We asked a few women about their first period stories to figure out if everyone goes through the same thing. Turns out, there are some instances that have happened with quite a few, while there are others that are a little on the once in a blue moon spectrum. From convent education to period stains, here are 5 first-period stories we thought you might want to read, because who doesn’t like to hear about other people’s period stories?
The One Where The Girl Already Knew Everything
“I was in the 6th grade when I got my first period. Since I studied in a convent, we had weekly classes on Hygiene and how to handle menstruation, since we were coming of age, so I pretty much knew everything that was going to happen when my period came and how to take care of it. I remember we had our annual break after the Final Term exams, and I got my first cramps. I’d been sitting in a crouched position holding myself and generally whining because of the pain, this when my paternal grandmother and mother realized that I was probably going to get my period soon. So this happy pair, super excited came to me and started talking about all the changes that my body was going through, having already heard and understood everything at school, in my crampy, grumpy state, I told them that I knew where the conversation was going and that I didn’t want to have it since I pretty much already knew everything there was to know. This really took the wind out of their sails. After a couple of days, I finally got my first period and I realized this while I was in the bathroom. As I stepped out I called my mom and said: “ The time has come, hand me the pads.” And that is the story of my first period.”
– Anna, 30
The Story Of The Imperforate Hymen
“I got my first period during my 8th grade half-yearly examinations in September. I already knew the processes involved, how it happened, how to fix the pad and so on, we had an induction session, where none of the boys had been called. All my friends had already gotten theirs so I wasn’t exactly unaware or unprepared. I got my first cramps a month before, and the cramping was pretty intense, sure enough, my mum assumed I was going to start my periods. But the bleeding didn’t start, so she started making me do the pocha around my room because that posture apparently helps speed up the process of bleeding. For 3 or 4 days I had intense cramps and was doing the pocha around my room but nothing happened and it finally stopped so we just assumed that maybe the periods weren’t going to come that month. The next month, a week before the Half-Yearly Exams were going to start I got the cramps again, and this time they were super intense. Like crouching into fetal position intense, my mother finally took me to the resident gynae at the Army Hospital, and she conducted a physical exam. The result? I had an imperforate hymen which is why I wasn’t bleeding. What’s an imperforate hymen you ask? Well, think of it like this, your hymen is never fully sealed like say the cover on your Nutella jar, it’s partially sealed like when you open your cuppa noodles slightly to add water and close it back again to cook them. So, it’s more common for women to have a partially sealed hymen, which is where the menstrual blood comes out from. In my case, it was sealed shut and the blood had backed up into the vagina leading to the intense cramps in my abdomen and back. So I went through a minor surgery where they resected the hymen and the menstrual blood finally came out, on the operation table. The worst part? The anesthesiologist was my friend’s father, it was pretty embarrassing, to say the least. The best part? I didn’t have to sit for the Half-Yearly Exams.”
-Kavya, 25
The Tomboy
“I must’ve been 10 when I got my first period, and to be honest I didn’t know anything about it because none of my friends had gotten it and no one had really talked to me about it. It was a fairly young age to get one’s period then. I was anyway more of a tomboy and hung out with boys more than girls so my knowledge was pretty much non-existent then. The day I got it, I remember freaking out and telling my mum, she told me that I’d grown up now and that it was a normal and natural occurrence. But the entire process took a toll on me personally, I started gaining weight, developing breasts and my height pretty much became static. It wasn’t a lot of fun. No one could figure out why I was gaining weight because my family, in general, has a strong metabolic rate and I didn’t really eat a lot, after a few years of going to various doctors we finally found out that I had PCOD, the reason behind my weight gain. Girls, if you can’t tell why something is happening, keep on pestering your doctors until you get the right answers. It’s important to know what’s happening with your body.”
-Richa, 25
The Funny One While Sitting On The Throne
“I got my first period when I was around 11 or 12. I was in the bathroom, going through my morning routine, as I got up from the throne I saw blood, which really freaked me out and I called my mother. She looked at my confused face as I told her about the blood and laughed. Once she finally stopped laughing she told me I’d just gotten my period and that was pretty much it.”
-Tina, 22
The One Where The Girl Was Dancing In A Saree
“When I was young, must have been in the 8th grade, I’d come back home from school and play dress up with Mum’s sarees. It was fun and I was still a kid, don’t judge. This fine day I had put on a saree and was dancing around the room in front of the mirror doing some weird ninja high kick moves as a part of my dance. While I was doing this I noticed the stains and I kinda freaked. I already knew that this happens and it’s normal and stuff, but it’s still a bit of punch when you realize that it has indeed happened. While I called my mother and told her what had happened, we both pretty much didn’t know how to react. But when she came home she got me some super cute and colourful, big girl’s underwear, because up until then I’d been wearing bloomers.”
– Bani, 24
