What's the story of your first period?

[dudsville]

Ok. There's probably a weird period troll, apologies if I trigger them, but I'm drinking wine while watching feminist Netflix comedians instead of the news and I was just remined of my first period.

It was years after my parents divorced. I was on a road trip across Europe with my gipsy nomadic father and his new wife, who I did not like. We'd stopped for petrol and I'd gone to the loo. I had to ask my father to help me and he was well meaning and we managed. Once we got to the family location there was a phone and i was expected to ring my mum, which i did. I remember that conversation being a let down.

It's an important moment in a young girl/ woman's life. What are your stories?

Me personally - conversation with my mum that left me feeling yuk.
However a friend of mine - her mum and her opened up a bottle of champagne and the mother poured each of them a glass and my friend was allowed a sip after her mum made a gorgeous toast about how amazing her daughter was.
Always thought if I'd had a daughter that would be the way to do it. My friend was 14 when she got her period (30 years ago) just in case anyone thought she was very young.

Odfokaren - that sounds bloody dreadful - such a vulnerable moment and your mother acts like that. Really sorry.

Xmas day. Threw a pad on and made no big deal.

It's rhythm has shaped me

How?! Genuine question.

I remember starting at school so I went and grabbed the sanitary pad I had been given to keep in my bag should this happen. Stuck it on upside down. Left it like that...

Mine started during a school day - I remember being bent over in agony and grabbing onto the chairs to help me walk. Was still a massive shock when I went to the toilet and saw I’d started. Hands shaking etc. I’m sorry some posters have had such ambivalent or uncaring attitudes from their family. I was lucky to have a good relationship with my mum who supported me in getting better pain relief from the GP. Couldn’t imagine navigating that alone as a young teen.

Absolutely no idea it was just one of about 450 (and counting) during the life of my body.

I remember my first poo after a burst appendix and a spell in ICU far better.

Mine started 2 months before my 11th birthday, I was distraught because I thought I was going to have it on my birthday for the rest of my life as my Mum had told me it happened every month.
Plus side I revelled in the looks of envy when I was given special permission to use the staff toilets at school because of the sanitary bins.

My parents had taken me and my two brothers on a caravan break on the Welsh mountains. I woke up on the Sunday and there it was. Told my mum and after breakfast we all set out to find somewhere to buy sanpro. This was a loong time ago. There was nothing open, especially in the Welsh mountains. In the end my dad knocked up a pharmacist who lived over his shop and got supplies.

That night mum made a special supper and my dad made a speech about how I was a woman now. He wanted me and my brothers to see it as a positive. That was nice, though I remember feeling devastated that I'd have to put up with periods for the next 40 odd years.

Once I'd started i was weirdly regular. Between 10-11am every fourth Saturday.

I'm postmenopausal now but my periods stopped completely once I got a Mirena 20 years ago. It was brilliant.

Went out ice skating with friends the night before but gave up cause my back hurt. Next day, there it was. I was 9. I remember it cause it was a pain in the ass that young cause there wasn't any sanitary bins in primary school...but other than that, I'm counting down the days till menopause!

I was really excited and ran to tell my Mum who said "So? what do you expect me to do about it?". I said "Oh, er, nothing, sorry" and backed away. We never, ever spoke about it again and I used my Saturday job wages to buy sanpro. Strange woman.

That's awful, dayswithaY. It never occurred to me that I'd have to buy my own sanpro. My parents bought it just like they bought toothpaste and shampoo. Your mum certainly was strange. In fact strange is a much gentler word than I'd use.

Thank you Prawnofthepatriarchy I think my Mother is just hugely embarrassed by bodily functions and a bit repressed. But the silver lining is that my daughter has more san pro than she knows what to do with and lots of love so it's made me a better Mum.