How were you told about the onset of periods

Like so many of you here, no one told me anything and I thought I was bleeding to death.

Anything "down there " was taboo. An Aunt died of cancer because she failed to see a doctor for that very reason.

I introduced it very gradually to both my daughters and each one had a little party and period cake in the week they started.

Leedee Your parents sound like mine, both had been living in London when they met in the 1960’s dad in Wimbledon and mum in Knightsbridge and had travelled and lived abroad so I think their cosmopolitan up bringings had a lot to do with it!

I can't really remember , but I'm sure my mother had already told me about them, she had already purchased sanitary towels ( I knew she used Tampax )
For my daughters , periods were never a secret , they grew up knowing it's something that happens when a girl reaches puberty.

I’m grateful to say my mum (75 now) was modern for her time, periods /sex etc was nothing to be ashamed off. She told me all sorts in the easiest understandable way. I looked forward to my periods in a way, and both parents made me feel quite ‘grown up’ when they came at 15…still we came from west London, swinging 60’s maybe that had something to do with their own outlook in life

#Kali2 I was the same as your mother. I thought I was bleeding to death. My mother gave me a sanitary belt and towel and told me to stay away from boys. I sat the whole day crying because I thought I was dying. I was 11.

I was only 9 when I started my periods. Having two older sisters I knew something about it and when it happened my Mum said that I was now a young lady and that she was proud of me . However, a girl in my class said that she wasn’t allowed to play with me anymore as her mother said I was dirty and had ‘been with boys’. My Mum explained that the women should be pitied for her ignorance so I was alright with that but when I had daughters of my own my Mum and l did speculate on how she had drawn that conclusion from an early onset of menstruation. ?

We were shown 2 films at age 13 at grammar school. Preparation for parenthood and growing girls.
Growing girls showed Mary riding a bike then talked about periods.
Preparation for parenthood was just diagrams about how eggs were fertilised and how baby grew. Nothing about how sperms got there though.
Nobody spoke no questions no discussion just watched the films and then class ended. No mention of sex or sanitary protection, or contraception. I learned a lot more from reading a family medical book.

1974 aged 14 , mother handed me a Dr whites and told me to keep away from boys . I felt quite unwell but no sympathy . I then had to ask her to buy me pads every month and to be careful to make sure I kept a few over as she wouldn't buy them until I needed them . I thought that was cruel and constantly worried about not having any sanitary towels.
My sons partners are quite open and will announce without any embarrassment that they have pmt or they're feeling unwell because they're on their period . It's not a taboo subject which is good .
Reading some of these has made me feel quite sad . Our mother's could be quite harsh couldn't they .

Mummer

I learned from biology lesson in school, the day instated I'd been in a really bad mood ,my ma was having a go at me shouting and asked e what was the matter with me but not in a caring manner so I yelled downstairs"I've started my bloody period today!" She just said "oh right,well there's no need to carry on about it!" No special conversation no sympathy just some Dr.Whites of my sister's shoved at me. Then she embarrassed me totally by taking me to a local haberdashery shop (remember them?) To get me sorted out with a sanitary belt! Making me try it on for the 2old dears and her to see of it fit !!!!! Bloody nightmare.

#I STARTED!!!!

I learned from biology lesson in school, the day instated I'd been in a really bad mood ,my ma was having a go at me shouting and asked e what was the matter with me but not in a caring manner so I yelled downstairs"I've started my bloody period today!" She just said "oh right,well there's no need to carry on about it!" No special conversation no sympathy just some Dr.Whites of my sister's shoved at me. Then she embarrassed me totally by taking me to a local haberdashery shop (remember them?) To get me sorted out with a sanitary belt! Making me try it on for the 2old dears and her to see of it fit !!!!! Bloody nightmare.

Learnt in secondary school we were given a lesson on sex , babies and periods and at the end a pamphlet to keep.
I was 12 my mother had told me that the fairies had left me in the garden, this when I was about 7 and when I told her later on that I had a lesson on periods etc she just said ‘that’s good’

I had a very sheltered life. My mother told me nothing. Even sent the dog to the vets to have her puppies.. I was thirteen when I had blood on my knickers my mum gave me a square of towelling, piece of elastic and safety pin and showed me how to put it on. Said it was my body having a clear out. Had to wash them out myself. Wasn’t until I joined the WAAF that I learned the facts of life and found out what the male body looked like. We were issued with pads in the Forces.

I found out from older girls. But when I did start my periods, I went and told my mom, pretending I knew nothing.
No explanations just said it was my periods.
Everything I learned about sex was also from older girls at school. I was quite innocent. Had no brothers or sisters. And remember being quite frightened of boys.
I’m glad things have moved on.

