How old were you when you got your First Period?
Did you ever considered what’s the average age women got their first periods throughout History? When do you think girls in the early Middle Ages got their first blood? In the Renaissance? In the Victorian Era? In the 20th Century? Today?
Bustle recently wrote an article on The Average Age Women Got Their First Period, Throughout History
First Period stories are seldom told…
Moms may share their First Kiss story with their Teen girl, but a first menstrual story? Rarely…
I was about 12 and when I got my first period.
My Mom gave me the book “A Baby Comes into the World,” a few years earlier, when she was pregnant with my brother. I was 7 at the time. Even though we looked together at the Female and Male anatomy drawings in the book, and my Mom read the book to me more than once, when the day arrived — none of that, apparently, sank in.
I found a dark brown stain on my underwear when I came home from school. I had no clue of what it could be, and decided to ignore it. I pulled my pants up thinking the stain would go away by the evening. A few hours later, not only did it not go away, but there was a LOT of it…! I called my Mom to the bathroom. She said it as my period. The book came back to me all at once! “You are a woman now,” she said, and I remember I didn’t understand what this meant… She proceeded then to strongly emphasize that I needed to wash often, be clean, make sure I have no odor when my period comes.
My Mom never said the word “Dirty,” but stressing washing and cleanliness carried a clear message: my blood was unclean. It followed that we both will discard our pads in the trash, where all dirt goes… I went on to thinking of my period as “nuisance” for years afterward, much as she did.
Most of my memories center around feeling mortified that the boys may find out I’m on my period… I remember a dream in which I was wearing white pants to school, and unbeknown to me had a huge red stain on my behind. The boys’ laughter was humiliating, and I woke up feeling deep shame. Though this was a dream, the memory of it stayed with me as if this was an actual event in my life.
I discovered the sacredness of my Moon Blood, the depth, beauty and insight that come with conscious flowing, only in my early thirties.
Having sat in circles with women and girls around the world, I found that sharing our First Period stories has a profound healing effect. Regardless of how different the details are, women resonate with each other’s stories around the globe: the feelings in them are familiar to ALL of us.
What is Your First Period Story?
Break the Taboo today, share your story below…
Click Here to learn how to Heal your own Adolescent
Together – we change the world!
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© 2015 DeAnna L’am, All Rights Reserved
14 Responses
My mother was in a mental institution at the time. My best friend’s mom gave me a ‘first period kit.’ I remember thinking and feeling sad that there wasn’t any fanfare about it and that my mom wasn’t there for me. I had a sense that culturally, we were doing woman a disservice by not celebrating first moons. Years ago when I read the book, The Red Tent, I was convinced this was an answer to a prayer. I started hosting monthly red tents in February 2015. Last October, Isadora Leidenfrost came out and did a screening of her movie, “Things We Don’t Talk About; Women’s Stories From The Red Tent” and we had our first Red Tent that night, right after the screening. It’s been so wonderful being part of this movement, growing a sisterhood and looking forward to what the future will bring! Blessings to DeAnna, Alissa, Isadora and everyone else who has put time,energy and love into growing this movement. XO
Hi, I’m new to this site and subject but would like to learn more, do you know of any Red Tents around or near my area in Ontario, Ca. Thank you.
Welcome!
I am sorry but I do not have information for red tents in the Ontario area…
You are most welcome to join our online learning community: https://deannalam.com/
Many blessings on your journey…
I had my first period when I was 10 and I had an obsession with wanting to get my period so one day I went to school and I felt something gooey but regular me thinks it’s regular discharge so when class is over I go into the bathroom and check my pants to see if my dicharge leaked oh it did but instead of discharge it was my blood I walked out of the bathroom and everyone was laughing but inside I was sooo excited I wanted to scream so yeah that’s it
wait why were they laughing??
