An ad by a sexologist asking people not to be afraid of marriage. Photo credit: Katjusa Cisar.
Indians don’t have sex, and all 1.2 billion of them came out of thin air.
Now that, of course, is not true! But the conspiracy of silence that surrounds most matters sexual might lead you to believe that it is.
Half of India’s population is aged between 20 and 59. Add to this the many under-20 and above-60 people who are also sexually active and you get an idea of the range of issues (from erectile dysfunction to loss of libido to porn and masturbation addiction) that might be ticking away under its surface.
It is home to 2.1 million HIV affected and around 3.9 percent of its people suffer from sexually transmitted infections.
Yet, strict cultural norms and social stigma attached to sex mean people are reluctant to open up to doctors. They may end up approaching friends with little knowledge or, even worse, quacks.
“It is so difficult that an educated individual from a cosmopolitan city like Bangalore is hesitant to consult a doctor for an urgent concern like an unwanted pregnancy,” says Sriram Varma who launched sexual health and wellness startup CupidCare in March this year.
The Hyderabad-based firm promises to let people consult specialists online – anonymously if they wish.
Every day, the site gets over 500 visitors. “We have at least 20-30 client interactions daily,” Sriram tells Tech in Asia. Around 70 percent of its users are Indian, and the firm is building a customer base in Africa and Southeast Asia as well.
Market need
Health concerns, especially sexual health concerns, don’t need judgement but credible professional support, says Sriram, a BITS Pilani graduate who previously worked at Tracxn.
Founders Sriram Varma and Krishna Teja Korrapati.
Sriram and co-founder Krishna Teja Korrapati had four years of expertise in the healthcare sector, and identified sexual health as a blank space. At least 50 percent of online health consultations are sexual and mental health-related, says Sriram, adding that one in every five Indians suffers from sexual health problems.
“Seventy percent of cases in sexual health can be dealt with online. A lot of aspects deal with psychology, which can be addressed through counselling. People are still hesitant go to a sexologist clinic,” says Krishna.
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