(( VaginaPagina ))

Oh lordy, my first period was so embarrassing. I was 11, and it was the first day of 6th grade. I had felt vaguely ill all day long, though I couldn't really pinpoint it. I figured it was just a stomach bug and to keep on a cheerful face all day and not worry about it. Somehow I got through the day without ever going to the bathroom (besides the morning pee, of course). Once I got home, I had been riding on the bus for an hour and a half and now felt fully disgusting. My mom had made my favorite dinner of the time, but I felt so sick to my stomach that I didn't have an appetite. She suggested trying to go to the bathroom and see if I felt better, so I did- as soon as I pulled down my (formerly white) underpants, I started absolutely howling. They were just about black with blood. I had no idea what was going on- they had always told us that there would just be "light spotting" during your period! I had been waiting to see a few pink dots, not what looked like a veritable hemorrhage. It was horrid. So my mom comes running into the bathroom while I'm on the toilet (thank goodness my dad and brother had the presence of mind to leave me be) and she takes one look and is like "Oh. You got your period!" I was thinking what in hell she could be talking about, I clearly needed to go to the hospital. Finally, she got me calmed down enough to change my underwear and put on a pad and made me eat dinner with the rest of the family. I'm sure my dad and brother had by now figured out or been told what was going on, and thankfully they didn't say a word. God. It was horrible, though. Next day in school I was uber-self conscious, but I made it through, hehe.

I'm Rebecca, 21, from Philadelphia, PA.