Hey Google

K G •  USA •  13

One fateful day, 10 year old me went to bed and slept as usual. A few hours later, I was woken up by a wet sensation and my first thought was that I had peed myself. After seeing that I was sitting on a giant red spot, I knew it wasn't pee.

I heard about periods before and I suspected this was my period but I wasn't for sure and I didn't want to tell my mom. So I went to Google for answers. All the results were not relevant to me so I concluded that this was my period.

K G first period story

I was extremely embarrassed so I did not tell my mom. Ultimately, she still found out when she used my bathroom and found blood on the toilet paper. All she did was reassure me there was nothing to worry about and handed me some pads.

There was still some curiosity inside me, so again, I resorted to Google. Google told me about menstrual cycles and that I was now a woman capable of getting pregnant and that the blood was actually the lining of my uterus.

After about 6 days, I stopped bleeding and breathed out a sigh of relief. But deep down, I knew this was not over yet and this would happen about every month from now on for about 40 years.

KG first period stories

Period Product Investigation

Rutvi V •  India •  21

I got my period at the age of 12 (that was 2012), and like most girls, I had little former education about it. I relied on gossip from friends, TV ads, and my 7th grade CBSE textbook, which barely mentioned it.

I was alone at home when I felt something weird in my underpants. To my horror and disgust – it was stained red. I did not inform my mom until the end of day. I slept all day in pain and finally talked about it when I was left with no other choice.

Rutvi V first period story

My mom took me to a private room and taught me how to use a pad and a cloth. In my first few months (I was mortified to found out that this was to happen every month), I used cloth, which caused abrasions on the skin, and I hated the whole process of washing it every time.

I eventually switched to conventional sanitary napkins available in the market. Though easier to use, my skin itched and burnt. My mom kept urging me to go back to cloth, as she was concerned about the chemicals in the pads.

There was no way I was going back. It was then I started looking into other menstrual hygiene products.

Read more about Rutvi’s exploration of menstrual hygiene products here!

Rutvi V first period stories

Ready? Break!

Prakarsha P •  India •  20

I knew about periods before getting mine. Whisper (they make sanitary pads) came to our school and explained it to all the adolescent girls every year in detail. Also, my grandma told me to be prepared for menarche because I was showing signs of puberty. Yes, I'm lucky like that.

Prakarsha P first period story

I was at home on a 10 day break and it was about 1 am. I woke my grandma up and casually said I got my period. She is a science graduate herself. She said, "Okay, go back to sleep." That morning, mom gave a sanitary napkin. They were surprised that I knew how to use it!

My only regret is that all my classmates got to be absent for five days when they got their first. Mine just had to be during a vacation.

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