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Life is never easy—but it’s a little bit easier once you learn how to use a tampon.

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Shaming women for getting a period causes even more inequality between the sexes.

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For years, I slept on bloody sheets once every month, with ghostly white one covering the single window in my room every night. At first, I thought of it as something I had to do, simply because my mother said it was best for me.

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I learned the hard way about cramps. Specifically, that they can be painful enough to make you puke.

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I was first introduced to the notion of menstruation like any good Catholic girl usually is: half-naked, with the fear of God instilled in me.

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It was a bitter-sweet experience, almost like eating the fruit of knowledge in the garden of Eden. I finally knew what the fuss was all about, but felt supremely guilty at the same time.

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Being okay with your body, especially with your period, is really difficult. I still cringe just a little inside when I buy tampons or pads and the cashier is male.

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My eyes landed on Richard’s. He glared at me like he knew my dirty little secret. I shifted back to the magazine, first to the left side, at the woman.