Despite being quite open about personal issues, I've never really spoken about periods. They are completely normal to have and the more people talking to those who have just started or who are going through puberty, the better. I want to chat about periods and how I dealt with them.
I used to get a lot of comments about spots when I was first starting to go through puberty. I had my first bra in junior school and it was obvious that I had began developing before the majority of the girls in my classes. Come year 7, I began to get a fair amount of tiny, tiny spots on my forehead and it seemed to bother other people a lot compared to how I felt. I was 11 and was still a child and wasn't too fussed about my looks. Two months into year seven and I woke up to find that I had gotten my period. It wasn't the nicest of things to wake up to, especially when I hadn't prepared as I had no idea. I had just turned 12 and not seemed to really take notice of my body changing. It felt like there was a ton of blood everywhere and I wasn't sure what to do. I was lucky that I hadn't been out and about when it happened but my Mum helped me out and explained what to do and that was it. I went to my Nan's house before school and remember her telling me that she knew because that week I had been getting a lot more spots which can sometimes signal a hormone change. Thanks Nan!
I was the very first person to get my period out of all of my friends. They seemed jealous but I had explained that it will happen to them eventually and if anything it was better that I could prepare them for when it happened. Since we were all quite young they were asking whether I was using tampons or pads and I laughed and said I was nowhere ready for tampons. I feel like they're such a personal thing and you have to know your body and what you're comfortable with. I wore pads with wings for a better fit to make myself more comfortable and over time only wore tampons when I was going swimming.
The only thing I've ever avoided when on my period would be wearing those white Tommy Hilfiger jeans I picked up in like 2006 from TK Maxx because I was terrified that everyone would see that I was "on". I don't think periods are anything to be embarrassed about and I'll happily have a chat to anyone wanting to know more about my personal experience. I used to get really bad stomach cramps and aged 16 started on contraception (firstly the combined pill) and it reduced my pains and it was okay. I've had a contraceptive implant for nearly 2 years and it was stopped my periods completely unless I am super stressed which triggers one, which is again, completely normal. Everyone's body is different and it's important to remember that you and your friend may have totally different experiences, and that's fine. Have a watch of the video above to see Vanessa's story about her periods.
