#menarche

[fuzzytheduck]

If you are Jewish, and did/do menstruate, did your mother slap you when you got your first period?

[batrogers]

You're Not Alone

Written for @queering-the-chain prompts trans masc and queer teacher.

Rated G, Wind & Hyrule talk about menarche (Wind's first period.)

Also on AO3

IIII

Link woke up with cramps. He grumbled about dinner last night (although there’d been nothing unique about it; they had better food with the Chain than he ever had on Tetra’s boat) and got up to find a spot to relieve himself and hope that made it go away.

That helped, a little, until he noticed there was blood in his pants.

Link froze.

It was brown, although there’d been some – earlier. While cleaning up. Yesterday, too, if he was honest, but he’d had the same indigestion – the same ache, some upset stomach. He’d been too tired, and it too dark to look that closely but he certainly hadn’t gotten injured there (he’d have remembered that!) But if it was brown in his pants, how long had he been bleeding?

The spot wasn’t that large; he hadn’t lost a lot of blood, but... His stomach was still cramping, for all he felt a little better now. He swallowed a few more times, dressing and thinking about his options. He wasn’t stupid; he couldn’t ignore this (he really wanted to ignore this.)

(He’d already ignored it last night. He was going to bleed through his clothes if he didn’t at least get extra bandages from someone.)

(Maybe he could just ask for cloth and they wouldn’t pry.)

Who could he ask? He wasn’t sure he trusted the others with something like... like this. This was private, and they’d have questions. Worse: they might want to check he really wasn’t injured and that meant explaining—

Okay. He had to ask someone, and someone he... he’d let look at him.

That narrowed it down to the two who actually knew the most about injuries: he didn’t want it to go to anyone else. That meant Sky or Hyrule. Between those two, the one who’d probably keep things a secret better was Hyrule, right? Hyrule was used to secrets; he was used to taking care of himself. He didn’t treat Link like a child the way the others did. He could go wake him up and hopefully – if he was lucky – nobody would notice them sneaking off.

Fortunately – unlike Sky – Hyrule did sleep on the edge of the camp, so Link could gently touch his shoulder and call his name until he woke. He looked up and seemed to see something in Wind’s face that brought him quickly to full awake. He sat up and looked around first, for any sign of danger, then whispered.

“Wind? What’s wrong?”

“Can I ask something? Privately.” He swallowed hard, crouched by his side and wishing he didn’t have to. That wasn’t doing his stomach ache any favours, and it felt like it’d made the bleeding worse somehow.

Hyrule looked him over for a moment longer, then grabbed his bag and followed him into the woods. They stoped, barely in view of camp.

“What is it?” Hyrule asked.

Link swallowed twice, looking anywhere but at him. “...I didn’t get injured okay? Not that I can think of, but. I’m... bleeding. Uh.” He couldn’t bring himself to say it, but he gestured at his pants, hoping Hyrule could fill in the blanks.

It seemed he could. The other man raised both eyebrows, but – to Link’s relief – he looked more thoughtful than afraid or concerned.

“You’re sure nothing hit you there? You didn’t fall on anything? Was that coming when you relieved yourself?”

“No, it’s been – I can tell I bled in my pants before that, too,” He made a face, not wanting to admit he’d ignored it overnight but he could feel it getting worse every second... “I think it’s still bleeding. It’s not – from that spot.”

Hyrule bit his lip for a moment, then asked, “And you’re not having sex with anyone?”

“Hyrule!” Link barely restrained himself from shouting in horror. “The only people I’m here with are you guys!”

Hyrule raised his hands and laughed. “I have to ask to rule things out! Look, you’re – if you’re bleeding like I think, do you have a penis or not?”

Link wished he’d go back to asking about sex. He shook his head, too embarrassed to speak it aloud, but if this would answer why this was happening... He tried not to think about it: none of the others had ever asked why he didn’t take off his pants to swim. Hell, a few of them didn’t either.

Hyrule, in fact, was one of them.

His only reaction was to smile a little, almost fondly. “So you haven’t bled before now? And your grandmother didn’t explain uh, stuff like this? About having a monthly cycle or menses?”

“Er,” Link swallowed and tried to remember. He... thought she’d said something about bleeding but it’d been years ago now, when he was like ten. They hadn’t talked about it again, not with everything that happened, and he flushed harder, arms around his stomach. “A long time ago?”

“I’m guessing that’s it, but I can try to heal you if you want. If you’ve been busy a lot – really physically active -- that can put it off,” Hyrule said, his voice gentle. “And eating unpredictably can, too, which I guess living on a boat would do. Mine didn’t start til I was fifteen and living with Zelda, either, but Wild’s got us set with food right now. If you want me to check more – no? Then here.”

The other man dug into his bag and pulled out bandages, but not the long type but ones that were already folded and tucked neatly into pads, and a band to wear around his waist to hold them in place.

“You normally just tuck in your undershirt in your pants, right? Use this too, to keep the blood off your clothes. You’ll want to change it every time you stop to relieve yourself. I need to get a few more together, mine’s due soon too. Just don’t start sleeping with anyone who can get you pregnant now—”

Link snatched the items from his hands. “I don’t even like men!” he snapped, but it did nothing to deter him.

