out from a balloon to my kids? Third bucket was women themselves feeling that everyone knows what periods are, why do you want to show it on TV? This one woman said that we don’t even discuss our lingerie size in public, how can you show something so private and intimate on TV,” shared Kartik Johari, Vice-President, Nobel Hygiene. ASCI asked RIO to stop the ad till the jury reached some sort of a decision. After reviewing the ad and getting a pulse of the market, ASCI decided to give the ad a go-ahead with a few minor modifications. Telling us what kind of modifications the brand was asked to make, Johari said, “We had a very understanding judge in the review process. He suggested only two changes. One, if we can tone down the blood in the end of the ad so we applied a monochrome filter towards the end so the impact of the red is minimised. Second, there was a very prominent image where we showed a blood drop which rests on the pad and is absorbed. The image was very striking. So the judge said if you make these changes, you will make the entire communication very palatable to the audience. We were more than happy to oblige because it left the overall message unharmed. It is a 100% step-forward.” RIO also made sure that the campaign was led by women to get their perspective and maintain authenticity. While getting women on-board for feminene hygiene products is quite obvious, it isn’t as obvious as you might think. Men continue to lead boardroom conversations and RIO refrained from making an advertisement from the male gaze. “We took special care to ensure our communication remained as authentic as possible. The entire creative was scripted by a woman, based on real narratives from women, directed and shot by a woman, and is being marketed by women. Additionally, 1000s of women have already applauded our product and messaging; we are proud to have brought this innovation for Indian ladies who receive no respite from Heavy Flow. We are sure that other players in the market are excited by this new paradigm, and we call upon everyone to take advantage of this exciting shift to educate and reconnect with their consumers,” said Johari. However, RIO’s ad doesn’t mention the word ‘period’ in its ad. Johri said it wasn’t a conscious decision to erase the word out. “I think what we did not want to do by saying the word period out loud is to try and build an association with the larger sanitary market that already exists. We wanted to establish ourselves very clearly as a specialist product which is a heavy flow pad for women who suffer from PCOD or menopause. It wasn’t a conscious decision to leave the word out, I didn’t even realise that this might be a contention. We tried to show whatever we had in our script with utmost honesty. A lot of the words which Radhika said were from our research study directly. The minute you say ‘heavy flow,’ women who suffer through that would relate to it,” said Johari. Johari told us that they found a need in the market which they wanted to address. He realised why women with PCOD and menopause needed special pads when he saw his wife struggling. On why they decided to launch their heavy flow product and ad with Apte, Johari said, “What these 20 years of advertising has done is force this very unfair expectation on women’s shoulders as if they don’t have enough responsibilities already. They expect women to be okay, do every other task while menstruating because it happens every month. ‘What is the big deal in it, this is very normal’ is what they said and this is a very wrong perspective and that’s what we were hoping to address with our ad.” Globally, the advertising watchdogs of only two countries have allowed showing the red. Many MNCs still refrain from changing the status quo and leaving their comfort zones. While ASCI doesn’t comment on particular ads, Shweta Purandare, ASCI Secretary General, gave us an insight into what role ASCI as an industry body plays in helping break taboos and how they review ads. Purandare said, “The number of complaints we receive is immaterial. It’s their validity we need to check. We are required to give the advertiser concerned a chance to share their stand, which is reviewed by an independent Consumer Complaints Council. We must keep in mind that things are evolving quickly - we can’t view advertising through the lens we used to 30 years ago." She added, “The younger generation wants the right information. So, whether it’s sanitary napkins or condoms, ASCI has been open and contemporary in its approach. Some people say lingerie ads shouldn’t be printed in newspapers, but it’s a product like any other - you need to show it to be able to sell it. The execution of the advertisement is critical - is it coming across as vulgar, for example? That’s something we take into account. Context is very important too. We also ensure that ads don’t denigrate a gender or look down upon people of colour.” This campaign from RIO marked the beginning of a new era and took a step in the right direction. It will create more conversations, to help bring about a revolution in Female Hygiene in India, where only 50% women have access to female hygiene products and almost 100% approach menarche unprepared. We also spoke to experts to find out how far the ad industry has come in accepting menstruation and breaking the stigmas around it. Ronita Mitra, Founder and Chief Strategist, Brand Eagle Consulting, said, “While the brand may have felt that it is important to show reality as it is and break existing codes of communication in the category, advertising or any form of communication is more impactful when done in an appealing manner, without of course, losing focus on impact of messaging. And messaging impact is not necessarily achieved only when the actual reality is showcased. To achieve messaging impact, it is important to speak to the consumers' intelligence and the consumer is able to process metaphorical communication just as effectively, and does so in a manner that makes the communication more appealing, more memorable and more effective. Metaphorical should not be confused with shying away from the problem - it's just a more intelligent, sophisticated, evolved and therefore more intelligent way of showing the problem. Further, for any brand, TV advertising is not the only form of communication. The route that RIO has taken in the ad, could well have been taken via other elements of the Marketing Plan such as Activation, small group education which allows for discussion, interaction, Q&amp;As. That would have helped the brand to balance appeal with directness in communication.” Srishty Chawla, Founding Partner, One Source said, "I appreciate and support the change to mentality and society RIO is trying to bring about with this commercial. Breaking incorrect perceptions around menstrual blood being dirty is not just crucial, it's an imperative. This ad is a step in the right direction of destigmatising menstruation and period blood, by talking about them and showing blood for what it is - red in colour. Brands need to take a leaf out of this book, and understand that by showing the blue gel for period blood, they're furthering the stigma. I mean, human blood isn't blue. We aren't cold-blooded. It is misleading! As is showing women in white pants, gleefully running around, with a menstrual pad on. That isn't how things work in real life. Periods are not happy. In most cases, they are messy, and painful. And as far as white pants go, I am terrified of even looking at whites during my period days, lest I stain them. I also noticed that Rio omitted the usage of the word ‘period’ in their ad, while it is clear that they are talking about periods. Why not just say it? Use the word. Break the taboo! Even without using those words, just by using red to signify blood, instead of blue to signify god knows what, I believe people will get shaken out of their comfort zones. Colours play a very important role in consumer perception and it is high time women-related communication uses empowering and bold colours! While new-age brands are taking risks and embracing change, in my opinion, larger brands also need to talk openly about, and break the stigma that is, menstruation.” Here is hoping that more companies join RIO, wake up and realise that blood has always been red and normalise talking about menstruation.

