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menstruation questionnaire response 44 |
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 was 11 years old. It was a bit of a nightmare really... I happened to be on holiday with a friend and her family. As eleven year olds often are, me and my friend were still very immature and childlike and so it was horrible to discover this thing in my underwear. I just put some toilet paper in my knickers and carried on. Between 11 and 13 years old, it was a mass plot amongst my peers at school to try and find out who had started their period. It was terrible, I felt so guilty that I had this secret! I feel that periods were pegged as something disgusting and animalistic, a curse to children.
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how did you feel about it, and who did you tell about it?
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I didn't really know what it was and so I didn't mention it to anyone. When I got home from holiday it became heavier. I shouted my mum when I was on the toilet, started crying and told her I had blood there. She gave me a big hug and laughed, saying I shouldn't worry and that I was growing up. My sisters were a few years older than me and they both stepped forward and told me about what happened when they first started their periods. It's a lovely memory really, my mother and sisters were so nice to me, they made me feel so proud to 'join their club'.
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what menstrual product did you start with? how did you learn about it?
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I started with 'always' sanitary towels. They were what my Mum gave to me, and they were what my sisters used at the time, too.
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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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When I was 13 I switched to tampons, and then at 15 I bought a menstrual cup. I felt that tampons were unreliable, dangerous because of TSS and I hated the way they felt. Also I think I have a tipped uterus which means tampons often settle in the wrong place and so I sometimes leaked. I love the mooncup menstrual cup as it's ideal for heavier periods and I NEVER experience spotting or leaks, and also there's no string hanging outside my vagina. I feel like I'm not on my period at all!
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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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Cramps? Sometimes, but nothing major. No sore breasts, yeah I get pimples sometimes but again, nothing major. My period seems to give my bowel a reason to party, however, if you get my drift.
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do you feel emotional changes relating to where you are in your menstrual cycle?
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Oh hell yeah, I get really angry abour 3 days before my period and I eat like a beast!
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how do the men in your life relate to your period, or periods in general?
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They hear the word 'period' and they scatter. Or they put their penis back in their pants.
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this conversation makes me think....
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Of my first time and how amazing my Mum and sisters were. I felt like a freak, but they made me feel like a hero :]
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