I was 10 I think. I was a the beauty shop, getting my hair pressed. I was wearing my favorite pink sweatsuit. I went to the bathroom and I saw it and my first thought was Damn!
My mom had told me all about it. I was ready. I knew it was gonna happen, but I was pissed none the less.
I don’t think I told her about it at first. But when she did find out, probably the next day, she was confused. She asked me why I didn’t tell her. I lied and said I didn’t know what it was. I don’t know why I lied.
Amazingly she didn’t call me on my bullshit. She knew she had told me about it a hundred times. She simply took me to the store and bought me some pads. And when I complained about their hugeness, she told me about having periods in 1963 and how the pads had their very on harness system and how much that sucked. I stopped complaining.
She also told me her story, about being sent home from school when she was about my age and telling my great-grandmother who lived with my mom and my Granny. My great-granny did the only thing that made sense to her, considering her period years were long gone. She got a towel and some safety pins and fashioned a diaper for my mom until my Granny got home from work.
We laughed and laughed at that and my mom reminded me how lucky I was.
submitted by: abowlofbranflakes
Hey! Thanks so much, we agree periods shouldn’t something looked down upon and people who have their first period should feel comfortable knowing it’s natural.
Trigger warnings are obligatory, even if it’s nothing bloody or gruesome because some people might have had a horrible first period experience and your story might trigger them. Just a precaution!
The first time I got my period, I was in eighth grade. There was nothing particularly exciting going on that day, except that it was a weekend. I remember going to the bathroom to pee, and pulled down my undies. I freaked out when I saw brownish-copper stains, thinking about how angry my mom would be at the fact that I’d ruined a perfect pair of underwear. Stealthily (at least I thought I was being stealthy), I hid the stained panties, not wanting to get rid of them since I didn’t have many other pairs. The copper stains kept appearing, and I had no idea what to do. I mean, I knew what menstrual periods were, and that I would get one eventually (Thank you, mum and gran), but I didn’t know that it would look brown when the bleeding started. This continued for three days, and I started freaking out. My dad was more awkward around this sort of stuff than I was, so I called my friend Cynthia (she lived four houses down and was a year older than me). She told me that it was normal, and that I was starting my period. So she walked down the street to my house, pads in hand, and while handing me the pads through a small crack in the door, she told me “now, put one of these on like your mom showed you before,” my mom had thought that I would start my period in fourth grade, because both she and my gran were early bloomers, “and remember to drink WAY more water in the next week. Welcome to womanhood."
So yeah, not very eventful, but there it was.
submitted by: rikibatista
I was 12 years old and I still remember the date, April 16th, three days after my first concert. I was at my best friend’s house up the street scooter-ing and telling her about the concert, as we shared the same favorite band. I started feeling crampy in my lower abdomen, and honestly I thought I was going to have the worst diarrhea of my life (oh my) and after a few minutes I told her I felt sick (I did, I started feeling feverish), so I went on home. I sat on the toilet when I got there and was horrified at the large brown stain in my underwear (I honestly thought I crapped myself), so I finished going to the bathroom, (and having not crapped), I wiped and saw blood and finally understood what happened. I luckily learned what a period was around seven years of age, which I think was great parenting from my mom. I called my mom into the bathroom, since I couldn’t really get up to do anything, so she got me some supplies (pads) and some clean undies. I used pads for a year and despised them (wet and nasty) and therefore my period to an extent (the day I found tampons, yessss, and moreso, the diva cup, hallelujah). I was also very skinny so my period was light and not too painful (but as time went on, I got heavier and it got worse, sigh) But I had mixed emotions getting my first period… I was (am) genderqueer and knew it at the time (not the phrase, just the feeling), and I had no interest in becoming more womanly (like some friends who got their period felt), it was just a nuisance. But being depressed back then, my period made me feel euphoric (and irritable if pushed), so I enjoyed the break from mental hell. This pattern continues. But overall, my period isn’t too bad. Sometimes it sucks when I’m in more masculine mode, sometimes it makes me too upbeat and erratic, sometimes it hurts a lot, but I appreciate my period because having a vag rules. I also have done menstrual art, aww yeah.
