“I was 12 when I got my first period. Dad called me at home and said he was so proud his little girl had become a woman. That day, I had to go with Mum to Dad’s workplace. It was the ’80s, and he was a car salesman. As I walked in, he announced over the loudspeaker in front of everyone, including the customers, that his daughter had turned into a woman. It was mortifying!” – Andrea, Balmoral, NSW

“I got my first period at 11 during a Halloween school disco. Being quite young, I didn’t expect it and didn’t carry pads or anything. I stood in the bathroom stall in full costume and decided that if anything happened, I would pretend it was fake blood as part of my costume. I rejoined the disco and continued dancing.” – Lottie, Gold Coast

“When I was 13, my parents sent me from South America to New York City to stay with my cousins for five months so I could learn English. While I was there, my period came, and I didn’t know much about it. But my cousin, who was two years older and had already reached puberty, gave me the unusual advice that wiping your period blood on your skin each month means you’ll avoid getting acne. So, I did that! Ha! I’d put it on my face for about an hour and then wash it off. The weird thing is that all of my siblings had bad acne problems for years, but I didn’t. Not sure if it was from my ritual or just the power of the mind to believe it!” – Evie*, Freshwater, NSW

“I was with a friend when I got my first period. She gave me a tampon and I didn’t think to ask her how to use it, so I unwrapped it to use like you would a pad!” – Danni*, Pottsville, NSW

“I was 11 years old and travelled to Byron Bay with the family for summer holidays to spend a whole day at Tallow Beach. No shops, nothing but a solid eight hours of surf and sun.

I ducked into the public toilets and discovered my period had arrived. I faced the mortifying reality of a day at the beach with my cousins, siblings, aunts, uncles, mother… and my first period. I emerged from the toilets in horror and managed to choke out my news to Mum awkwardly. ‘You’ll need to use a tampon,’ she said matter-of-factly. My face looked pained. She shrugged and said it was either that or sitting on the sand all day – a fate worse than death.

So, gripping an enormous tampon box, my pre-teen self headed back into the stiflingly hot public toilet and attempted to insert a tampon. My mum offered a few – and I mean, few – suggestions. I unfolded the instructions and tried to make sense of them. While avoiding touching any surfaces in the revolting cubicle, I attempted to shove the massive tampon inside me, only achieving halfway and terrified by the whole situation. Pads were a breeze after that. And, Mum, sorry, but you were zero help!” – Lu Lu, Northern Beaches Sydney, NSW

“I was 12 years old in year 8 at a semi-regional school in the late-’80s. I’d been working in a surf shop on the weekends and used my whole pay to purchase my first pair of Hot Tuna togs: yellow with black dots and so trendy. I’d been wanting them for ages.

The school dance was finally here. Everyone had talked about it for months, and I couldn’t wait to go. I had my outfit sorted: a ra-ra skirt and I wore my new Hot Tuna bather bottoms underneath. They perfectly covered my bum just in case my skirt lifted while dancing.

Because of the rural location, buses took us to and from the dance. It meant we were free from our parents for the night. Woot! The vibe was epic – friends, music and independence.

In the early evening, I felt off. No pain, just a severe dampness in my new bather bottoms, so I went to the bathroom. Squatting over the toilet, I saw that the yellow had turned red. Without warning, my independence and my hot Hot Tunas were destroyed. I was petrified. If the blood transferred onto my skirt, everyone would know. We didn’t have an easy way out of situations back then. No mobiles to call for help. Just toilet paper and lots of planning to get out of there without explaining myself. I found a phone at the canteen and called Mum – my saviour.” – Sally, Miami, QLD

“I was 12 years old, living in America, where I grew up. It was the summer leading into fall, and I was in the car with Mum, Dad and my sister going into the city for Sunday brunch. During the journey, Mum suddenly turned to Dad and announced, ‘Audrey got her period yesterday!’ Dad said nothing. He was 11 years older than Mum and of a different generation. It was awkward. Mum was so proud to share the news of me moving into womanhood, and my dad was like, oookay. He didn’t even say congratulations; he didn’t know what to say!” – Audrey, Fairlight, NSW

“I was in year 10 at high school when I got my period, which was quite late compared to the other girls in my class. I was so desperate to get it that when I did, I came to school and announced it in front of all my friends with an unabashed declaration, shouting, ‘I’M A WOMAN!’ My friends were happy for me and thought it was adorable.” – Natalie*, Avalon, NSW

“I was at a sleep-over when my period first started with light spotting. It wasn’t until I got home the next morning that I registered what was happening. I told my mum and burst into tears. I wasn’t so keen on growing up!” – Kristal*, Busselton, WA*

“It was April 10. I was 11-and-a-half years old and my family and I were in New York City visiting my much older sister. While walking out of a store, having just purchased the hot new craze of bra strap-style headbands, I complained of a sore stomach. My sister suggested I was probably hungry, so we all went to a little Italian restaurant for dinner.

