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menstruation questionnaire response 66 |
how old were you when you first got your period, what was it like, and what did you know about what to expect?
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I started fairly early-- at age 11. I remember well, because it was a very strange experience. I was on a road trip with my dad that summer, driving from Maryland to Michigan, and for the whole ride I was asking to go to the bathroom, using toilet paper in place of pads. It was pretty miserable. All I knew what to expect was from the "family life" course that we had in 5th grade; not much, as one could imagine.
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how did you feel about it, and who did you tell about it?
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I was way too mortified by the experience to tell anyone. My parents were (and have always been) very hush-hush about things like that, so I never talked with my mom or anyone about it.
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what menstrual product did you start with? how did you learn about it?
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Just regular old pads. I'm still uncomfortable with using tampons (they're way too invasive), to be honest.
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are you still using the same method to deal with the blood; what methods have you tried; which do you prefer and why?
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I mostly stick with the pads. I purchased a menstrual cup a while back, but I'm too chicken to
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do you experience cramps, bloating, soar breasts, get pimples...? - if you do, tell us about it, and also, what remedies do you use?
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I really do try to get exercise and avoid caffeine, but somehow I always feel at least a few of the classic period symptoms-- usually bad cramps
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do you feel emotional changes relating to where you are in your menstrual cycle?
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Hmm, nothing drastic. I'm always pretty emotional, but around that time of the month I usually cry a lot more.
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how do the men in your life relate to your period, or periods in general?
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My boyfriend is always supportive in everything I do. I think in some way he's fascinated by the cycle women go through; he's never come off as disgusted (and even I'm disgusted by it sometimes) like other boys might. As for my father.. well, I've said before that he just doesn't talk about it. Oh well.
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this conversation makes me think....
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.. of how much I appreciate being female. I really can't stand the thought of taking a pill or suppressing my cycle in any way. Sure, it can be uncomfortable sometimes, but I view it as my own little secret from the world. I feel beautiful, motherly; my breasts and hips feel larger and I feel like a goddess of fertility. Ah, I probably sound really weird, though.
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