“Well don’t start now,” Hyrule continued, turning his back without being asked while Link tried to figure out the new clothes. “And if something does happen I can help with that, too.”

“Hyrule,” Link hissed, as he tried to get comfortable. “I think Legend’s the one who asked you a while back: do you ever fucking hear yourself talk?”

“Honestly the fact you all think I’m horrifying is a nice change.” He carried on regardless, “I’ll make you a tea to make your stomach relax once we’re back in camp. You settled?”

“I think so,” Link muttered. It wasn’t comfortable, but the reassurance he wasn’t going to bleed through his clothes was something. “I need to wash my undershirt and my pants...”

“Change; I’ll get it.”

Link closed his eyes, relieved as much as he was mortified. “So this is... You said it was monthly? I’ll keep having to deal with it?”

“Yeah, you’ll have to live with it,” Hyrule said. “It’s inconvenient, sure, but it’s not the end of the world. It might be off by a week or two, as it starts, but just let me know when you need any help. Okay?”

“Okay,” Link whispered. He threw his clothes at Hyrule and pulled on some spares, relieved that, at the very least, his main tunic was clean and hadn’t gotten any stains. “You... It happens to you too?”

Hyrule smiled and hugged him around the shoulders. “Me, too. You’re not alone in this, don’t worry. C’mon, get the water going while I wash your clothes so no one else has to see.”

“Thanks, Rulie.”

[doctorrambles]

Menarche o Unang Regla [VIDEO]

[talkingaboutmens]

What do you remember about your menarche? What do you know about menstruation and menarche generally (without necessarily experiencing menstruation yourself)? How do you feel about menstruation and menarche?

With this video, I want to gather as many experiences, thoughts and feelings about menstruation and menarche as possible. This video is part of a research project of the Swiss Science and Youth foundation.

[drusilllas]

every time I'm on my period it's just like. I can't believe I've been doing this for twenty years now. That's 240 periods. 1200 days. I've been bleeding for three years straight. If I had actually stuck to one period product, that would accumulate to what? 6000 tampons? 7000 pads? I'm sick of this

[gillianthecat]

Apparently I'm in a polling sort of mood today.

(Sorry there's no option for "see results," I'll update the notes with the percentages every so often.)

[tsunael]

✨  — twinkle, twinkle, little star!

a headcanon from my muses’ childhood or and a nursery-rhyme they remember from that time.

Until the age of seven, Tsuna spent every waking moment with her mother, for her father was often on long sea voyages from Othard to Thavnair. When Orihime would catch wind of his ship's arrival, it would always mean a feast for the three of them to celebrate. Her mother's sekihan was a treat she always looked forward to-- and for more than just the taste. Her father was meant to reach shore once more on the week of Tsuna's coming-of-age (obitoki-no-gi), but with the invasion of the Garleans becoming an imminent threat, his voyage was delayed. Tsuna and her mother ate sekihan that day alone, unknowing that it would be the last. While not a nursery-rhyme per se, her favorite bedtime story of her mother's was the one of the Ruby Prince: a tale in which a Hyuran fisherman and an Auri princess were brought together by a Kojin and wed in a palace under the sea. Every time her mother told it, the tale would be embellished-- much to Tsuna's delight-- but what Tsuna found the most fascinating was that the son they bore was said to have had almost no scales at all.

[thescrumblingmidwife]

is it normal for your boobs to not be growing a lot or for me not to have my period…? i’m 13, and everyone else is ahead of me. :(

Hi Anon,

Here's the normal flow of puberty:

breast development (thelarche) -> the first step is the development of "breast buds," little pads of glandular tissue just behind the nipple

adrenal glands start working to make androgens, so you start getting pubic and armpit hair, developing BO, maybe acne

growth spurt

menses starts (menarche)

There's a pretty wide range of what's considered "normal" with the onset of puberty. Some girls/AFAB kids will notice the onset of breast development (thelarche) as early as 8, and others may not begin until some point after age 12. The "average" can vary based on geographic location, race and ethnicity, and nutritional status. In the USA, about 95% of AFAB kids have undergone thelarche by age 12.

Your ask says "not growing a lot," so I'm assuming you've had some breast development. Some breast development but no period by age 13 is totally normal. Once it's started, some people develop breasts quickly, some slowly, some get large breasts, some always remain small. Your period should follow within around 2 years of whenever your breast development started.

This is why your pediatrician asks to look at your chest and private parts, as embarrassing as that may seem. If you haven't had any nipple changes at all by age 13, your pediatrician refer you to an endocrinologist or will get some bloodwork done to make sure there isn't anything going on with your hormone levels. There are a lot of different reasons why the hormones may not be coming online properly.

So, no worries, Anon! Nothing good comes of comparing ourselves to others. For every kid out there despairing they didn't get their period by age 13, there's a 9-year-old being teased for developing breasts in the 4th grade.