Well, that went off track.
Overall, I’d say that first period was a pretty lucky day and place to get my period, and it wasn’t a really bad experience. It just was. It’s just life.
submitted by: z00110100
I think my first period was in January of 2006 when I was 12, but nobody had told me my first period wasn’t going to be red. So I looked in my panties, foolishly assumed I had missed a spot and went on my way.
Then it was April of the same year. After a wonderful Passover seder I went to the bathroom and found my new red surprise. I called my mom into the bathroom so she could tell me what to do, and that was that. Later that week, my mom organized a little lunch with the other ladies in my family to celebrate my “rite of passage.”
… I only just now realized that it’s actually a bit symbolic that my first bleeding was on Passover night. What with the lamb’s blood-painted-door supposed to symbolize who will be passed over and who will be saved and blahblahblah I’m a silly Jewish girl who got her period. Cool beans.
5 years later, I must admit I’d rather get gelt than my period.
submitted by: yourweaponisguilt
Trigger warning: blood, pain, embarrassment
I was at summer camp the summer before 7th grade. My mom (who was also my doctor) had sworn to me that I would definitely NOT get my period before school started. It was overnight camp for two months, and on the 4th of July there is always a “sports day.” That morning I woke up really early- around 5am which was really strange, because I generally like to sleep in. I decided to write a letter to my best friend at the time, and halfway through the letter, I realized that I really had to pee. I went to the bathroom, and when I stood up, there was blood in the toilet. I stuffed some toilet paper into my panties, flushed, washed my hands, and then went back and finished my letter.
When my friend who also had her period woke up about an hour later, I told her and she let me use some of her pads. It was really light and only lasted a few days, with no cramping. However, I was allowed to skip a bunch of the sports which was great because I’m not very athletic, and I got to call my mom to tell her, because getting your period was one of the three reasons you were allowed to call home (birthdays and major trouble were the other two). On visiting day- parents can visit on one sunday between month one and month two- my mom brought me two HUGE packages of pads. It was pretty humiliating.
Since then things have only gotten worse. I bled through my shorts once at the zoo, and another time I bled through my friends sheets. My periods were about 14 days long and really painful. My mom finally let me go on birth control pills when I was 16. Now I have 5 day periods with relatively little pain.
submitted by: corpsazorsomething
My first period happened when I had just turned 10. Nobody had taught me anything about menstruation; I literally knew nothing about it. I was taking this tae-kwon-do class that was in the cafeteria after school and I felt like something was moving around and exploding in my stomach, if that even makes sense! When I got home, I noticed blood in my undies. I thought something really bad was happening, and I was too afraid to tell anyone, so I didn’t. I just let myself bleed. I may have stuffed some toilet paper in my undies, but I can’t remember. I had to go swimming in gym class the next day, and I was horrified. Afterwards, I had blood in my swimsuit. I was afraid someone had noticed, but nobody said anything. I remember going to a friend’s house and watching a movie or something and being afraid I was going to bleed on his couch.
A couple days after I’d started bleeding, my mom came into school during lunch. She said she had gone to do my laundry and noticed blood in my underwear, so she brought me a pad, took me to the bathroom, and explained things briefly. Apparently, she had run into my teacher in the hallway and told her about me, so I was completely embarrassed! And I was wearing this huge pad and I had on leggings because that’s all you can wear when you’re a fat 10-year-old. I was afraid people would see the outline of my pad through the leggings.
