During research, Mittal found that the average age of menopause in India is 46 years versus 53 years globally, with data pointing to early marriage, lower BMI and nutrition, prevalence of thyroid and other autoimmune diseases and genetics, as key factors for India's reduced menopausal age. With 13 crore women going through menopause every year in the country, it has gradually spurred a R300 crore industry that is growing at the rate of 15 per cent. Interestingly, the search volume on menopause is increasing, with awareness-led questions. Google search volume on menopause has doubled in the last two years, with three lakh plus monthly searches executed, led by queries like: what is menopause, what happens during menopause, menopause symptoms, menopause age, etc. "This conversation and awareness is important. Look at Bollywood, for instance. Besides an interview by Vidya Balan, and a mention in Painful Pride, a film by Mansi Joshi, there is barely any conversation around it. I thought it was important to raise awareness and introduce a natural solution to help women transition into the this phase easily," says Mittal.

The potli and body heat relief mix are part of Neha Ahuja's range of products

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Ayurveda is where her attention was trained, and she thought rather than a pill or powder, why not look at a snackable food format like biscuits. The formula, she says, includes 27 ingredients from ayurveda and modern science. It is free of flour, preservatives and artificial ingredients and claims to help you manage the changes the body experiences due to declining estrogen levels, including hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, joint pain and weight gain.

Neha Ahuja

Neha Ahuja, founder of Kaashi Wellness, a brand that dips into holistic wellness alternatives contained in ancient Indian texts, says that almost 70 per cent of her clients are aged between 40 and 60 years. "Every interaction indicates that they are all looking for a natural supplement. Menopause is a time of a slow decrease in the amount of hormones secreted, and a change in the balance between estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone hormones."

Gita Mittal, entrepreneur Sheta's mother, enjoys a cookie from her daughter's collection. Sheta launched the snack under her brand &Me since a biscuit was more attractive to customers than taking a powder or pill

The brand has introduced an energy drink mix comprising turmeric, almond, khus-khus, black pepper and cardamom. It can be stirred into milk or yoghurt to make a smoothie. The Kashmiri kahwa tea features the goodness of saffron, clove and cinnamon, while the potli from Kaashi, she says, has been put together by researching information from Indian texts to find natural ingredients that alleviate ache and pain.

Sheta Mittal

Ahuja believes teas are an option for women during this phase. "By synthesising these supplements in a natural way, I came up with products that are 100 per cent natural. Saffron, almond, khus-khus are all high in vitamin E, magnesium and zinc. These tend to get depleted when women hit menopausal age. Also, the fragrance of cardamom and black pepper has hormone balancing effects, and can calm the mind, taking care of drastic mood swings."

The Mittals claim that the meno-diet cookies have 27 ayurvedic ingredients

Payal Kothari, integrative nutritionist, gut health coach and founder of Gut Avatar, agrees that menopause is often an unnoticed, undertreated and underrated phase. She is 47 years old and understands the changes at a personal level. "Excessive body heat [hot flashes] clubbed with panic attacks and sweating even in 16 degrees Celsius, with clothes feeling itchy, can worry the most composed among us. Add to that zero sex drive and vaginal dryness. Symptoms like irregular periods, anxiety, thinning hair and dry skin are definitely tell-tale signs of menopause, but most women sweep it under the carpet, going about their everyday lives, continuing to live with unexplained food cravings and weight gain, insomnia, frequent breakdowns, feelings of despair," she explains.

Payal Kothari

Kothari says she decided she would address the changes with a tweak in her food habits. "I understood well that my adrenal glands and other endocrine glands were producing lesser estrogen and progesterone because of my age and partial hysterectomy. I started a natural bio-experiment on myself. I ate foods with plant estrogens (phytoestrogens) which occur naturally in flaxseeds, fennel seeds (to release excess body heat) primrose oil, tofu and edamame. These bioidentical hormones come from plant sources, making them non-synthetic. My mother helped me formulate the body heat relief mix, under her brand Gut Avatar, to help with hot flashes, perimenopause and menopause." The products contain fennel seeds for cooling the gut and weight management, cumin (contains iron) for energy and immune function, coriander seeds to manage PCOS in perimenopause, black raisins to ease hot flashes and keep the body alkaline, and rock salt to act as a mood elevator. Kothari suggests that a tablespoon of the mix is stirred into 100 ml water and had on an empty stomach in the morning.

The market for menopausal products might be seeing a definitive uptick, but efforts to start the discourse have been on for a while. Eight years ago, Natasha Tuli, CEO of Soulflower, a handmade natural personal care indie brand, introduced menopause roll-ons to provide relief from hot flashes and other symptoms of menopausal transition. After a brief run, she discontinued production since the cost of making exceeded the profits. "I don't think people were as familiar with natural products back then; it was tough to explain." Gradually, her range of essential oils began to see a growth among women aged 40 plus. The oils target the lower abdomen, nape, and base of the feet. "Women started reaching out to us to discuss their symptoms. They complained about excessive hair fall, back ache, mood changes, weight gain and insomnia." She says aroma therapy works well in this case because it targets the hormones. "They [essential oils] contain phytoestrogens, which are compounds that naturally occur in plants and regulate hormones. The thing with menopause is that you can't stop it or reverse it. What you can do is treat the symptoms." For instance, while peppermint oil can reduce the discomfort when experiencing hot flashes and provide relief from cramps (dysmenorrhea) during perimenopause, lavender helps soothe perineal discomfort. "If the area around your perineum feels tight or otherwise uncomfortable, you may consider placing a cold compress on the area. You can add one drop of diluted lavender oil to the compress for additional relief. Lavender can also promote feelings of relaxation and improve the quality of your sleep." Geranium is good for dry skin. Tuli suggests adding a few drops of the diluted oil to the water used to bathe. Ylang ylang is effective to combat low libido, another common symptom of menopause. Tuli plans to reintroduce the roll-ons, with increased awareness and curiosity among customers.

46 yrs
Average age at which Indian women menopause against the global average of 53

Going a step ahead

In the West, brands like Become, Cucumber Clothing and Fifty One Apparel, make menopausal clothing with sustainable fabrics that are easy and don't irritate the skin. In India, brands like Rio Pads have heavy flow pads designed specifically for those facing the early onset of menopause. The cotton top sheet helps prevent itchiness and dryness.

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