Melani S • Colorado • 33
I had just turned 12, and I remember seeing blood in my underwear one morning. It was just me and my mom at home at the time, but I didn't tell her, or anyone, that I had started my period. I quickly washed out my underwear and hid them in my room. I put on a fresh pair, stuffed a wad of toilet paper into them, and went on with my day. I was partly disgusted, partly ashamed, but mostly annoyed and not wanting to draw any attention to myself.
This went on for many months – hiding my periods, wrapping my underwear with toilet paper – until my mom somehow found some bloody tp and confronted me about it. Even though she did her best to make me feel okay about it (and get me some actual pads, thank god!), I was humiliated knowing that other people knew about my “secret.”
