Ladies, how old were you when you got your first period?

Contributor: *Ashley* *Ashley*
I was 12. My mom talked about it for a long time with me (she started at 9). So I knew the drill when the time came.
03/14/2011
Contributor: loveshocks loveshocks
I was 12, so it was either 2001 or 2002. My parents went and wrote it on the calendar. So embarrassing. It happened at home.
03/15/2011
Contributor: al16 al16
I got mine in a public pool at a birthday party, talk about tramatizing childhood moments!
03/15/2011
Contributor: Kitt Katt Kitt Katt
Quote:
Originally posted by P'Gell
Chili, as I am going through perimenopause I can tell you, it's like going through puberty backwards. The hot flashes, the night sweats, the mood swings the "extra" periods and even the missed periods I can take. The increasing ... more
Wow, I guess everyone is different. I am also going through perimenopause and I am having the best orgasms of my life! And I have been having sex with the same man for 27 years and things feel very different now which I am attributing to the changes in my body as a result of perimenopause. Very interesting!
03/17/2011
Contributor: Woman China Woman China
I had just turned eight (1988), was at my grandmothers house, and I thought I was dying and my family was very closed off to anything of a sexual nature. Yes. Babies were delivered by storks and women just got fat and passed lots of gas.

My grandmother had one of those 1960's washing machines and the roll ringer, and thank god I was almost six foot at the time I was able to wash my sheets and my nighty before anyone woke.

Beginning of September of that year, I still didn't know what was happening to me, I just knew I was bleeding, and I didn't hurt myself. I was at school, and again, I started my period. My teacher called my mother as I was in hysterics thinking I was dying. My mother came to pick me up, took me home, I got cleaned up. She handed me a book, and that was the last time we spoke talked about anything regarding a vagina till this past Autumn.

Ahh!! Good times!!! (sarcastic humour here)
03/20/2011
Contributor: Woman China Woman China
I forgot to mention, I was living in Ontario, Canada then.

Here in China, most girls who grew up in the bigger, more advanced cities BUT who have had their parents grow up in those cities, usually get their periods around the early high school age, or last year of junior middle school.

The girls who grew up in the countryside villages or smaller cities, usually around the sixteen year mark. But over the past few years, more and more girls are getting it at fourteen.
03/20/2011
Contributor: purplekidney purplekidney
I think I was the first person in my class to get my period. That was kind of awkward.
04/04/2011
Contributor: PiratePrincess PiratePrincess
When I was 11 or twelve. I was camping at the time...
04/04/2011
Contributor: alliegator alliegator
I started menstruating in middle school in the 90s. Felt grown up when I had to carry around pads and tampons. It wasn't until about two years ago when I started using a menstrual cup that I feel like I've really been aware of the various rhythms of my body and been truly comfortable with my period. So, that's about 10 years. I really wish my 6th grade sex ed class had been able to go more in depth about something that is so significant in my life.
04/05/2011
Contributor: tickle me pink tickle me pink
I was 12, and I still got mine before most of my friends.
04/08/2011
Contributor: bunny love bunny love
I voted that I was 13, but I just checked and apparently I was 12. I remember my family went to see the second Lord of the Rings movie (that's how I checked the year. heh.) at a really nice movie theater. It was the day or so after Christmas, and I told them I wasn't feeling well because I wanted to stay home and play my new Tony Hawk video game.

