When did you start?

I started the day of my 13th birthday, my sister who is 8 years younger than me started when she was 12. I have a lot of problems with regularity though (even on birth control and taking the birth control properly)

I was 12. Yup. I've had enough. ha ha
Still, better than shaving a beard. That seems like a bigger pain since it's every single day for most guys.

^ better than that and erections.....yeesh

I started when I was 10

there has to be more people who started late like me .WOW i didn't know how early people started that's crazy

I was 11. Hopefully everything Im about to say makes sense because I find it very difficult to talk about this sort of stuff or use certain words. Im so squeamish of intimacy. Anyway, after I told my mother I never talked about it with her, and she never bothered to buy me anything. At 11-12 years old its not really my job. So I ran out pretty quickly, and I was too scared to ask for anything on top of her never making the effort to think, so I had to reuse things (just think about that for a moment), I would wash them in the shower. Or Id stuff a shirt or rolled up toilet paper down my pants. Sometimes when I had the chance Id sneak into her room to look for stuff. I used to smell so bad because of it, especially when having to reuse, I remember once at school the teacher was asking the class what smelt so bad and ended up opening the windows to air out the room. Only now do I realise how revolting that is.

At 12 years old. Oh the horror!
I became mom's favorite topic of conversation infront of my sister. My sister and I had never had a compatible sibling relationship. She was always the bully. I don't know why mom did this to me. She knew fully well what was going on.

I was 13 and my mum was sick with cancer.
After she passed away my "father" didn't buy me tampons or pads etc so I just used toilet paper until I didn't die of embarrassment when I could go into shops and buy my own which was about 18.

Evening
So sorry you and so many of us had such awful starts into womanhood.....
You are all in my heart
why are some people so cruel to young ones?

about those of you that used toilet paper....
I forget that my situation is not of the average(VERY heavy periods), I'd be changing the TP every 30 minutes or my pants would be soaked the first 3 days of my period. I forget that most women/girls don't have that issue.
..... and the pain... oh GOD the pain....
my body would be covered in goose bumps from sweating from the pain and then being chilled from the sweating... but I never told a soul-- I didn't want to anger anyone or to get picked on.(had bullies in my family too)

I finally saw a doc in my thirties and went on the pill-- No more pain and the periods-- Doc said-- "this is what it's like for most women"-- I couldn't believe it -- I didn't have to double layer the pads, or change every hour-- I found a new freedom!!

such things females have to deal with and some of us-- without any compassion ..... ugh......

Thank you, purple_fins. You're very kind.
I am glad that you found the doctor that helped you control those heavy periods.

I was 12 when I started. I was living with my Dad but I was such a curious child and took up the responsibility of finding out about puberty by myself and knew what was going to happen to me since I was around 8. I used what was given to us by our health teacher, and then resorted to toilet paper for a couple months cause I was too embarrassed to tell my Dad what I needed (he knew I had gotten my period cause I told him but it just didn't "click" at the time that it meant there was a new item to add to the shopping list). Then he finally realized why toilet paper was disappearing so quickly every month and started buying pads for me. He still does when I'm too sick to go out.

I think I'm quite lucky to have a father who doesn't complain and isn't too embarrassed to go to that section of the store by himself.

after reading these other posts, I feel so fortunate

I was in grade 8. I think all the girls in my class started that same year. Our mothers were not really present. We talked amongst ourselves. Supported each other. And as we were all babysitting, we all had money to buy feminine products and we discussed which were better, how to put the tampon in etc.. The gym locker room was a hoot.... all of us girls trying to figure it out together... kind of like the blind leading the blind. It is actually a good memory.

roses

A couple weeks after my 10th birthday

Day of my 9th birthday. Had no idea what it was. Scary. Ever since then they are so irregular, even with meds. I can go 4-5 months without then start and go for a month.

I was almost 9yr when i started. I was in daycare when they noticed i was in the bathroom for a really long time.. lol I thought i was dieing or something.. so they gave me a few pads and told me what it was all about -sorta.

day before my 13th birthday! it sucked, i was on vacation in puerto rico with my grandma and couldnt go swimming at the beach because of the sharks... Only vacation ever at that! Worst timing ever!

i had my period when i was 13 . still i remmber that day.

lol, i feel so alone up there on the poll. yup that's right i'm the lonely "1 count" on the age 16-18

racee

perhaps being alone in this particular situation is a
good thing, I think starting when one is older is a blessing

I wish all girls wouldn't start until at least 16-- it can be too much to cope with for a young one, especially in a majorly dyfunctioning family and/or when abused/neglected...*sigh*.....

I was 11. I thought I was going to die. I told my mom I needed to go to the hospital because I was bleeding. She said no you're ok, here's a pamphlet (from a box of pads). Read it and let me know if you have any questions. That was it.

I don't remember the specific day, but it was 7th grade the month before we watched "the movie" (Miracle of Life) and learned about all that...I remember when we finally reached the unit my friend leaned over to me and whispered "Hey! That's what you have!"

I was 11 and it was the first day of 'Thanksgiving break.' I also remember my mom telling me dad, and I was so embarressted.

Periods sound awful! I'm thankful I haven't started yet! -Hugs- always..

Angel
Xx

I remember it was in the summer when I was with my mother visiting my grand parents back in Kansas......on a friday.....the day before we had a fishing trip planned.....I think I was 11, but not really sure to be quite honest. However, I had no idea why I was bleeding & thought I was dying of a kidney infection or some horrible disease that I didn't know about. I took a bath, thinking I could just wash it away to start with. We had the movies in grade school about the girl stuff. but translating it into reality just didn't happen with me.

I was afraid that if I said something about bleeding that I would end up in the hospital or something & not be able to go on the fishing trip we planned.....so I said NOTHING until after we got back from the fishing trip & I couldn't hide the fact that I was bleeding any longer......then my mom said.....duh, it's JUST your period. Shoot, I was a tom boy.....& tom boys don't mess around with the girl stuff & periods. I was really angry about being a girl at that point. Having to deal with it every month.....it was mostly right on within a few days.

Unfortunately, my periods were hard & long & the cramps would make me so sick to my stomach but it was before they had the pill....so there was absolutely NOTHING that could be done to help. After getting married, I tried using the pill, but ended up passing out all the time, so my obgyn took me off the pill & told me it wasn't an option for me.

Think my period was the nightmare of my life. Even the first bout with anorexia at the age of 42, didn't even stop my period & my weight was REALLY LOW. It wasn't until my second round with anorexia that my period finally stopped....but then by that time, I was 52 & it was probably time for it to stop anyway. It started up every other month for a couple of months about 4 years ago.....but stopped as quickly as it started again & never have had a period since then.....what a relief it was to have an end to that nuisance.

Have to admit, the hot flashes weren't pleasant though.....even though they only lasted about a year on & off, I didn't really know wether it was hot flashes or just the hot humidity at the new state I moved to......but not that those hot flashes are gone & my period is gone....life is good again with nothing to bother me. What a wonderful freedom it feels like now...not worring if my period is going to surprise me, or overflow the tampon & pad I had to double up on

Haha, my dad rented that movie for me and my sister I remember how the live birth at the end made us feel sick. LOL