Starting from 2014, my menstrual cycles have lasted about 5 to 7 days every month— barring irregular cycles for a few years in between. According to research, the average Indian menstruator reaches menopause at an estimated age of 50 years. Keeping the aforementioned details in mind, from menarche to menopause, I will have endured 444 periods— approximately 2,664 days.
Now, for the maths: a single sanitary pad costs between ₹5 to ₹7. Given my flow, I tend to use 11 to 12 pads per cycle— the sum total amounting up to ₹60 per month and ₹26,640 for the entire duration of my life.
Since I tend to suffer from painful periods, I am compelled to take 2 tablets of Combiflam for at least the first three days of my cycle. In that sense, a strip of Combiflam with 20 tablets lasts for about 3 cycles. For 444 periods, the consumption comes to 2,664 tablets. Each strip of Combiflam costs approximately ₹30, hence, the total amount surges to roughly ₹4000 for 444 cycles.
Painful periods necessitate the usage of hot water bags. On average, a single hot water bag costs ₹200. Taking into consideration that a hot water bag may last more than five years, we can estimate the purchase of eight hot bags until menopause, which translates to ₹1000.
In addition, my comfort food of choice is Amul Dark Chocolate that costs ₹200 and Lays Chile Limón for ₹20. Assuming that I consume at least one unit of each item in a cycle, it would be fair to say that until 50 years of age, I would have eaten 444 chocolate bars and 444 packets of chips. As a result, the total cost becomes ₹88,800 + ₹8,880 = ₹97,680.
The sum total of each cost discussed will be a whopping ₹1,29,320.
However, there are several significant limitations of this method of calculating costs:
- It does not take into consideration variables like change in tastes, change in menstrual patterns and inflation.
- The sum total consists of only quantifiable costs. Qualitative costs like mental, physical and emotional exertion, nausea, mood swings, and anxiety are excluded.
- Last, but most importantly, the calculation is not inclusive of factors like access to a toilet, hygiene products, class and caste privileges which may be taken for granted by urban dominant-caste menstruators.
So, how much do your periods cost?