I think my mom explained things better when I got home from school, and I remember her buying me a couple of those “What’s Happening to my Body?” type of books. I went back to my friend’s house a few days later and he said something about how his mom wasn’t feeling good because she was on her period, and I was thinking, “WHAT. How does he know about periods and I didn’t?” It really blew my mind. Children really should be taught about their bodies at an earlier age. I’m sure so many of us would have benefited from knowing about menstruation at, like, 6 or 7 years old. We need to know what periods are, so that we aren’t completely terrified when we get them.
submitted by: amoebapudding
I got my first period when I was ten years old! It was the summer before going into sixth grade, in late July or early August. I saw spotting on my underwear when I went to the bathroom earlier, but I ignored it. A few hours later, I couldn’t ignore it any longer. I was really worried about bringing it up to my mom, so instead, I secretly went outside and called my best friend and told her about it! She said that I should tell my mom, which I did when I went inside and my mom was questioning why I went outside at 9 o'clock. I used the pads we got in school when learning about periods for a day or two and then my mom went out and bought me stuff of my own!
Side note, I bought my first diva cup 7 years later and I love it <3
submitted by: carlynondrunkenberg
I’d just turned 12, and I’d been having cramps for days. My mum kept saying, ‘oooh, you’re probably going to start your period soon.’ But I didn’t believe her…I didn’t WANT to believe her. The thought of periods grossed me out. I remember learning about them and thinking 'Eeewww…blood is going to come out of my WHAT?! Every month? Pain?!!’ I was in school, and went to the toilet at break. Lo and behold…there, on my favourite white knickers was a HUGE spot of bright red. I didn’t know what to do. I remember standing in the stall and shaking slightly. I walked out to where my friend was waiting and asked her what to do (she’d had her first period a year earlier so she was practically an expert in my eyes!). We decided to go see my form tutor because I was pretty shaken up. I went and timidly said, 'Erm…I just started my period.’ She looked at me and asked, 'oh, what do you normally use? Tampons or pads? There are dispensing machines down in the toilets.’ I looked at her with wide eyes, on the verge of tears and explained that it was my first time. She was really sympathetic and she told my friend to help me out. She said that it’d take some time getting used to the feeling of having a pad on, so she told me to take as much time as I’d need to adjust and went to tell our male maths teacher that we’d be late because we were doing a job for her. At that moment, she was my favourite teacher! We went back down to the loos and my friend stood outside telling me how to make sure it’s properly stuck on, and how to dispose of it. Even though she’s moved away and we don’t keep in contact, I think I’ll always remember her. I guess sharing periods creates a bond. (actually, from then onwards, we were always on our periods at the same time!) I got home, and grumpily told my mum what had happened. She looked thrilled because I’d 'become a woman’. That evening we went to watch a film with my aunts and all of them would just keep staring and smiling proudly at me. There I was, in pain that I’d never experienced before, and a load of blood gushing out of me, and they were happy about it! I was not amused in the slightest… I’m glad I’m over that initial fear now. I don’t mind having them. Sure, it’s painful sometimes, but it’s natural. And it’s great living in an all female household (mum and aunt) cause we all get our periods at the same time. We have packs of pads flying around all over the place, we can share our problems that month, and we’ll sit together and indulge on chocolate while watching a good movie (just like we did tonight!) It’s great for bonding! And then…there are those times when hormones are running high. Both my mother and I get quite grumpy and vicious, so we’ll end up at each others tbroats, you wouldn’t want to get caught in the middle of that!
submitted by: mytwopenniesworth
I remember having odd reddish-brownish discharge about a week prior to finally getting my period. It was spring of 5th grade, my Godmother was in town from Texas. I remember running into the bathroom because I felt wet between my legs, almost sticky. I pull down my panties and sure enough I was leaking full on, and I freaked out. I let out a little scream and my mother came running in and saw, but to the opposite of my horror she smiled and told me she’d teach me everything I needed to know. After I cleaned up she took me to see my Godmother where she announced the big news, lots of hugging and “Welcoming” me into ‘Womynhood’ (although I realized later on how biased she was raised and taught me that only womyn have periods etc. but that’s another story) We picked up an unnecessary amount of Pads, Tampons and the like, I rejected the tampons because they hurt and I really was uncomfortable putting them in. Now It’s my favorite weapon of choice.
