A report by Swachh Bharat Mission says that 74.5 per cent of public places are equipped with toilets. Another report by the Ministry of Jal Shakti states that there are 2.23 lakh Community Sanitary Complexes built across all States and UTs under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) since October 2014. Over 92 lakh toilets have been constructed since the launch of SBM Gramin (SBM (G)) in April 2020.

While toilets are there, are they accessible? This is the question one should ask. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) focuses on 131 health indicators, but not until the NFHS 5 survey did they include the question of accessibility of toilets in the survey. This happened after the inputs from the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) and the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare questioned the accessibility.

One might ask, why is the question of accessibility so important? The answer is quite simple. Access to water, sanitation and hygiene is the most basic human need and is also included under the Sustainable Development Goals by the UN.

Are These Numbers Real?

This thought crossed my mind because back in 2021, I went on a solo trip, on a bus to Udaipur from Delhi. There, the bus made two stoppages. This was done so people could get a quick dinner and freshen up, relieve themselves and be prepared for the rest of the journey. This was a nightmare. The bus only stopped for 10 minutes. While some men used the washroom, others went to the bushes.

For the women, there were three cubicles. One of them was broken, and the other one did not have a light bulb, which meant only one was usable. There was a long queue for that cubicle, and time was short. There was no point in trying to find an isolated corner, because it was past midnight, in an unknown area.

I waited anxiously. When finally, my turn came, I saw an overused, dirty washroom. The toilet seat is in a horrible condition. I wanted to touch nothing there. But I had to pee. So, I used my mask to cover my nose from the odour, folded my pants so they did not touch the floor and squatted. It was quite a task to balance.

On my way back to Delhi, I made sure to not drink any water for over a 13-hour bus journey. I dehydrated myself so I did not have to use the washroom. When I did reach, I was severely dehydrated and was sick for three days.

I shared my experience with my friends only to realise that many women have faced the same. There are no washrooms for women.

A friend of mine told me that it is because these roads and dhabas are mainly designed to serve men. They are the ones who travel at night or are on the roads most of the time. As a result, the few women who do travel or are on the road suffer.

Health Risks Women Are Prone To

Well, it is true, but partially. While holding your pee for too long can lead to health risks, peeing on a dirty toilet seat cannot lead to infections unless your urethra is in contact with the bacteria present on that toilet seat. However, nobody wants to sit on a dirty toilet seat, even if you do not get an infection. A safe and hygienic toilet is a basic need.

One of the regular saleswomen, Usha, who visits my house shared her experience with me. “Being on the road constantly means I must use the dirty public washrooms. But I do not want to use them. So, sometimes I ask my regular customers to let me use their washrooms. Some say yes, and some say no. I understand they are also concerned about their safety and privacy,” she says. As a result, Usha spends most of her day not drinking enough water and holding her pee when she is at work. Due to this, she also suffered from a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI).

Her friend, Halima too faced similar problems and due to increased levels of uric acid in her body, she suffered from Hyperuricemia.

Other health risks are kidney stones and other kidney problems, headaches, dull skin, xerostomia or dry mouth, fatigue, and urinary incontinence, which means losing control over your pelvic floor muscles leading to uncontrolled leakage of urine, seizures and weakness.

What Can You Do?

Wear comfortable clothes and capris. Capri pants are comfortable and are short in length, which means this won’t touch the toilet floor when you squat or sit.

Carry Essentials

Even though you cannot get a UTI alone from sitting on a toilet seat, it is always safe to carry a toilet seat sanitiser. If nothing, it can help you get rid of the bad odour so you can use your stand and pee device inside the toilet. You can also use disposable toilet seat covers if your knees are weak, and you cannot squat. Always flush with your seat down.

Always keep disposable gloves, a portable bidet (fill it with water before use), a pocket liquid handwash, wet wipes, tissues and sanitiser handy. Do not forget to keep extra sanitary pads. It might sound a lot, but I promise that it all fits in one pouch. Use this travel-friendly pouch every time you are on the road, or using a public washroom.

What Can We Learn From Others?

However, in case we do not get these technologically advanced toilets here, you can always pack a travel-friendly toilet kit!

American TV personality Oprah Winfrey turned heads at the Paris Fashion Week with her slim figure and sparked talks on the popular weight-loss drug Ozempic.

The now viral videos show Oprah, 72, in jeans and a jacket. Usually seen in parted hair, Oprah also resorted to a ponytail and was wearing tinted sunglasses.

While several netizens expressed concerns about her health, others also spoke about the effects of Ozempic, widely used for weight loss.

“What in the Ozempic Oprah is going on here?”, wrote a user.

“I'm afraid Oprah may OD on Ozempic. Welfare check, please!” another added.

People also commented on the seemingly bigger head and frail body.

