Strange, my first post back on the boards after months of absence, and it's in a period thread.
This is a really good thread, though, for all the girls here who are curious about a very natural part of life. There's nothing to be afraid of, or creeped-out about with your period. I've had mine every month for around 8-9 years now(I was 11 when it started, now I'm turning 20), you get used to it really fast. My first time, I was at home, and I just happened to notice a few little red spots in my panties...no big deal at all. I was a bit surprised about it, but I had read about it already and talked to my mom, so I just grabbed a panty-liner and went on with things! For probably my first couple of years having my period, it didn't hurt, I didn't have PMS and mood swings or anything, but the past several years have been different. You learn to read your body's signals, and you can generally tell when it's going to happen. I tend to feel a bit queasy all of a sudden the night before it starts, but it only lasts a few hours. I feel hot right before it, tired, and a little dizzy. Mood swings...not so much, I just feel a bit sad for a few days before/during the period. I do get really painful cramps on the first day or two of my period, and they were much worse before I started taking the birth-control pill. If you do get cramps, they tend to feel like it does when you get an intestinal flu, and you have to go to the bathroom(fast). lol It's not a fun feeling, but they usually go away really quickly if you take a mild painkiller like ibuprofen(my choice). Most women either don't get cramps, or they get very mild ones, like a dull ache. Mine are unusually strong, I get sharp shooting pains all around my lower abdomen on top of a very "squeezing" feeling in the same area, sometimes so bad I don't(can't) move around. This is rare. If you do get cramps, they will most likely be mild, and even the bad ones go away with Ibuprofen.
Really, your period is just part of life, and it can be kind of cool after it happens, because you suddenly feel really grown-up! Don't stress about it, it happens to every woman on the planet. And about those sex ed videos, there is no need to be nervous about those, either. I watched one in 4th grade, they're informative....and actually kind of humerous! Just look at it like another part of growing up, and it only happens once in your life.
*Aubrey
