In this interview, we sit down with Ira Guha , the visionary founder of Asan, a social enterprise dedicated to combating period poverty through innovative menstrual care solutions. Ira shares her personal journey, from witnessing the harsh realities of inadequate period care in India to creating the Asan menstrual cup—a product designed to empower women and girls worldwide.

Nicolle: Can you share the personal experience that first exposed you to the realities of period poverty and inspired you to start Asan?

Ira: On a trip home to India to visit my parents, I met a domestic worker who had stopped going to work during her periods. She had terrible rashes from low-quality sanitary pads. I asked her to show me the pads she was using and was shocked by the poor quality. I gifted her a period cup and was amazed by how quickly she took to it. She could easily work on her period and soon asked me for more cups – for her sister, nieces and friends.

Nicolle: What challenges did you face when designing and creating the Asan menstrual cup, and how did you overcome them?

Ira: The biggest challenge was getting high-quality user feedback. I needed to know intimate details about women’s experiences with cups – the ins and outs of inserting the cup, how heavily they were bleeding, and whether they felt any pressure or discomfort. I finally resorted to roping in all my female friends into the user trials as I knew they would be happy to share the gory details, no holds barred!

Nicolle: Could you describe the impact of Asan’s "buy one, donate one" model on communities affected by period poverty?

Ira: For every Asan cup we sell, we donate one to someone who cannot access safe period care. In the communities we work with, lack of access to period care quite literally means not going to school or work during periods. On average, we find that the gift of an Asan cup translates to two extra days of school or work every period – that’s around 260 extra days of work over 10 years!

Nicolle: How has your background influenced your approach to addressing period poverty through Asan?

Ira: Growing up in southern India, I had firsthand experiences of shame and taboos around periods. I travelled across the country playing basketball for my state team and encountered poor sanitation facilities. I remember not having access to dustbins in toilets, and having to carry around soiled pads for days in my luggage before they could be safely disposed of. These experiences taught me that access to period care has an immense impact on not just physical wellbeing, but also mental health. My goal through Asan is to put an end to the cycle of shame, anxiety and worry that shape our experiences of periods.

Nicolle: What are some of the most common misconceptions about menstrual cups that you’ve encountered, and how does Asan work to address them?

Ira: There are two types of misconceptions. The first is that menstrual cups are uncomfortable or painful – I get this, because cups look big and it’s normal to find the idea of insertion a bit daunting! We can only reassure users that when they try it yourself, they’ll be amazed by how smooth and flexible the Asan cup is and how easily it glides in. The most common bit of feedback we get is “It’s like there’s nothing inside me, I can’t feel my period at all.”

The second type of misconception – which to me is more worrying – is the idea that only Western or urban women can use menstrual cups. We often get sceptics telling us that our social impact programmes are doomed to fail because rural or low-income women won’t “accept” insertable products. In my experience, this could not be further from the truth. Rural women are incredibly open-minded and are often the first to embrace new products and ideas. Imagine if you couldn’t access period products and had to scrub cloth rags for hours – wouldn’t you jump at the opportunity to try an innovative solution?

Nicolle: In what ways has Asan evolved since its launch in 2021, and what do you envision for its future?

Ira: Asan launched in 2021 as a direct-to-customer brand, selling directly to customers on Shopify and Amazon. However, because of our 1-for-1 donation scheme, we were inundated with requests for wholesale and social impact partnerships. We have now pivoted our business to be a hybrid of direct-to-customer and wholesale. We partner with incredible institutions such as textile factories, defence forces, football teams and reproductive health charities to provide Asan cups at scale to women and girls who truly need them the most.

We’re also incredibly excited to be partnering with the UK government to launch the Asan Period Tracker, which will be the first-period tracking app that measures the carbon footprint of your period products!

Nicolle: Can you share a story or testimonial from someone who has benefited from the donation of an Asan cup?

Ira: One of the stories that has struck me the most is that of Sonika, an 18-year-old college student from Kanakapura, South India. Sonika faced extreme anxiety about getting her period at college. She has heavy flow and was always asking friends to check her uniform for leaks and stains. As there were no dustbins in the college toilets, she had to carry soiled pads in her backpack every day – she found this extremely embarrassing, especially when hanging out with boys in the year.

Sonika told us that using the Asan cup completely removed her anxiety around periods. She can wear it for 12 hours, so doesn’t have to worry about leaks, or changing it while she’s at college. She doesn’t have to carry soiled pads home and burn them at night. She previously spent the entire month dreading her period – and now she says it just flies by and she doesn’t even notice it!

Nicolle: How does Asan ensure the quality and safety of its menstrual cups, especially for those in vulnerable communities?

Ira: At Asan, we treat our menstrual cups as medical devices – this means we have extremely strict manufacturing and material guidelines. We only use USP Class VI medical silicone. The cups that we donate for free are the same quality as the ones we sell. Asan also specialises in local language menstrual health education – all our donations are accompanied by detailed education sessions and follow-ups. We partner with ambassadors within local communities to educate their community, as this is the best way to build trust and drive behaviour change.

Nicolle: What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs looking to start a business with a strong social impact component?

Ira: Be laser-focused on the problem you are solving and be willing to change the solution and the business model to solve this problem. Don’t be wedded to any specific solution or organisation type (e.g. charity, social enterprise, for-profit) as you may have to change and adapt to solve the problem you’re so passionate about!

Nicolle: How do you see the role of companies like Asan in the broader fight against period poverty and improving women’s health worldwide?

Ira: In the past, the government made policies, charities had a social impact and companies sold products. Asan is part of a cohort of pioneering new social ventures that work in an integrated, holistic way to tackle social and environmental problems. We partner with the government to shape policy (for example, by campaigning for better regulatory standards) and we enable the work of charities through our 1-for-1 donations and social impact partnerships. As a founder, I truly believe that innovative, non-traditional business models like Asan’s are necessary to solve the complex challenges that lie ahead! 

Through Asan, Ira Guha has transformed her encounters with period poverty into a powerful movement that is reshaping menstrual care and empowerment for women and girls globally. With a commitment to innovation, education, and social impact, Asan is not just a product but a beacon of change, proving that sustainable business models can effectively tackle some of the world's most pressing challenges. As Asan continues to grow, it serves as an inspiring example of how a strong vision, paired with unwavering dedication, can turn period poverty into period power.

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Nicolle Knapova is a 30-year-old young adult writer and freelance blogger from the Czech Republic. She has a master’s degree in Creative Writing and Publishing at Bournemouth University. She loves to write about music, books and TV shows. If she’s not writing her fan fiction, she’s writing her poetry and sharing it on her Instagram @elisecaverly.