“Her head looks way too big for her body. Is it Ozempic or Oprah?” wrote a user.

“She looked good, but she seemed frail,” the netizens said, while another stated, “But having a head that big still is crazy”.

The video also showed Gayle King, another TV host and a longtime friend of Oprah, with a lean figure. Gayle, 71, also rocked a warm-brown look, paired with a fitted top and a black leather jacket.

Does Oprah Winfrey Take Ozempic?

Oprah has openly shared the use of a GLP-1 agonist for weight loss. However, she never mentioned any brand names.

“One of the things that I realized the very first time I took a GLP-1 was that all these years I thought that thin people just had more willpower, they ate better foods, they were able to stick to it longer, they never had a potato chip, and then I realized the very first time I took the GLP-1 that, 'Oh, they're not even thinking about it. They're only eating when they're hungry, and they're stopping when they're full,” Oprah said in a podcast early in 2025.

In 2023, speaking to People, she said she uses the weight-loss medication as a tool to quiet the food noise.

“I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing. It quiets the food noise,” she had told the publication.

Oprah's Strength Training Session

In an Instagram post in February 2026, Oprah also showcased her strength training evolution, highlighting the benefits of daily workouts for bone health and her impressive plank progress.

She told her fans that while in 2024, she struggled to hold a plank for more than 10 seconds, now she manages to do a 1-minute plank routine.

Can Ozempic Really Help You Lose Weight?

While Ozempic was originally developed and FDA-approved as an injectable medication to help manage type 2 diabetes, it has gained immense popularity for its ability to produce significant weight loss.

The drug is popular for its active ingredient, semaglutide, which works by mimicking a hormone that regulates blood sugar and appetite.

However, there are several concerns over its side effects. The loss of lean mass, which includes muscle, has emerged as the biggest concern.

Studies have proven that it provides significant weight loss and also reduces major cardiovascular risks and boosts kidney health, among others.

However, common side effects include:

gastrointestinal (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation),

pancreatitis,

gallbladder issues,

face sagging

dental issues like tooth decay, erosion.

She wakes before dawn, packs lunches, manages households, holds careers together, and still finds time to ask everyone else, "Are you okay?" The Indian woman is, in every sense, the backbone of her family. And yet, in giving so much of herself to others, she often becomes the last person she takes care of.

This International Women's Day, that needs to change.

Cancer remains one of the gravest health threats facing Indian women today.

Breast cancer has become the most frequently diagnosed cancer among Indian women — and unlike in Western countries, it is striking women in their 30s and 40s, at the very peak of their lives.

Cervical cancer, though almost entirely preventable, continues to claim thousands of lives every year — not because medicine has failed, but because awareness has.

Ovarian cancer, often called the "silent killer," is frequently caught only at advanced stages, making early vigilance all the more critical.

Thyroid cancer is emerging as a cancer that disproportionately affects women — occurring nearly three times more often in women than men. The good news is that it is also one of the most treatable cancers when detected early.

Women who notice a lump or swelling in the neck, unexplained hoarseness, or difficulty swallowing should not dismiss these signs.

A simple ultrasound and blood test can go a long way in ruling out — or catching — a problem early. The truth, however, is not bleak — it is urgent.

Early Detection Saves Lives

Most cancers, when found at an early stage, are highly treatable. Women above 40 should schedule regular clinical breast examinations and mammography.

Cervical cancer screening through a Pap smear or HPV test, starting as early as age 25–30, can detect precancerous changes before they ever become cancer. These tests are quick, safe, and available — what they need most is for women to simply show up.

Prevention, too, begins with everyday choices. Avoiding tobacco in all its forms — cigarettes, gutka, paan — is the single most powerful step. Regular physical activity, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, maintaining a healthy weight, limiting alcohol, and getting the "HPV vaccine" (ideally between ages 9 and 14) can dramatically reduce cancer risk.

And perhaps just as importantly: listen to your body. An unusual lump, unexplained bleeding, or a symptom that won't go away is not something to push aside for later. Later can cost everything.

A healthy woman builds a healthy family — and a healthy nation. This Women's Day, let's give every woman around us the most meaningful gift possible: the reminder that her health is not selfish, it is essential.

The 20th-century modernist writer Virginia Woolf, in her book 'Mrs Dalloway', published in 1925, described her 52-year-old protagonist Clarissa Dalloway feeling “shriveled, aged, breastless”, during menopause.

Even after decades, the experience continues to remain widely relatable for scores of women worldwide.

In January this year, author Twinkle Khanna compared menopause to “a phone with a faulty charger.” Several other celebrities, namely Naomi Watts, Oprah Winfrey, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Angelina Jolie, have voiced out their concerns and frustration that women face during the transition.

