*One Pomegranate reader wrote in for Menstrual Hygiene Day. Here is their experience.

Dear Pomegranate, 

My first time having sex with a guy was when I was on my period.  About 30 minutes into aggressively making out and dry humping like 15-year-olds he asked if I wanted to try, as he knew it was my first time.

Immediately I clammed up, even if I wanted to, and I did, but the worry about bleeding or getting blood anywhere was actually really scary and felt ten times more intimate, which also caused me to slightly panic. 

But, I was really shocked with how casual it was, perhaps it’s unprogressive thinking on my behalf but I was expecting it to be a cut and dry conversation or for things to get awkward really quickly but that wasn’t the case at all, which was lovely to experience. He just turned away whilst I sorted myself out and got ready and took it slow as it was a little uncomfortable as on my period i tend to be a little ‘drier’ than usually would be. 

He also knew to tell me to go to the toilet afterwards, I mean I knew this for myself already just through general conversations with friends and their horror stories of waking up with a raging UTI and spending the entire day waddling or not being able to be more than a 2 minute dash from the nearest bathroom. Really, neither of these things should have been a shock to me but I genuinely didn’t expect it. 

I always say If its your partners preference to not do anything whilst its that time of the month then that is more than ok and a boundary that should be respected, but a lot of the time, I feel like periods are demonised, seen as just disgusting and so on when really they’re both misunderstood and not taken for as painful or serious as it. Plus a lot of women actually can get really horny on their period and will want to climb whoever they’re sleeping with like a tree. 

I will admit though, whether it was due to my period or a general ‘first time’ experience but it was really quite uncomfortable to begin with but after a while found it shockingly helped with the cramps? A bit like when you have a dead leg and you think you’re nearing the light when you first move it but after a while you’re on the other side of it. 

Looking back on that moment, I didn’t need to feel worried actually, I’ve now found that most people, men and women, don’t care or even think twice. It’s been interesting to me to see how much some men do know about periods, like suggesting using a different angle for comfort during my period and honestly, for my first time and since then, it’s really comforting to see progression. It felt like I didn’t have to spend time educating, I could just put trust in another person who understood and didn’t mind, which let me get out of my head and enjoy myself. 

If you too have a story, experience or worry you want to anonymously share, do so here!