We’ve all been there … that first time your period decided to show up? For some, it was shocking, for some confusing and for some annoying. Here are the personal accounts of five real women, who are sharing the stories of their first time. While everyone’s experiences are different, we are sure you’ll be able to relate to their stories.
Sonali Vahadane, 25
I was 13 years old when I got my first period. So there was no “panic situation” as such. I knew about it from an awareness program in school. I was at home when I got it, so mom was around to guide me on what to do next and how.
Shalakha Waghmare, 23
I was 14 years old and in the ninth grade when I got my period for the first time. I was cycling my way to my tuitions. Since my mom had passed away early when I was very young, there was nobody who came up to me and explained details about menstruation. I was very scared and ran to my nani’s place and told her about it. But thankfully nani explained the entire process to me. We did have a class in school, on this particular topic, but it was in the ninth or tenth grade, which was pretty late for most girls.
Charmaine Fernandez, 26
I learnt about menstruation in school and my mom was smart enough to tell me about it, too. To think of it now, I was pretty excited as it felt all grown up, but I didn’t expect the pain. I was around 13 years old when it happened but I wasn’t scared since we had some informative classes in school to prepare us. These classes were done extremely well and we didn’t feel awkward but I guess that was because I went to a convent school.
Wafa Bhombal, 23
I got my period pretty early, when I was 11 years old and I was at home when I got it. I was actually a bit confused and scared so I called my mother as she was the only one who could help me. My mom explained what I needed to do but I didn’t quite understand why we had to go through this until I attended a special workshop in school, which explained in detail about the biological aspect behind the process.
Tanni Mandal, 37
I got my first period when I was in eighth grade and I had just come home from my dance class. Menstruation was something that I learnt about from my friends who were slightly older. My mom got to know that I knew everything after I got my first period. In our time, there was no discussion about menstruation. So we learnt everything from friends and family members, and we’d have talks about these issues inside closed rooms in hushed tones.
