“By the time I was 14, I dreaded my period every month. I couldn’t leave the house in fear I’d leak through my clothes. The pain had me bedridden for days.”
‘Every day was a bloodbath. ‘It’s normal for teen girls.’ Little did I know, a storm was brewing on my insides.’: Endometriosis warrior shares 5-year journey to diagnosis
‘I ran to my husband, crying over and over again, ‘I’m not broken!’ I remained hopeful everything was okay. The happiness didn’t last long.’: Couple welcomes rainbow baby, ‘We’re so thankful’
“For 6 years, I was told, ‘All you need to do to get pregnant is to lose weight.’ I was getting nowhere. We were hopeful, with a little extra help, we’d become parents, no matter what the journey may look like.”
‘He carries pads for homeless women so he can ‘give them to any woman who needs them.’ My son is 8.’: Mom keeps ‘open drawer’ policy for menstrual products, contraception
“He knows leaks happen and periods can be uncomfortable. He offers to bring me chocolate and Tylenol when I have tummy cramps. He’s completely unashamed. Completely understanding.”
‘I screamed, ‘I love you. Please don’t leave me.’ Her tampon was poisoning her. She started seizing up and stopped breathing right in front of me.’: Mom raises awareness after losing daughter to Toxic Shock Syndrome
“It was my daughter’s 19th birthday. My beautiful girl was a fighter.”
‘How are babies made?’ I’m the mom to a sex-positive family. My kids know the correct terms for their ‘privates parts.’: Mom raises kids in pro-sex ed household
“I was horrified recently to find out many fully-grown women in my life didn’t know all the names for their own anatomy! As ADULTS, they had never learned. My children are 5, 7, and 8. They know all about consent, menstruation, sex, pedophiles, puberty, and more. In our family, we view these conversations as a ladder to safety. I’d rather them know the facts than to ‘learn’ from the playground or internet.”
‘Am I still a virgin?’ A 13-year-old girl sits on my examination table. ‘Yes.’ She cries tears of relief.’: Child abuse pediatrician pens PSA on virginity, ‘women need to know the truth about their bodies’
“Her uncle started raping her when she was 7 years old. I tell her she’s going to be okay. I tell her WHY she’s still a virgin. ‘Rape is not the same thing as sex. Having sex WITH someone can only happen with consent. Otherwise, it’s just violence, period.’ She dries her tears, and smiles for a new beginning.”
‘Dad, it’s weird, but I think I pooped my pants!’ Minutes later, it hits me. OMG. ‘That’s not poop!!!’: Dad transforms into ‘the period fairy’ after realizing daughter is experiencing first menstrual cycle
“Today, I got THE CALL. So, I rush to school, bring her a change of undies, and rush back to my conference call. Hours later, she calls. ‘Dad, it happened again.’ At this point, I’m confused. Annoyed. ‘Just wipe your butt!’ Then, it hits me. I rush to the trash, inspect the undies from earlier, and scream. My child called for help and I just left her to die on the battlefield!”
‘Trans men and non-binary people have periods, too.’: Mom teaches son ‘inclusive’ menstruation lesson to create ‘safe space’ for transgender, non-binary individuals
“The language ‘women have periods’ is not entirely inclusive.”
‘You know if you’d stop eating all those donuts and Frappuccino’s, you’d stop gaining weight.’: Woman fat-shamed by doctors until learning of PCOS diagnosis, ‘find a health care provider who listens, instead of shaming you into thinking there is no hope’
“I was gaining weight pretty quickly, 20 pounds in a year. I finally go back to the doctor, the one who didn’t listen. The one who was losing my trust. She was not happy to hear I had stopped using the Nuva Ring and again tried to get me to start using it. She also went on to fat shame me. After reading my new weight and asking, ‘What’s going on?,’ she shared with me her solution… No joke, this was from my doctor. It was cruel.”
‘I finally got a pregnancy test. Told no one. Waited a few more days. Negative.’: Triplet mom left feeling ‘confused, excited, terrified’ after thinking her body was ‘actually working’ by missing period
“I told my husband over dinner while our kids were also trying to talk. Poor timing, but I hadn’t told anyone and just needed to get it off my chest. I took him by surprise. ‘I thought I was pregnant, but I’m not.’ My eyes were filling with tears. I hated how emotional I was getting. He was shocked. Relieved. Not as sad as I was.”
