Embarrassing period leak at school- an honest account

UNPREDICTABLE PERIODS

I started my periods at the age of 11 and right from the offset, they were always really heavy. They were also very hard to track and would often come early or late. I hoped that as I got older, they might settle down, but they never did. I often worried that my period would come unexpectedly and became anxious up to a week before my due date. Because my periods were so heavy, I also worried that my pad had leaked. That happened often and was so embarrassing!  The toilets became my second home as I visited them regularly at school.  I constantly checked whether I had got my period – just in case! The school toilets weren’t exactly the nicest places to hang out, either, but needs must.

BULKY PERIOD PADS

 The worst thing about having heavy periods as a teenager at school were the products we had to wear. It was the late 1980’s and period pads were huge and bulky. I was paranoid, as were my friends. “Can you see my pad?” We’d whisper to each other, especially during PE lessons when we had to wear gym shorts. Not many pads had wings to secure them to your panties. Unfortunately,  they moved around a lot and caused leaks, ruining your panties and clothes. 

It wasn’t long until I started using tampons and bought the highest absorbency I could lay my hands on. For a while, I managed my school days as best I could, changing my tampon every few hours. I kept my bag topped up with plenty of supplies to avoid accidents and put up with the frequent visits to the stinking toilets. Unfortunately, the tampons would leak as well and turned out to be just as unreliable as the pads. 

BLOOD CLOTS

By the time I was 16, my periods were heavier than ever and getting a lot harder to cope with. I was also suffering with excruciating period pain and debilitating migraines. I would often find large clots in my period, which at that age, really worried me.  The huge loss of blood made me tired at school, especially whilst studying for my exams. 

NO TOILET BREAK

One particular incident at school had me in tears – the memory will stay with me forever. It was the last lesson of the day and a history class. We were about an hour into the lesson and I started to feel tired and a bit light headed. At that time, we weren’t allowed water bottles in the classroom, so I just had to get on and try to ignore it. The next thing I felt was a twinge in my groin and that familiar pull you get when your period is due. 

I really wanted to go to the toilets and check, but in our school there was a no leave policy, once lessons had started. Students weren’t allowed to go to the toilet until break time or the end of lessons. Some teachers would become angry if you interrupted their lesson. We had learned that  it wasn’t worth the telling off and dirty looks if you asked! 

SO EMBARRASSING!

Telling myself I was it was all in my mind, I tried to carry on with my lesson as best I could. That was until I tried to move to get a book and saw it. To my horror, I had started my period and it had leaked out through my panties, skirt and all over my chair! I had never felt so ashamed! I didn’t have any tissue to clean it with and couldn’t think what to do.  There was 10 minutes left to the lesson and I just could not bring myself to ask the (male) teacher if I could leave the room.

 If I got up, my classmates would see the pool of blood and that would have been humiliating. Periods were not something you spoke much about. The boys would tease you about them and make jokes, giving them funny names and making the girls feel embarrassed. If anyone saw this, I was not going to be allowed to forget it! 

GREAT ESCAPE

The next ten minutes seemed to take a lifetime. As soon as  the bell went, I tucked my chair firmly under the table and scurried out of the room. I couldn’t make eye contact with the teacher. I prayed that he wouldn’t find the blood stained chair and know it was me. I hoped that a kind cleaner would find it – someone who didn’t know me or know who had been sitting there. 

 I was so thankful that I had a large bag and tried to use it to cover up my bottom. I knew I had leaked all over my skirt and that it must be visible from behind. Rushing  to the cloakroom, I  tied my jacket around my waist, hoping that would further disguise the mess. We didn’t have a school nurse so I couldn’t go and get supplies, so I used toilet tissue to try and stem the flow. 

TEARS

We lived a 40 minute walk away across town and I practically ran, hoping nobody would see what had happened. As soon as I got into the house, I ran to my bedroom and burst into tears. As soon as I has cleaned myself up, I sneaked downstairs and threw my clothes into the washing machine. I was so embarrassed I didn’t even want my family to find out. All I could think about was having to go to my next History lesson in a few days. 

What if the teacher knew? What if I had been reported to the head teacher? What if he thinks I’m disgusting? What if some of my classmates saw the leak? Perhaps the school would ring my parents…I would be the laughing stock of the school. I felt physically sick the next time I walked into that lesson. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me.  Thankfully, nothing was ever mentioned, but I kept a low profile all the same. 

PERIOD KIT BAG

After that, I bought myself a small bag to go inside my school rucksack. It contained emergency sanitary pads, tampons and cleansing wipes. I made sure it travelled with me wherever I went. I also carried a spare pair of panties and even a lightweight pair of shorts just in case it ever happened again. I began advising my friends to put a spare pair of panties in their school bags and to check that they always had pads with them. 

Thirty years later and I have children of my own.  They also carry an emergency period kit bag in their school bags. Now though, my youngest has a pair of menstrual pants in hers, whilst my eldest has a period cup. My daughters know that they can talk to me about periods and nothing is taboo. I hope they never have to feel embarrassed or ashamed of something so natural as menstruation. I’m also glad that times have changed and that teachers are more open to discussing menstruation with students. In spite of this, we still have a long way to go and education is as important as ever. 

Do you have an embarrassing  period  leak story? Comment in the box below

If you are experiencing very heavy periods, please talk to your doctor or medical professional. You may have an underlying issue which can be helped with medical attention.