I think what I remember most that day has very little to do with my period, but in memory of my Godmother. That was the last time I saw her,after that week of visitation she went back to Texas, and I didn’t see her for about 8 years. My mother and her were estranged but at the time I didn’t understand why, I often expressed my unhappiness of the situation. She called a few months ago, for the first time in 8 years to tell us what happened.
Her then husband abused her. He cut her off from all her friends, family, co workers. She was forced to stay at home and do “proper housewife” chores while he pretended that she didn't exist. He beat her, abuse physical, verbal and emotional were there prior to her disconnect with us and continued on until she finally escaped him with their son one night, planning out for months where they would go, saving money, packing ( he thought she was spring cleaning and didn’t think much of it) she ran away to a women's shelter, contacted the police and stayed at the shelter for 3 months until she felt safe enough to move into an undisclosed location with her son. Currently she is going through legal battles and trying to maintain custody of their son, only time will tell how this plays out.
Although a bit unrelated to my period, it is a strong memory I attach to that day, because it was the day where one of the most important womyn in my life was taken from me, from us and forced to endure this abuse by her spouse. She taught me a lot and I will always appreciate that.
submitted by: bigassfemme
I was twelve and I was visiting my half-sister in California for the very first time. I was also visiting her grandma during the trip, a woman I had never met before. I had been feeling pretty rank all day, but I figured it was the marked difference in air quality between the states, too much excitement, and took much junk food.
I got to sleep in one of my half-sister’s grandma’s huge guestrooms, with its own bathroom and everything. I finally fell into a fitful sleep. I woke up around midnight covered in blood.
I freaked. I called for my sister in the room across the hall. She came over, saw what was going on, and explained what the hell was happening to me. Of course I was mortified; I’d ruined the sheets in that wonderful old room, ruined my nightclothes, and woke everyone (including my infant nephew)–all in the home of someone I’d only met a couple of hours previously.
But my half-sister and her grandma were both really understanding. We even called my mom and she was so happy for me that it eased the humiliation a bit. My sister also bought me a new nightgown, so that helped too.
Now I have erratic, heavy, tiring periods, but none so surprising or upsetting as that one.
submitted by: sailormuse
I was in 6th grade and I woke up that morning tired and irritable like every other morning. I knew about periods and all that because everyone thought I had gotten it the year before when i sat on ketchup at lunch. But I woke up and as I went to pee I noticed that my underwear was brown. See, it would have been red, but I had these orange boxershorts on. I don’t know why, but I some how did not think it was my period. I reasoned that I must have sat on something the night before or that I had embarrassingly shit myself. So I threw away the underwear in a plastic bag, got in the shower without a second thought and went to school. Through the day I felt fine. Even then as now, I had no issues with cramping.
Like alot of young girls my underwear would get accasionally wet-ish from discharge every now and again, so I didn’t think about it when my panties felt wet.
Having not gone to the bathroom all day and being in a skirt I was not aware of the Niagra Falls that was me. That night I went to a party where blood had trickled down my leg and I finally worked out I had gotten my period.
submitted by: coffeeintherain
Okay So I was in 7th grade and I was wearing these polk-a-dot shorts. I felt something weird during algebra but I ignored it. People looked at me weird when school was over and I felt confused but careless. So when I got home to use the restroom I noticed a dark red spot on my underwear, I wasn’t even sure what it was so I just put toilet paper thinking it was temporary. I eventually figured it out I wasn’t sure how to tell my mom but I knew where she kept her pads so I took one. I eventually told her and she bought me some more. For some reason I thought periods only lasted one day and came around the same time so I marked my calender on the 16 of every month. Eventually my mother and I talked about it and I was a little bummed out that it would be unexpected.
submitted by: vaporxtrails
TRIGGER WARNING: MENSTRUATION, BROS.
Reposting my story from feministdykeslut.tumblr.com ’s ask box.