Only my oldest brother and his friend were at home when I noticed that I had started my period. I certainly wasn't keen on telling them. Luckily, I knew where my mom kept her pantyliners. I remember when I told my mom that I had been using her pantyliners while she was out (she was gone for most of the day). She said something like, "oh, those aren't meant to be your only protection." She had me use pads at first, but I begged to use tampons after a couple of periods. She finally asked my oldest brother's girlfriend what she thought about it and then let me use them. I know my mom didn't start using tampons until she was in college; she was surprised that I wanted to use them almost immediately.
04/13/2011
Contributor: Ms. Paprika Ms. Paprika
I got mine when I was 12 years old...came back home and thought something was wrong with me, since I hadn't yet had sex-ed in middle school. I'm pretty sure mom was more scared than me, though since I came running out screaming something about blood.
05/14/2011
Contributor: Maeby Maeby
I was 10, and definitely the first of my friends. I remember sitting through dinner feeling like such a grown-up!
05/14/2011
Contributor: Rachel Nunez Rachel Nunez
13.. I think. I was in 7th grade for sure tho
05/15/2011
Contributor: kelaaa33wish kelaaa33wish
I was 13 and it was on my b-day. What a present to get eh.
05/15/2011
Contributor: wetone123 wetone123
I was 13. I was at school and I just flooded all over my clothes. Yuck! It was so embarrassing cause everyone saw it. No one said a word tho', that was nice. I had to go home.
05/15/2011
Contributor: shentel shentel
I was 12 years old.
05/15/2011
Contributor: mandiegk mandiegk
It was either right before my 9th birthday or right after - I can't remember which. I had to use topical estrogen creams a lot when I was age 3-5 so I'm pretty sure that had something to do with my early start.
05/15/2011
Contributor: froggiemoma froggiemoma
i was around 13
05/15/2011
Contributor: Kat Shanahan Kat Shanahan
I was 7 (it happened on January 15, 1988, four months before I turned 8.) It sucked, because I had no idea what was going on.
05/15/2011
Contributor: Wondermom Wondermom
11, in the 90's
05/15/2011
Contributor: NarcissisticLust NarcissisticLust
Quote:
Originally posted by Splendwhore
Hell yes they are! The meat industry is pumping these animals full with growth hormones to fatten them up/help them mature faster. Can you honestly try and argue that ingesting those same hormones aren't affecting our bodies? No. Just-- no. ... more
It is outrageous companies insists growth hormones in meat/dairy are not affecting the consumer! I'm a pseudo-vegetarian and also lactose intolerant so I frequently cook with soy but have never heard about the hormone which mimics estrogen. Does this mostly effect developing bodies or all consumers? Could other factors have been influencing the toddlers growth? What really separates organic soy vs. conventional?
05/15/2011
Contributor: NarcissisticLust NarcissisticLust
Quote:
Originally posted by Alan & Michele
The 'super skinny' theory doesn't hold true, because I was skinny and *still* started at age 10. One of the worst days of my life, because not only had none of my friends started yet, I was in school when it happened.
I would argue against the "super skinny" theory. I had my first period at age 12 but from age 15- ~17 I had no periods because I had such a low body fat index, a little less than 11% bmi. Not until I stopped running and gained about twenty pounds did I start again.
05/15/2011
Contributor: padmeamidala padmeamidala
Quote:
Originally posted by P'Gell
It is believed that as nutrition increases, and some say more hormones from cattle and other animals enter out food system, girls are experiencing menarche (first menstruation) much earlier than in the past. The Victorian woman usually experienced ... more
I was 12 when i got my first period
05/15/2011
Contributor: K101 K101
I was 13. In the 7th grade. Mine were always extremely bad. I never attended school on my period days after the first year due to serious problems. I later found out I had endometriosis and that was the cause for me being in bed for 2 weeks out of every month. I JUST had surgery for this crap this year! Periods to me, are a curse. That is what I call mine. I'm on depo provera (injection) to help it and stop the period which helps the endometrial tissue from growing. It makes a huge difference but still, no woman should have to have a period that truly takes some of her life away.
05/15/2011
Contributor: SamsDelight SamsDelight
I was 9. And at the beach with my cousins family. My brother had me convinced that sharks were going to smell the blood and attack. Really long vacations. My mother also got hers when she was 9 and that would have been 1963.
05/15/2011
Contributor: salaciousrex salaciousrex
I was 11 and it was my first day of middle school, which made me more of a nervous wreck!
05/15/2011
Contributor: Dizzykakes Dizzykakes
I was nine years old when it first happened. I was lucky my mom had already talked to me about that kind of stuff.
05/16/2011
Contributor: Miss Anonymous Miss Anonymous
11 Years old.
05/22/2011
Contributor: Linga Linga
13, first week of high school

In Australia we don't start high school til 13/ year 8
05/22/2011