I was 9 when I started my periods with a raging migraine which I never had before and my mum said ahh you are now growing up into a woman, gave me a book to read about it, answered the questions I had and gave me a belt and towels and told to use them and change them frequently otherwise they smell, Oh and no washing your hair during a period - stupid old wives tale!

I knew all about periods, no embarrassment from my mother. Although I was nearly 15 when they started I was sad as I saw it as the end of carefree childhood. I was a slow developer! However at boarding school if we needed towels we had to go and ask House Mother for a birthday present! How ridiculous.

I was ten (72 years ago)! and knew nothing. When I saw blood I thought I was dying. My Mum gave me a hasty explanation and then bought me the "necessaries".She replenished supplies at the local shop always asking the lady owner for "Shredded Wheat for M...." It was the code for towels !!!

My mother explained the facts of life to me at a young age so as to knock on the head all the nonsense about storks etc??‍♀️
We also had a family health book which had a whole chapter on girls bodies and puberty so I was quite clued up. She put a pack of Dr Whites and a loop belt in the cupboard in my room when I was 9 and explained it was for when the time came. I was still scared when I woke up to blood stained sheets aged 13!
My 3 girls were all told early on and were used to seeing sanitary towels on top of the weeks shopping in the supermarket so no mystery there. Their father also would pop to the shops for me for towels or tampons and and we tried to make it as ordinary and drama free as possible. I have also discussed it with my eldest grandson who is 11,so he's fairly laid back too and all three granddaughter( 8,10,10 )are happy to chat about it

I find some of these comments quite sad really when a mum can't talk to her own daughter and help her. I've no idea what a belt and pad would be like as I'm too young and only know of adhesive pads. I had a little booklet called Sister Marion or something like that which explained the basics.

My mum told me a little about things like that, but I learnt a lot more from friends and book 3 in biology at school lol. The day my period arrived, I came home from school and told her, she came down with a huge Dr.White's towel and it felt very awkward. The worst though was asking her for a bra one day shopping as she was lifting new vests for me, all the girls at school had bras and I felt left out. My mum answered me 'ladies wear bras when they have something to put in them'. Talk about embarrassed, still got my bra though, fried eggs size

I was 14 when I took my period....I shouted to my mum to come to the bathroom...For some reason I felt embarrassed in front of her....She went to the cupboard, brought out a sanitary towel & belt & handed me it....All she said was..."you are a big girl now"....We never spoke bout periods again....It almost felt shameful.....So glad life has changed so much...

Our first PE lesson at high school involved changing into our kit and sitting on the cold gym floor for a talk about periods. For a long time I hated the teacher for the brutal way she handled it, but my more mature self realises that she was probably allocated the job because no one else would do it!

My mother didn’t say anything until I actually started, and then it was a case of standing in the bedroom doorway (for a quick exit?) when she told me that I shouldn’t wash my hair while I was “unwell”.

I got most of my sex education from Jackie magazine!

As a very young child, walking next to the pushchair, mum randomly explained that “daddy plants a seed in mummy”
Later the same summer, in an entirely unconnected event, I was given a little strip of garden and packets of night scented stock, marigolds and nasturtiums to plant. I found it rather confusing and associated the two…

When I was on school holidays aged 10 at a friends house, we found a family encyclopaedia with a diagram and the words “uterus and fallopian tubes”. Intrigued we asked friends mum about it when she popped in for lunch. She totally denied the existence of the words, saying it was rubbish. It was the first time it dawned on me that adults didn’t always tell the truth.

Finally aged 11, I woke one day thinking I was bleeding to death, finally emerging from my room at lunchtime (secretly wearing 10 pairs of knickers, struggling to walk or sit down) to a severe telling-off for “sleeping in”

The school sex education in the 1960’s has a lot to be said against it for making us totally terrified and to never in pir lifetimes risk becoming pregnant. Shame.

I totally love the kind description upthread about nature preparing your nest, how lovely.

My Beautiful Aunt explained it all to me

I was lucky as my mam used to be a nurse and she told me all about periods before I went to big school but I was still shocked the first time it appeared. I was only 12 and 52 when they finally stopped after years of hell with them.

Dee1012 You dad sounds like a lovely gentle man.

I found out about periods and the 'facts of life' from the other girls at school. Sex, periods and anything else related was never, ever mentioned in our family. It was a dirty source of shame. Every month I had to go through the excruciating task of asking my mum for sanitary towels - I've often wondered why she didn't just put a pack in the bathroom or my bedroom drawer.

Reading all these posts makes me sad for the shame surrounding periods and hopeful that things are easier for young girls today.