That's partly true. Women visiting temples is a very old obsolete tradition which was before pads,etc for sanitary needs in the temple which needs to be scrapped off. All the remaining taboos are mostly non-existent.No one I know off does them. It's possible there are cases but, really rare (1 of 500). I had to clarify that because BBC takes liberties when trying to describe stuff from developing nations.

Do you live in rural India? If you have access to the Internet, you might not be representative of the target population.

ha ha good question! Its still a taboo that is being followed by many villagers. A lot of societies keep women's rights at the lowest priority. So many people living in the cities often deny that these things exist whereas the majority in our country are actually rural and poor. The taboos are being very slowly weeded out at the moment. Needs a huge push from the govt for educating the people about it.

Carry around an extra cup, empty current one into a toilet and place in a bag in your purse to wash later at home. The only time I know a woman is menstruating here in the US is when they tell me.

Am I wrong or you are a western male that is speculating about issues of indian women? I think these problems are so far away from my (perhaps also yours?) understanding (gender + cultural gaps) that I could not suggest any solution. Especially after a couple of minutes thinking.

This guy spent years into finding a solution, almost lost all he had and improved lives of many (both from sanitary and economics points of view). And he didn't this because he wanted to create the next unicorn. He deserves all our esteem and he certainly has mine.

I'm not trying to downplay his contributions and tenacity. His work is truly impressive. I am an American male speculating. I think both his and my solutions are better than plugging oneself up with sawdust and leaves.

I wouldn't expect this man to know about these cups or women in rural India to have convenient access to not only the cups but also to plastic bags, clean water, and soap. For those who do, however, my solution is lasting, secretive, and feasible.

Would you carry an extra cup of your own blood, mucus, tissue pieces, piss and bacteria in your purse, though?

Its not critical to clean the cup because you emptied it.

http://divacup.com/how-it-works/care-and-cleaning/

"Remember to empty and wash your DivaCup at least twice a day, a minimum of every 12 hours.

If you are unable to wash The DivaCup after removal (for instance when using a public restroom), wash your hands thoroughly before entering the stall, empty the contents in the toilet and simply use a dry or damp tissue to clean the cup. At the next convenient time, clean as per the above instructions."

As far as how it would work in rural India, dunno, as long as you have regular access to soap and portable water.

Emptying into a toilet is not easy to do when you live in a remote village and have to walk several miles to fetch the day's water from a well.

Any product that's low on water use is going to be highly preferable for these women.

> The only time I know a woman is menstruating here in the US is when they tell me.

You and me. I did know a few people who told me they can smell menstruating women... I simply didn't ask how that's possible.