I started my first at my best friend’s house, right after I’d become vegetarian when I was 11. I thought it was a side effect of not eating meat! My friends mom helped me and shit, but when I got home my mom was convinced I’d been molested by my friend’s dad or brother, and wouldn’t believe me, then told me tampons were bad for me.. So I called my older sister and she was like “Don’t worry, mom didn’t tell me about periods before hand either.” because my mother is a bit afraid of everything.. She never gave me the talk, just a book when I started high school called “Sex? What’s that?” that said, and I quote: “It’s okay to have non-Christian friends, but your best friends should be christian.” Yeah.
submitted by: lanoyalandfall
sorry if this is too long.
when i was 13 me and my classmates were going to do the maypole at our school that year, which in itself is a coming of age ritual, and i came on the day of ready to dance. i was wearing all white and a flower garland on my head, and as i sat in the back of the car driving into my school, i looked down at my panties. they were bright red. i nearly started crying because i was terrified of the blood staining my dress. i ran into the bathroom and stuffed my underwear with toilet paper. the whole thing made me feel ashamed and awkward and uncomfortable. it wasn’t how i wanted to feel.
two weeks later, i went to the northern california womyn’s herbal symposium with my mom. it’s an all womyn herbal festival, where the womyn are celebrated and so are their bodies and cycles. every year a “maiden ceremony” takes place, where the group celebrates the transition of a young, newly bleeding girl into a womyn. i decided to take part in the ceremony. before it began, me and about 8 other girls met with the high priestess and talked about periods and our bodies. that was where i first learned, at the ripe age of 13, that the word cunt isn’t a bad word. the ceremony started.
we walked down through the camp, to where all the 300 or so women stood waiting. they were singing “we are here to tell you that you’re wonderful and beautiful, we are here to tell you, that we’re always whole. we are here to notice that your loving is a miracle, how deeply you’re connected to our soul.” they had formed a human passageway, and we went down under their arms, as these hundreds of womyn smiled down at us. we got to the center of the circle, and the high priestess began the ceremony. to each of us she cut off a bit of our hair, gave us a red moon necklace, painted a red moon on our forehead, and embraced us.
once the ceremony was over, i walked up the hill to my mom, crying quietly because i was happy that i was bleeding.
submitted by: rebel-grrrl
I was 11 years old, the summer I was going into 5th grade. I was at my dad’s house in the bathroom when I noticed I had brown stuff in my underwear. I didn’t feel anything happen but assumed I had my period, since I would’ve felt it if I pooped my pants… I called my friend on the phone and told her I just got my period. She still didn’t have hers and asked me what it was like. I just told her it was brown and didn’t feel like anything, haha. Then I went to my dad and told him I just got my period.. he didn’t really know what to do. It was about 11 at night and he told me we should go get pads at stop and shop. He didn’t know what to get and they ended up being super large pads, they didn’t even fit in my underwear. It was pretty funny. When I told my mom she told me she got it just as early as I did. It never seemed like a big deal to me until people made it seem so gross in middle school. I would never mention it to people if I had it, but now I don’t care and basically tell anyone if I have my period. Also my cramps got much worse as I got older, and.. it’s not all “brown stuff” anymore.. Haha
submitted by: thepeachtrees
I’m a twin, and my sister got hers first, a few weeks before. I just remember sitting in my bathroom upset because I didn’t know how to put a tampon in and it was really embarrassing but my mum and my sister were outside the door telling me what to do and being helpful and lovely.
Then, later that week, my mum took us both out for literally the most expensive meal I have ever had ever in some super posh French restaurant, to celebrate this whole new part of our lives. It was lovely.
submitted by: uswhoresdontneedyou
So,i was 12 years old.I knew what periods were,but i thought i wouldn’t get them until i was 15.i was terrified at the thought of bleeding out of my vagina,because i though everyone would be able to notice.As it turns out,during my twelfth year,me and my mother used to visit my aunt alot,who has 7 chihuahuas,who are all like my babies.One afternoon as we were all sitting outside on her porch,i felt something slippery in between my legs.i figured it was just discharge,so i ignored it.but then more and more started to pour.it felt like there was a faucet turning on and off inside of me.i got scared at that point,and stood up.well when they dogs smelled the blood,they all ran up to me and started sniffing and snapping and barking at my crotch.i started screaming,and i ran,which set them off even more.my aunt told me to calm down and she asked me if i had started my period,and i said no.but sure enough when i went to check myself in the bathroom,the entire crotch area had been soaked in dark brown blood,and there were chunks of uterine lining in my underpants.i fainted.and i am so embarrassed of my first period,that whenever people ask me bout it,i simply tell them i was taking a bath and that i saw clouds of blood emerging from in between my legs.
