Pene

I was 14 when I first bled. It started at school, but I had a little bag of supplies in my schoolbag just in case (I had carried that little bag around for at least a year)!
My mother was in a psychiatric hospital at the time, recovering from an overdose (Mum has bi-polar). My dad was looking after my brother and I, and in some ways I was closer to my dad than my mum, but I didn't tell him. I got home and rang mum and told her that I got my period. We both got quite emotional, because she wasn't there with me. She asked if I had enough supplies, which I didn't, so she told me the good brands to buy. I had to go shopping with dad to get pads and tampons...I think in hindsight he was more embarrassed than I was, but at the time, it was awful!

Carmen

First time I bled, I was at a friends place and was rushing home to grab something, stopping in to the toilet as I had felt something funny, a funny kind of feeling - and when I saw it I knew exactly what it was, and I was so devastated as I didn't want it. My friend was younger and I was sure she wouldn't understand - she came to the toilet door and asked if I was coming back to play - but I wouldn't answer her and my mum ended up sending her away! Eventually they coaxed me off the toilet and at dinner that night my father congratulated me on becoming a womyn and I was so annoyed with him! I have had difficulties with it since, but come to terms with it - it fascinates me that people don't really talk about it or tell each other.

Helen

I actually can't remember the first time I bled but I do remember pretending to my friends that I already had it, for some months before I did in the first year of high school because I wanted to be the first. I can't really explain my reasoning for wanting that...maybe attention, maybe to seem the most adult and maybe because it was all quite exciting becoming a woman and I wanted it to happen FASTER. I recall with absolute clarity though the first time I leaked at school. I was sitting on a table in my tutorial group and I felt that uterine purge of blood and my 13 year old heart sank as I felt the thick heavy flow of menstrual blood oozing out of my labia. I was frozen to the spot until every other class member had left the room. The back of my school dress was soaked in blood and a large bloody stain was on the smooth grey table top. HORROR! Heheheh...my teacher came over curious as to why I was hanging behind, a male unfortunately, and nearly tripped over trying to escape the scene of teenage menses carnage. Hahahahah. I knew from that point on that mentioning my bleeding to a male teacher could just about get you out of anything...squeemish they are. Anyway, I tied a jumper round my waist and toddled off as fast as I could (but not so fast as to pump too much more of the deluge of blood out and down my legs) to the nurses office...and would you believe it...they let me go home! WOOP WOOP. I was sold on the greatness of periods from that moment on. :) 

What is First time I bled?

First time I bled is a 20 minutes film of talking heads sharing stories of first menstruation, from a 14-year-old to an 80-year-old - these stories are individual and unique; they transcend age and culture, education and class.

Please consider sharing your story.

First time I bled

First time I bled, is a collection of stories of first menstruation from a broad spectrum of women living in Melbourne Australia. Menstruation is an act defined by our gender, and the first time is an important point of transition for a girl; yet many of us keep our stories to ourselves. Every month half the world's population bleeds from the vagina, or will someday and it's not a celebrated event, historically marked and normalized; it is for the most part personal and secretive. Once I started to collect these stories the words flowed freely, not unlike the bloodletting women share, and I found myself surrounded by women's voices all eager to be heard - not all could be in the film; however the First time I bled blog offers people the opportunity to tell their story - and I'd love to hear it! Please share your story!