As with many girls, I’m sure, the first few years of having your menstrual cycle can be very tortuous. You’re getting used to the pains, the pads, and the predicting. I like to consider myself a fast learner, so I had the changing pads and pain relief down to a science. My main issue was trying to track my cycle and knowing exactly when I was going to start my period. I was in the 6th grade, and my teacher was known all around school for throwing the biggest classroom parties for every holiday you could think of. At the time I had a crush on a guy and prayed the whole week that he’d ask me to dance with him. I planned my outfit including my favorite top and light-washed jeans. I wasn’t feeling any pain and had my period earlier in the month, so I thought everything was fine and dandy. Little did I know, my period wanted to make its own little appearance at the party. I was at the snack table with my best friend setting READ MORE… »
I’d say I was pretty young when I first started my period. I was only 8 years old, turning 9 in about two months. I remember the day vividly. I spent the day upstairs on New Year’s Eve while family and friends were over. I wasn’t in the mood to be bothered with everyone laughing and talking unnecessarily loud at all. I had been in a cranky mood all month and didn’t know why. In the midst of watching Purple Rain (my favorite movie), eating everything in sight, and crying before the sad part even happened, I had to go to the bathroom REALLY bad. I went, and as I wiped, I saw this “red stuff” on the toilet paper and some in my underwear. Being the naïve little girl I was, I simply thought it was fruit juice and went on about my day (yes, fruit juice – don’t judge me). After the movie finished, READ MORE… »
Camping with a menstrual cup, scary or sensible?
Expecting to start my period the day we were scheduled to leave for our camping trip I was “prepared” and decided to bring my DivaCup with me. I’ve never enjoyed the inconvenience my period has caused during a camping trip, the extra concern of being somewhere I could change my tampon or the early morning wake up calls from aunt flo. There’s nothing like waking up with that startling feeling of needing to rush to the bathroom, to be challenged with crawling out of the sleeping bag, bundling up in warm clothes, climbing out of the tent, to only have to walk who knows how far to the nearest bathroom in fear of a LEAK!
READ MORE… »I am 54 years old but I have two twenty something daughters who get their periods and an 11 year old granddaughter who is definitely hitting puberty. Oh the attitude on that child!
Nowadays everyone is trying to be as green friendly as they can by using recyclable and sustainable products. I started to fool around with the idea of creating cloth menstrual pads and panty liners and used my daughters as guinea pigs! Let me tell you, they hated the idea and thought it was absolutely gross and disgusting. Some of their initial comments were “I’ll never wear that” and “How do I wash these things?”
Well, one day my younger daughter was out of disposable pads and it was too late to run out to the store. She was is dire need and she asked me if I had anything available. Of course I did!
She reluctantly used the pad and fell asleep. When she work up I asked her how the pad held up and she said and I quote ” That was the best night’s sleep I had while on my period. The pad was super soft and nothing leaked through!”
I have to start by saying that my mom and I are now best of friends and this is in no way criticism of the way she raised me it was a different time and talking about certain things were still taboo.
When I was a young girl there was no “talk” about your cycle or what to expect, actually I don’t think there was much talking about anything regarding our bodies. I do remember my very forward-thinking mom buying me “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret.” But that was probably the only real “discussion” we had.
When my period came the only real information I had was the vague information from “health” class (in those days it was less information more ewww it’s yucky) and from my peers as well as the outdated information in the book from mom.
I was 11 or 12 when “aunt flo” came to visit the first time, I know it was a bit scary and I was surprised when cramps and clots happened. No one mentioned these exciting and fantastic things I got to discover on my own.
The usage of tampons and pads were awkward and I spent many days scrubbing stains that I wasn’t prepared for. I knew that mom had a bucket under the sink for her icky things so I took her signal as this was the way it was SUPPOSED to be.
The whole period thing was disgusting, horrible and uncomfortable as I have fibroid cysts on my ovaries (making my cramps insufferable). READ MORE… »
As women and parents, we ALL have our own stories. One of our goals is to help beak the silence on the “taboo” topic of periods!
Sometimes the most helpful information comes from the friendly voice of someone that has experienced the same thing. We welcome all PG information on Periods & Puberty, anything from personal stories, first period experiences, tips, remedies, humor, healthy/safety, to the joys of embracing being a girl/woman. (Dads/Men, you are welcome to post your perspective as well!)
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