I was 11 when I had my first period. I was pretty happy about it at first; I was becoming a woman and I naively believed that would come with some benefits. My mum told me that having my period needn’t change anything – I wasn’t sick, so despite being doubled over with menstrual cramps I could still go to school (lucky me!).

The reality of having my period in primary school was pretty rough. There weren’t any bins in the toilets so I carried my used pads around with me. I wasn’t allowed to leave class to visit the bathroom and leaked through my summer dress. My best friend thoughtfully told everyone that I’d had a mishap with some tomato ketchup. She stopped the laughter, but she couldn’t stop my inner shame.

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