submitted by: the-feminist-librarian
I was twelve. I remember going to the bathroom one night before bed and I looked down, and saw a little bit of red. I found a pad in the cupboard under the sink and went to bed. I didn’t bring it up to my mom at all that I started my period. I didn’t want her or anyone to make a big deal of it. I remember the next day my mom asked me if I had started my period, since she had noticed the empty packaging in the garbage and I was so embarrassed to talk about it. I’m not embarrassed anymore, now I embrace it because it’s a beautiful thing and I love that my body is healthy enough to do this great thing every month.
submitted by holysith
Mine was quite boring. It was the start of grade seven. I was going to the bathroom before leaving the house for school. I noticed some blood. My mom knocked on the bathroom door to say goodbye as she was leaving for work. I’m not sure what I did, I think there were pads in the bathroom waiting for when I did get it, I don’t remember just using toilet paper.. I told my mom that night that I had gotten it. nbd.
submitted by feministbeauty
in eighth grade every morning in georgia history class we would stand to say the pledge of allegiance and sing “proud to be an american.” we wore uniforms of khaki pants and burgundy shirts.
one morning, after the pledge was over and we had started singing the first few lines of the song, i could hear my best friend who sat in the desk behind me sing close to my ear, “cause the flag still stands for freedom, and there’s blood on your paaaaaaants!”
during the explosive chorus i instead imploded into my shoes. i wrapped a sweater around my waist in attempt to not bring attention to it. i knew it would come someday, but i still wanted to cry. after the morning announcements we went outside for the eighth grade photo, where i had to stand in the row right in front of the awkwardly tall boys while the photographer fumbled with the camera.
mortifying.
submitted by flippingpirhouettes
tw: menstruation
Alright, so I was 12 and in 7th grade. Middle School was horrid.
One day, I got these god awful cramps. I seriously thought I was going to poop my pants or something. I was mortified. I ran to the bathroom, looked, and saw the dried blood (I thought it was something else). When I got home later, I told my mom and bawled and we went out and bought pads.
submitted by dobbaaa
Remember to put trigger warnings before your submissions!
tw: menstruation
I got my first period a little after I turned 12. I woke up one morning for school, and when I went to the bathroom there was blood on my underwear and in the toilet. My mom had never taken the time to talk to me about menstruation or sex or my vagina or ANYTHING, but luckily I have 5 older sisters, and they took care of that :) Thanks to them I was anticipating my period and when it finally happened I knew exactly what was up. So I just approached my mom nonchalantly and said “I need a pad please”. She looked at me kind of wide eyed and laughed. I didn’t tell my dad myself until I was about 15 and needed him to pick me up some pads while he was out, although my mom must’ve told him. I guess at that age I was mortified about talking to my dad about “girl stuff”.
It’s funny, I remember that this was around the time me and my friends were reading and loving Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret :)
submitted by vanillaandlavender
tw: menstruation
It was my last day of sixth grade and of elementary school. We got out of school earlier than usual and so I went with a bunch of my friends to Disneyland for the day. I was in the bathroom at Disneyland when I noticed some blood spotting in my underwear. My stomach dropped and I was terrified. I didn’t say anything to anyone, but just put toilet paper in my underwear and went about my business. It wasn’t heavy or anything so I figured I’d be fine until I got home. I think I sort of didn’t believe I was getting my period.
The next day I was still bleeding, so I called my mom into my room.
“Mom,” I said, “I think I got my period.”
My mom jumped for joy and started screaming and started explaining to me all about pads and tampons and other joyous things.
I was twelve and I felt like a woman.
submitted by mouthygrrrl