Arriving at the restaurant, I headed downstairs to the bathroom, where I noticed a bit of blood in my underwear. I freaked out and thought I was bleeding out and about to die. I called outside for Mum and told her what I saw. She shrugged it off and said I probably had my period and was going to continue bleeding. She fetched me a pad and nonchalantly told me to whack it in my underwear and then come back upstairs because we needed to order dinner.

When I sat at the table, my dad asked if everything was okay. I started crying hysterically, using the menu to cover my face. I was embarrassed and upset at the thought that I could never attend a pool party again. My dad offered to order lobster ravioli, my favourite, in an attempt to make me feel better. But I continued crying and hiding my face.

A few weeks later, during sex-ed in school, I finally learned what a period was and that it would only last five-to-seven days a month. I could indeed swim in a pool again. Now, every year on April 10, I commemorate my period anniversary with a round of bloody marys!” – Marissa, Sydney, NSW

“I learned about puberty by reading my mum’s medical encyclopedias; thick, heavy volumes containing every known illness, disease and bodily function in glorious full colour.

On the day of my first period, Mum said, ‘Congratulations, you’re a woman now,” and handed me a pamphlet. After having read full-on medical encyclopedias in all their gory glory for three years before this, I found the pamphlet crude and full of evasive homilies about ‘womanhood’. I looked at Mum and said, ‘It’s OK, Mum. I already know about periods and, sorry, but this is rubbish.” Fortunately, she laughed.

Back then, we only had Modess napkins and belts we used to call ‘surfboards’ due to their size. Nothing had ‘wings’ or adhesive strips.” – Sharon, Forest Lake, QLD

“I have a fear of blood and fainted when I got my first period. My stepmother was away, so after recovering, I told my dad instead. He proceeded to pass me a box of tampons and simply said, ‘Don’t smoke ’em!’” – Cath*, St Kilda, Vic*

“I was 13 and had already spent 15 months lying to the older, more developed girls at school about having my period. So, for me, it couldn’t come quickly enough. Family friends were over for dinner, including their two boys of similar age to me. I felt a bit tired and weird in my tummy. I even joked to myself that if the boys asked what was wrong, I would reply I had ‘women’s problems’ even though I had never used that term and I didn’t yet know the reality.

Dad woke me early in the morning to take me across town to compete in a horse show. During my morning wee, I noticed blood in my underwear. Whoa, so I did have women’s problems after all! I was a particularly just-get-on-with-it adolescent who didn’t burden my folks with my worries. Although I didn’t have many conversations with Mum about menstruating, not from her lack of trying, I did know where the pad stash was. I chucked the evidence in the washing basket, then stuck an enormous pad onto fresh underwear. Jodhpurs on and off I went.

A few hours into the day, still holding onto my secret and attempting to sit-trot over an uncomfortable lump of material, Mum rocked up and beckoned me from the practice arena. “Here, I bought these for you,” she said with a knowing grin, opening her bag to reveal pads.

“Don’t worry, I’ve already got some,” I replied before riding off and, after her 90-minute period pilgrimage to get there, wholly robbing my poor mum of a mum moment.” – Kate, Seaford, SA

“It was like a scene out of a horror movie. I was 11, and my family held a New Year’s Eve party. We had a great time with friends and family. Mum told us kids to get ready for bed. As I said good night to everyone, all fresh in my new white nightie with a huge fluoro-green smiley face on the front, my mother gasped. ‘What’s wrong?’ I asked. My Sister pointed at my leg. I looked down and, to my horror, there was blood smeared down my inner thigh; I’d gotten my period. Happy bloody New Year!” – Nikki, Corowa, NSW

*Names and locations changed upon request.

Disclaimer: these are contributor anecdotes only, not to be taken as medical advice.