Blog: My first period

Sarah Clyde periods and menstruation, puberty, vagina and vulva

First experiencing menstruation can be scary – Fumble writer Sarah shares her experience of having her first period

Note: not all people who experience menstruation are women or girls, and equally, not all women and girls have periods. Non-binary people, trans men and other gender non-conforming people might menstruate, and some cisgender women might not have periods for lots of different reasons. This article shares just one person’s personal experiences.

What’s it like to start your period? Can a period be positive?

I thought my first period was poo. I was 12 years old and brown gunge suddenly appeared on my pants. It was dark – and all periods are red, right? – so I sensibly concluded that I had a fairly serious bowel problem. The power shower and toilet paper were employed over a couple of days and then, just as I was beginning to really worry about my innards, it all stopped. Normal life resumed.

The following month, however, it started again. Somehow my Mum found out – I think staining the sheets in a holiday home in Dorset gave it away – and she explained that no, I did not have a bowel problem, but I had started my period. She gave me some green Always pads (it took me a while to negotiate tampons), a lot of reassurance and changed the bedding.

This video from AMAZE explains what you can expect when starting your period.

AMAZE

You’d think I’d have been relieved that I wasn’t suffering from incontinence, but instead I cried, frantically. It was dark and raining outside and I distinctly remember lying on my bed, so afraid that I was growing up, that I was no longer my parents’ ‘little girl’. It felt like womanhood had struck, and I wasn’t ready. In reality, of course, I was ready – I didn’t have a choice. Back at school, surrounded by friends who were going through the same experience, it was no longer scary to have started my period, but a thing of strange interest and excitement that we could all share.

It was the first stage on a long journey for me: learning about my body and being a woman – a journey that will continue forever, most probably.