What "old wives tales" were you told about periods?

When I was doing my nurse training in the 60s sanitary towels were referred to as 'bunnies' Whingingmom to save embarrassment I suppose.

My mum told me in simple language what would happen, so I was prepared. Lucky really as I started at age 10 and remember the horrible belts and Dr Whites towels. They had to be incinerated and at grammar school there was a disgusting incinerator called a “Bunny” in the girls toilets for this purpose. It used to give off smoke and smell vile, the worst thing was the embarrassment of having to use it.
Despite the clear practical explanation my mum also told me that Tampax were for married women only (I didn’t understand why though!) not to wash my hair or have a bath during a period and not to ride my bike.

I remember my mum thought I was very uncouth to leave a packet of contraceptive pills on the bathroom shelf when I was newly married!!

My mum told me not to go out with wet hair when I had my period. Madness.

I was quite lucky that my mam was a nurse. But she was always blunt and to the point. I hated the sanitary belt, yuk! Also once when I was on a bus with her she asked me if I was menstrating!!! Honestly my face must have been red/purple by the time she had finished. I knew the people in front must have heard. I also used to have to sneak the sanitary pads into the fire/stove in the kitchen and past my dad. What the hell he thought I was doing I dont know but my mam always said to not talk about it in front of him. I still think I was born under the gooseberry bush with all the cloak and dagger bits that went with it. What an age we grew up in! I can just hear my grand daughter now as she says she has a hormonal stomach ache, haha!

My mum explained quite simply about periods so when it started I was prepared. I remember her telling me it was a private thing and I was not to mention it to my father or brother (said in hushed tones)

I didn’t hear any old wives tales around periods, but neither was I ever told by anybody that periods would start.
I was at grammar school ( all girls) and they didn’t tell me either! One day at school, there was blood so I told a teacher about it, she rang my mother to take me home ( my mother was at work) and I was told that I was ‘unwell’.
Once home I was given something called Indian brandy for the pains and packed off to bed with a hot water bottle.
Later, my mother told me I could expect this to happen once a month, so naturally I was horrified.
I was never told why periods occurred and had to find out for
Myself later on.Sanitary belts and those pads that rubbed were designed by the devil.?

annsixty, I used a Tassie, the forerunner of the Mooncup, most of my adult life. I found it very simple and reliable. At work I used the disabled loo as it had a wash basin in the cubicle, which made cleaning it easier. I wonder how much money I saved not using STs or tampons, let alone saving landfill.

I got the talk when I was probably about 10 or 11. Mum was pretty open about periods and showed us some books she had. By that time sticky pads were available; Mum said they only had the belts and thick pads in hospital when you had a baby. (Those have gone the way of the dinosaur now too, as I discovered when I did my maternity rotation in nursing school.)

I loved the William books Witzend especially Violet who would "thcream and thcream until she was thick". Happy memories.

Re ‘married love’ I once found in one of my GPs’ bookcases a manual on Christian marriage. (Like many of their books it was very likely pre 1900 though I can’t be sure now.)

Among other things long forgotten, it said in much more euphemistic language that sex should be indulged in only when a child was wanted!
Glad to say there were a lot of far cheerier volumes in those bookcases, all my father’s old William books, for starters.

My mum's m.i.l. said the same thing about baths and hair washing Evie so my poor mum unaware of her views, got into serious trouble with her before she married my dad, because she washed and set her future s.i.l.'s hair to make her feel better.

I'd forgotten about that 'Married Love' book. When DH and I got engaged we were invited to the vicarage for a 'little chat' with the vicar who was a family friend. A strange ritual and he must have been as embarrassed as we were because he just shoved the book at me and poured us a glass of sherry!

He and DH then talked about birdwatching.

Slightly off topic. My mum told me nothing, I learned from my friend. When I was 16 my mother pushed a book at me called 'Married Love'. One sentence has stuck in my mind all my life. 'On your wedding night, put a towel underneath you to soak up the blood'.

I started my periods in 1953 when I was 11 years old.
Mum told me to imagine I was a windmill and that a bucket was revolving inside me full of blood. Once a month it would reach the top and tip out!
I believed this and was suitably horrified. So glad when sex education and advice arrived at high school.
I dreaded games as I was convinced everything showed. Thank goodness for the huge navy gym knickers.

My mother said she thought you couldn’t use Tampax until you were married, ie. no longer as pure as virgin snow, but she raised no objection when I started using them quite early on, so I don’t think she really believed it.

OTOH, the mother of my German exchange student (I was 16) wouldn’t allow her daughters to have a bath or wash their hair during their period. Her younger daughter had a major tantrum at the dinner table one night, on account of being unable to wash her hair.

It says something that I still remember some of the exact words, so for anyone who understands German, ‘Ich kann es nicht mehr leiden!’ (I can’t bear it any more!)
followed immediately by, ‘Immer ein Theater!’ (Always a drama!) from Mutti.

I was so grateful that I didn’t have such an old-fashioned mother!

Had to smile at some of these memories of periods. I was told not to ride my bike! Oh those awful Dr. Whites and so hush hush about buying them, hidden away at the back of the counter at the chemist or haberdashery store. They were so bulky, leaked as no waterproof backing and the belt was just gross. I was told I would be "unwell" and I felt so embarrassed. Mum did explain but she was obviously mortified telling me. But I felt so grown up when it did happen. Thank goodness there is no shame in being a woman today and the modern protection is excellent.

Luckily, my mother was quite enlightened. The first time our boxer bitch was on heat, and there were blood spots on the lino, she took the opportunity to explain periods to me - I was ten or eleven at the time, so had plenty of warning before I started at thirteen.

Thank sodapop. Yes, I had a very 'interesting ' childhood' one way and another. I'm 82, and my goodness how times have changed . I could write a book!

My mother was older than average Sparklefizz and very old fashioned, sounds like your Mum was too.

Oh henetha that must have been awful for you. I'm 74 but pads were available when I was a teen. Your friend was kind.

I was told absolutely nothing about periods, so to wake up with blood one morning was a huge shock. When I told my mother she simply cut up an old sheet into strips and told me to tie bias binding around my waist and tie each end of the strips to that. She told me I must never discuss the 'curse' with anyone. And never to wash my hair, or bath, or ride my bike during it.
The strips would be put to soak in an enamel bucket with a lid and then I had to wash them for re-use. I continued to use torn up sheets for almost two years until I eventually confided in an older friend and she used to buy Dr.White's for me until I plucked up the courage to buy them for myself.

Just a slight digression but on the same subject, did/does anyone ever use a moon/lily cup?
They sound quite gross to me and seem very difficult to get used to.
I should say this is not something I would be considering, that ship sailed long ago.

Those belts and STs were gross. I soon found you could buy stick on pads. So much better but my mum refused to buy such expensive ones and I remember buying my own!!!

I was lucky, my Mum encouraged me to have a bath at that time to be more hygienic. Yes I remember the horrible sanitary belts and the way the towels used to chafe when we had hockey every Friday afternoon. There were old wives’ tales though, the strangest I heard from a classmate was that if you touched raw meat at that time of the month the meat went rotten. I told my mother and she laughed and said it was a load of rubbish.