Myself-Karen Self, age 36

I got my period at 10 which is below the average age of 12.  In my school, girls were taken aside from boys and a nurse would give us a sample pad and tell us what to expect with basic information.  My mother was open and supportive and told me what to expect and asked me if I had any questions. At school, we had nurse who had spare pads, if you had an accident you could go and get one.

I think the boys needed education as well because they were very immature and would tease girls; especially if they had an accident. I could see the difference between boys that had a strong female presence or many sisters to boys that did not. We also had many adds on tv that opened the topic of period. In school, you knew which girls were on their periods. They either had a jacket or sweater tied around their waist or they had book bags low to cover their butt.  I have always had exceptionally long and painful periods and have been to doctors and tried every type of contraceptive to make it i.e., normal but nothing helped.

My Niece, age 24

"I went to an all-girls school, so I did not have to worry about boys teasing me. I learnt about period in school. We also had social media and events surrounding menstrual awareness. There is even a day called menstrual awareness day. We had persons from different companies that make pads and tampons coming to speak and they would give us goodie bags with free products. There was no shame or embarrassment since there was a lot of support around. I think there is more openness with my generation; we were taught to share our feelings and speak out. My period was very normal."