FWIW - I didn't get my period until I was 14, and my boobs were pretty small until I was around 18.

[crankydevon]

lotta votes here, but I find this interesting. For many types of people, too much soap and hot water is bad for your skin and hair. It dries them out, etc.

I used to shower weekly, and I wiped my face every day. Always clean underclothes. That's when my body was on estrogen, and I just didn't smell bad for at least 6 days unless I did something very athletic. (in which case I shower early.)

Now I'm on testosterone, and all my skin is more oily. I clean my face twice a day (gently, but it has to be done,) and I shower every 3-4 days. (again, depending on activity.) I use the mildest shampoo I could find and a very nice conditioner because my hair is bleached and dyed. It seriously dislikes being shampooed too much. That part hasn't changed.

Showers are a nice part of a routine if they help you wake up in the morning or relax at night, but you probably don't need to wash your hair every time or use the scouring soap.

[blankspace07]

Miracle of a body

It runs through my body. It is my power. It is my infirmity. It comes regularly. It deceives and doesn’t come out. Ending days. Bad blood. Last layer. I am finally clean.

[sweetstarcollector]

So phrases like "people with uteruses" or "people who have periods" never really bothered me as much as more overtly dehumanizing phrases like "bleeders" or "birthing bodies", but I saw a post today talking about the abnormal symptoms women experienced after getting tear gassed protesting, that ended with something like "we don't know the full effects of tear gas on people with uteruses". And what struck me about that is that's not really correct, because female people without uteruses (either bc they were born without one or bc they had a hysterectomy) will still experience different symptoms after being tear gassed than male people. Women metabolize substances differently than men, our immune systems are different, our hormonal cycles are different, our skin has different thicknesses, etc. All of those things have potential effects on tear gas reactions, and are not dependent on whether or not we have a uterus. They're dependent on whether or not we're female. So saying "people with uteruses" when what is meant is "female people" is not really accurate. And I realized that a lot of times when people use those kinds of phrases, they aren't being accurate.

For example, I'm sure we've all seen people say things about how the repeal of Roe v Wade will harm people with uteruses/people who can get pregnant/etc. And while yes, it definitely harms those people, the full truth is that abortion bans harm *female* people, *regardless of if they can get pregnant or have a uterus.* Because female people who don't have uteruses can still get pregnant, and in those rare cases will 100% of the time need an abortion. Female people who deal with infertility and can't carry a fetus to term can still be jailed for miscarrying. Female people who are completely sterile (for whatever reason) can still be denied medications/medical treatment on the grounds that the treatment could theoretically harm a fetus. Female people who may currently have no uterus/no longer be able to get pregnant but who have had an abortion in the past will face increased stigma.

Here's another example:

It seems pretty straightforward- menstruation stigma is experienced by people who menstruate. But again, that's only half true. Period stigma is experienced by all female people, regardless of if they menstruate. Think about the fact that we are told female people should not hold political leadership because "what if a female president has PMS and starts a war", despite the fact that almost all female presidential candidates are old enough that they would have experienced menopause. Female people have their feelings dismissed because "it must be that time of the month", regardless of if they're too young to menstruate or too old or if they have a condition causing amenorrhea. Female children grow up seeing periods- a natural function of their bodies- portrayed as disgusting, dirty and gross, as making them unclean, as something to dread and fear. This affects them before they experience menarche, this affects them even if they never experience menarche. It affects all female people.

I could come up with more examples, but you get the idea. Reducing female people to singular body parts and organs inherently denies the reality of femaleness. All parts of us (both biological and social) interact with all other parts of us to form an experience that can't be understood by chopping us up and putting our individual functions under the microscope. In order to get an accurate picture you need to look at the whole (female) human.

[absolxguardian]

My official sex ed about periods happened in 4th grade, and it was two months too late. My precocious puberty would have been far more traumatic if I didn't know what periods were when I had my menarche (a paper actually did an article on precocious puberty in response to this, and menstrual stigma makes the social isolation so much worse).

The appropriate age to teach children about periods is when they're old enough to ask, and if the child isn't super clingy and following their mom into the bathroom, I imagine it's when they're aware enough of their surroundings to ask what the menstrual products they see in the store are for.

(Teaching kids what puberty is well before they should have it and being open about all aspects of anatomy also facilitates proper medical intervention for precocious puberty. If they're in a household where they'll tell their parents when they notice their first pubic hair, then an appointment with their pediatrician can be made and medical intervention discussed.)

“So if little girls experience their menstrual cycle in 5th grade or 4th grade, will that prohibit conversations from them since they are in the grade lower than sixth grade?” asked state Rep. Ashley Gantt, a Democrat who taught in public schools and noted that girls as young as 10 can begin having periods.

“It would,” McClain responded.

Unbelievable. Link to article.

[c-hrona]

Trigun body horror week

Day 2 - Skin

Menarche

Do you ever wonder if Knives was afraid, the first time he sprouted blades instead of feathers? Would have he been less terrified, if he wasn't alone?

Do you ever wonder if he begged for his brother to come and help him understand?

Do you think it hurt?