A Thomson Reuters Foundation study that involved interviewing 100 female factory workers uncovered that all of the women participating in the study had been given pills to ease menstrual pain. More than half of the women experienced adverse side effects as a result of taking the pills. The painkillers were unmarked, and have been found to be non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are similar to ibuprofen. However, these drugs are known to have negative side effects if consumed frequently, which include depression and miscarriages. Activists are concerned that factory managers have too much control over the lives of their workers, as is illustrated by these findings. In response to this report, state officials intend to study the well-being of garment workers.
See "Indian factories found endangering seamstresses' health with illegal pills", Anuradha Nagaraj, Reuters, June 12, 2019