Are consumers ready to see period blood in red? RIO's relaunch of ad and ASCI’s nod on it proves they are

<ul><li>We have grown up whispering every time we had to buy sanitary napkins that would then be covered in black polythene and handed over. </li><li>Years of social conditioning have built a culture of silence around menstruation. </li><li>To address the challenges of maintaining <keyword id="584178" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="menstrual-hygiene">menstrual hygiene</keyword> amid a pandemic-induced lockdown and break the taboos around it, feminine care brands have launched awareness campaigns on <keyword id="4584427" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="world-menstrual-hygiene-day">World Menstrual Hygiene Day</keyword>. </li></ul>Every year, on May 28, sanitary napkin brands come forward to raise awareness around menstrual hygiene, which is still a taboo in India. And periods don’t stop for pandemics. In fact, lockdowns intensify the impact of household level taboos and stigmas on women -- making it more difficult to manage menstruation without shame and discomfort in confined spaces. According to UNICEF, 70% of healthcare workers are women, and shortages of essential menstrual hygiene products like sanitary pads or tampons are already affecting certain populations. Therefore, to break the persisting stigma around menstruation, help women accept their bodies a little more and to make sure they follow safe menstrual hygiene, brands like Whisper, Stayfree, Pee Safe, Rio and UNICEF have launched powerful campaigns this year marking Menstrual Hygiene Day. Whisper’s #KeepGirlsInSchool Moving forward with their #KeepGirlsInSchool movement, Whisper India launched ‘Mobileshaala’ today, an initiative to provide free education while schools across the country remain closed. School closures due to the ongoing pandemic could lead to increased drop-out rates, disproportionately affecting adolescent girls. While closing down schools temporarily might help contain the virus, it could have a permanent effect on the future of many - especially marginalized girls, who are now even more vulnerable to dropping out of school in the absence of structured education. Uninterrupted learning is of utmost importance for these girls. With ‘Mobileshaala’, Whisper aims to #KeepGirlsInSchool. It is a phone-based learning system that gives free access to curriculum-based education modules on key subjects like English, Science and menstrual hygiene education. <div type="Youtube" id="aNBb-mvU4c4" title="Whisper MobileShaala" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aNBb-mvU4c4/mqdefault.jpg"></div> UNICEF The UNICEF has launched a week-long campaign called #RedDotChallenge to ensure all girls manage their periods safely and with dignity. Organisation’s National Youth Ambassador Hima Das and celebrities like Sejal Kumar, Meghna Kaur, Aashna Shroff, Manushi Chillar and Dia Mirza, Aditi Rao Hydari, Diana Penty, Neeru Bajwa came forward to support the movement. <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Image"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> Pee Safe’s #BleedYourWay Pee Safe has launched #bleedyourway, an integrated campaign, marking Menstrual Hygiene Day with known faces including Kirti Kulhari and Sayani Gupta, among others. Pee Safe aims to break the taboo around menstruation and encourage women to #bleedyourway. Pee Safe’s campaign addresses some prominent themes including sex during periods, vaginal health, use of sustainable period care products, PMS, among others. The brand will also be distributing menstrual cups to underprivileged girls through an NGO. <div type="Youtube" id="vqYO_QyrTdU" title="जिस सोच ने आज बर्बाद किया, उस सोच को आज बदलते हैं | Pallavi Mahajan | STAGE" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vqYO_QyrTdU/mqdefault.jpg"></div> RIO In our society, women have normalized the extremeness of their period due to lack of awareness about heavy flow and therefore do not realize that their condition might require them to use different products than the norm. This often results in leakage, staining, the napkin overflowing, a higher rate of infections because of leaving on a full pad for longer than it should in addition to rashes and discomfort because of having to compensate by using multiple pads at once. All of these are signs of poor menstrual hygiene practices. This year on Menstrual Hygiene Day, the brand addressed this issue through a campaign with a series of analogies to showcase how women feel when they use a regular napkin during heavy flow and calls out the oxymoronic habit that we have become accustomed with. This is questioned through instances that elaborate on the need for the usage of the right product that can handle heavy flow, which is essential for good menstrual hygiene. <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Image"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div>

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Weight gain during the pandemic is increasing the incidence of PCOS in women

Vaamanaa Sethi

Sara Ali Khan gets candid about her weight loss journey for HealthifyMe's first-ever brand campaign

BI India Partner

Are GenZ women suffering more from mental health issues?

Vaamanaa Sethi

Are consumers ready to see period blood in red? RIO's relaunch of ad and ASCI’s nod on it proves they are

Karuna Sharma

World Menstrual Hygiene Day: Brands come forward to raise awareness

BI India Partner

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