We asked girls about their worst period stories

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if men had periods?  They would definitely be normalized, if not glorified.

Women in the US and the UK definitely don’t face the worst menstrual stigma, but the social complications of our bodies’ gift could still benefit from some talking-about.

Periods are an inconvenient and sometimes distressing part of life. One way to lighten the taboo is bringing them into conversation – by joking, supporting one another, and discussing the science and health-related quirks of “the flow.” Discussing menstruation can transform this restricted and sometimes “indecent” aspect of womanhood into something more empowering, communal, subversive, and sometimes funnily absurd.

The interviewees below share their best and worst stories.

Ruby Epler, 19, Portsmouth, New Hampshire

“Once in seventh grade I was in gym class, and my best friend and I were laughing a lot and I laughed so hard I wet my pants. I was wearing maroon shorts. I was definitely a ‘cool kid’ in middle school. I ran inside and told everyone I got my period, and I think they believed me, even though I didn’t get my period for another two-and-a-half years.

“Another one: the first time I got my period I had to work as a lifeguard in the afternoon. I bled through my red guard suit and had to wear shorts for the rest of the day. When my dad picked my up from work that night he was like ‘I heard you got some punctuation.’ I was mortified. He took me to CVS and I bought pads, tampons, and chocolate.”

Kate Rae, 22, Columbus, Ohio

“I am on birth control. I haven’t had a period in two years.”

Stuart Faith, 20, Charleston, South Carolina

“Seventh grade. The heart of middle school. Rumors were spreading about which girls had started their periods, and yes, I was among the unlucky few. During lunch one day, an acquaintance named Lillian leaned in close to commiserate– she had started hers too, wasn’t it the worst, etc. etc. ‘If you ever run out of pads, you can use my sock,’ she offered, lifting her leg up onto the table. Needless to say, I never did take Lillian up on that offer.”

Gail Vivar, 19, Kearny, New Jersey

“I was just returning from an incredible week in Texas when, during my flight, my period began. I cursed under my breath and had to sit in the uncomfortable seats for those few hours until we landed! The worst part of it all was the turbulence and my painful facial gestures.

“I think the flight attendant was aware of my pain since she could see me cry a little each time she walked by.”

Jacqueline Suazo, 19, Kearney, New Jersey

“I was around 10 when I got my first period. I was too young so I didn’t have a “talk” and my grandma found out and gave me a pad. I couldn’t move the entire day. I only had it for three days. I didn’t get it for another couple of months. The third time I got it, it came down heavy and my mother only had the thin pads. After a week I told my mom it didn’t stop.

“Two weeks, still a heavy period, but I was incredibly embarrassed to tell my mother so I kept living with it. My mom soon realized that my period never ended, so after about a month of bleeding nonstop, I had to be taken to the hospital because I was super anemic. I lost a ton of weight, I couldn’t walk for too long, I was dizzy most of the day, and had fevers every day. I went to a hospital for the first time, and the doctors realized I was on the verge of dying. After a couple of foggy nights, I was sent home.

“After another month of being on my period, (2 straight months), I was taken to another hospital in a worse condition. At the hospital, my doctor was saying how “birth control” was the only option. To this day, I’m still unsure why all that had happened.”

Delaney Sexton, 19, Thomasville, NC

“High school gym was always torture because I was afraid of tampons for the longest time, so I would just wear a big pad. Imagine running the mile with a pad on. Horrible stuff. They should have a menstruation pass!”

Lauren Cocking, 21, Yorkshire, UK

“I was going to meet some of my boyfriend’s school friends for the first time, and wasn’t really supposed to be getting my period. Long story short, I bled through my very skimpy lacy knickers and onto the inside of my pale blue denim shorts and then (in the full knowledge that this had happened, you know when you feel it and you can’t do anything about it?) had to go to a Walmart toilet and put toilet paper down there to ~stem the flow~. Then had to sit through an afternoon with them knowing that I really, really needed a tampon and a shower.”

Knika Pandey, 19, Jacksonville, Florida

“I think my worst period story would be when I was younger, still new to periods. I think the worst was not realizing you got your period till you got up from your chair and looked down and saw blood and didn’t know what to do.”

Jamie Farrell, 20, Santa Cruz, CA

“A few weeks ago, I wrote an experience feature about trying the menstrual cup. I had a great time testing it out and writing about it, but I usually share my articles on Facebook and I really hesitated with this one. All I could think about was the fact that my guy friends (and probably girls too) would see it and think it was way too much information and be grossed out.

“I ended up posting it anyway because it was one of my favorite articles I’ve done, and I was sort of hoping it would go under the radar but it ended up totally flying and getting thousands of page views. I really had to just own it, and something about forcing myself to act nonchalant and confident about my period was pretty empowering. Even though my skin was secretly crawling.

“I saw my grandpa a few days later, and he said ‘I thought your article was fantastic.’ My heart totally skipped a beat to think about my grandpa reading the specific ways in which I tried stuffing a menstrual cup into my nether regions and I was praying he was talking about a different article so I was like ‘My article? Did I post an article recently?’ He just cracked up and said, ‘Yeah! About the menstrual cup! It was hilarious!'”

The most surprising part of this interview process was finding out how eager women are to talk to other women about their periods. In more public situations periods can feel horrifically personal and awkwardly biological, but it seems that few women feel repulsed by the details other females’ menstruation.

Women (and men) can help other women by lifting the burden of secrecy from ‘that time of month,’ making the technicalities of periods in public easier to navigate and releasing menstruation from its shamed quarantine.