Menopause is a natural transition in a woman’s life, typically occurring between the ages of 45 and 55. But for millions of women around the globe, its symptoms, which range from hot flashes to night sweats to mood changes and sleep variations, can wreak havoc, affecting professional life, relationships, and physical and mental health.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can be the answer to help ease the symptoms, which are often misunderstood, under-discussed, and sometimes unnecessarily feared.

“Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is an evidence-based option that helps restore hormonal balance during this transition. It is highly effective in relieving menopausal symptoms, improving quality of life,” Dr. Parjeet Kaur, Associate Director, Endocrinology & Diabetes, Medanta, Gurugram, told HealthandMe.

What Is Menopause?

Menopause marks the end of reproductive years for a woman. It occurs when a woman permanently stops menstruating.

Clinically, menopause is diagnosed after 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period.

Most women experience menopause between the ages of 45 and 55, though the transition -- called perimenopause -- can begin several years earlier.

During this time, the ovaries gradually produce less estrogen and progesterone, the hormones that regulate the menstrual cycle. This hormonal decline leads to a range of symptoms, which vary widely among women.

“Menopause is a natural part of biological ageing. It can also be due to medical or surgical procedures. Most women go into menopause between 45 and 55 years,” Dr. Shilpa Agarwal, Consultant Gynecology and Obstetrics and Fetal Medicine Expert, Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre, Mumbai.

“Menopause is caused by the loss of ovarian follicular function and, consequently, a decline in the circulating blood estrogen levels. Natural menopause is deemed to have occurred after 12 consecutive months without menstruation for which there is no other obvious physiological or pathological cause and in the absence of clinical intervention,” she added.

Common symptoms include:

• Hot flashes and night sweats
• Sleep disturbances
• Mood changes and irritability
• Vaginal dryness
• Reduced libido
• Difficulty concentrating
• Weight gain or metabolic changes

While some women experience only mild symptoms, others find that menopause significantly affects their quality of life.

More than the uncomfortable symptoms, the drop in estrogen levels raises a slew of health issues, mainly osteoporosis, heart disease, and sometimes metabolic disorders.

Although regular health checkups, balanced nutrition, and physical activity during midlife are essential to sail through, HRT can play a huge role.

What Is Hormone Replacement Therapy? How Can It Help?

Hormone replacement therapy consists mainly of female hormones, typically estrogen alone or a combination of estrogen and progesterone.

Former First Lady of the US, Michelle Obama, in her podcast in 2020, spoke candidly about her experience of hot flashes.

She described it as a "furnace turning on in her core", and a host of other issues after which she resorted to HRT to maintain her health and lifestyle during that transition.

“Hormone replacement therapy replenishes women with ovarian hormones. HRT typically combines estrogen and progesterone therapy. Progesterone is required in women with an intact uterus to prevent endometrial hyperplasia,” Dr. Agarwal said.

The medications primarily help in

• Reducing hot flashes and night sweats
• Improving sleep and mood
• Treating vaginal dryness and discomfort
• Importantly, HRT helps prevent bone loss and fractures.

Dr. Kaur said that HRT is highly effective in relieving menopausal symptoms, improving quality of life, and supporting bone health by reducing the risk of osteoporosis.

Notably, it can be used in several forms, including pills, skin patches, gels, sprays, and vaginal creams or rings.

Dr. Agarwal recommended that women start HRT within 10 years of menopause or before the age of 60 years".

The experts also advised women to keep monitoring for side effects during HRT.

For many women with moderate to severe menopausal symptoms, HRT can be highly effective.

Studies show that beyond hot flashes, improving sleep, and restoring vaginal health, hormone therapy also

leads to:

• a 25 percent to 50 percent reduction in fatal cardiovascular events,
• a 50 percent to 60 percent reduction in bone fractures,
• a 64 percent reduction in cognitive decline.

Are There Any Risks Involved?

Despite its benefits, HRT has been the subject of debate for decades. Safety concerns intensified after a major US study in the early 2000s linked certain types of hormone therapy to increased risks of breast cancer, blood clots, and stroke.

However, in 2025, the US FDA removed all misleading warnings on the therapy.

Current medical guidelines generally suggest that HRT is safest for healthy women under age 60 or within 10 years of menopause, when used at the lowest effective dose for symptom relief.

“Modern HRT, when carefully selected and monitored, is considered safe for many women. The key is individualized care -- a thoughtful discussion with your doctor can help determine the most suitable approach based on your health profile, age, and personal preferences,” Dr. Kaur said.

Still, HRT may not be advisable for women with a history of:

• Breast or endometrial cancer
• Blood clotting disorders
• Stroke or heart disease
• Certain liver diseases

For these women, non-hormonal treatments -- such as certain antidepressants, lifestyle changes, and alternative medications -- may help manage symptoms.

Menopause is a new phase of life -- and with the right information and guidance, it can be navigated confidently and comfortably, Dr. Kaur said.