I hade my first period when I was 11 2 months before I was 12. I was at my dads house and I thought I pooped my pants but I kept happening all day so I put toilet paper in my underwear I did not want to tell my dad so I just went to bed. The next day I hade 3 softball games back to back but I didn’t tell anyone cause my dad was only there. But the worse part was the bathroom was like half a mile away from the fields. I ended up going there 3 times to put more toilet part in my underwear but the worse part was it was 95 degrees outside and I didn’t sit out of the games at all. So when I got home (back at my moms) she wasn’t there so I called her and I told her it was an emergency she knew something was up with me lately so she asked if is it about the thing that happens once a month so I said sorta yes and she tolded me she will be there soon. I took a shower and she came in and said is everything fine then I told her what happened and she gave me the supplies
My first period happened on my 12th birthday. It was before school and i’d always go to the loo just before school. I saw a smudge on my knickers and instantly knew it was period time. I didn’t want to tell my mum because she’d only make a big deal and cause me to be late for school so i shoved a flannel in my pants. When i got to school i told my friend meg and she gave me a pad. I put it on and got on with my day. I got in the car to go home and told my mom. She asked me if i cried – no. She asked who i told – meg. She asked where i got the stuff from – meg. Then she spent about half an hour telling me how brave i was. ._.
Oh yeah and i put the flannel in the garbage can. And i got an LG K8 phone for my birthday so it was a pretty good day for me.
I got my first period on the last day of 5th grade. I was completely unprepared and I was one of the first to start. I had a really mean teacher who would rarely let you use the bathroom. I was in light colored pants, so I had to wear a jacket around my waist. Way to end 5th grade with a bang.
I got my period July 30th 2018 winch was my twelfth birthday about 3 months ago.I had 3 periods so far.I woke up and went to the bathroom I wiped and saw a tissue full of blood, my heart dropped and I thought I pooed blood so I thought something was wrong with my colon.My mom and I talked about it twice but I was afraid to tell her.I went the whole day without her knowing the next day we had to go out so I went to the bathroom took a shower but forgot to flush.My mom took a shower then called my brother and I upstairs she said who’s blood was that.My brothers nose bled often s she thought it was him but ī told her the story and she talked to me.I come from a Muslim family so when we got to her job she asked me did you pray with it?I said yes than she lagged out loud.I was like this isn’t funny and she said you can’t pray with it so I was bummed.We were heading home and I was afraid to ask for pads so I was using tissue.I asked her am I supposed to use tissue? Until I buy you pads.My mom knows my 14 and 8 year old brothers know but not m older brothers dad or step dad.I still have a few people to tell so… My mom is super cool with my period I am getting my own room because she said I’m a women now and I can share a room with my brothers.
Thank you for sharing your first blood story!
It is wonderful to see a girl becoming aware and exploring menstrual empowerment as you did by finding this site and participating in the conversation :-)
Enjoy your new journey as a young woman, and feel free to post questions as they come up for you.
Many blessings,
DeAnna
I was a little over 12 and a half years old, on Dec. 18. I had already had discharge for almost a year by then, and I already knew quite a bit about periods. I was at school, and it felt more squishy (gross word, I know) than usual. I waved it away as discharge. When I went to the bathroom during my 5th period, I saw bright. Red. I screamed out loud, and luckily an 8th grader in the next stall asked me what was wrong and I explained. She gave me a pad (thank you, Natalii ????) I went back to my 5th period science, and when I got home, I promptly collapsed on my bed and sobbed for an hour. :)
My first period story…
I was 12 and a half and so glad that it hadn’t happened to me yet. For the summer, my parents sent me to camp. I didn’t get it there, but when we were on the bus to go back home, I felt a lot of stuff come out…and when I say a lot, I mean A LOT. I thought that it was just an outrageously large amount of discharge, so I just ignored it until we stopped close to my house. I went home and of course there was the welcoming party…After 30 minutes of them telling me that they were so glad I was back, I went to go shower and change. I started undressing, and then I saw my underwear…stained red. I was MORTIFIED. I screamed “MOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM!” She came running and I told her that I was bleeding my insides out. She laughed and I was terrified. She told me that it was my period. I don’t know why i forgot what a period was, but I knew before. I feel so stupid now.
Helga,
Thanks for your transparency and your touching story.
Each story is unique, yet a thread connects us women, across the world: a thread of embarrassment, shame, lack of information, awkwardness…
We recognize ourselves in each other’s stories
Pleas, let go of “feeling stupid”… it doesn’t serve us to judge ourselves.
Our job is to bring compassion, visibility, and healing to the girls we once were…
May this journey be an empowering one!
I am here to support you on the path :-)