My conclusion after reading all these: wow, I certainly grew up in a rational open minded society. I grew up with 3 sisters and nothing was a mystical secret regarding female's health. My mother wasn't shy about it either, and at school, we learned about it during biology classes as the most normal thing. So, I never understood the ignorance any time I'd encounter it in a, for example, magazine for teens, in the letters from the audience section. I thought those were some kind of jokes, I never believed someone would really think such nonsense. Now I know I was a lucky one.

I would laugh, if I weren't so angry at a society that mis-educates (I don't care if it's not a word, it should be) and alienate our own bodies from us. People die from such ignorance. When I had my first period, I knew what it was, I knew what to so - kind of, turns out there are pads and panty liners,- when my parents came in the evening, I just told them I had my period. No drama, no panic.

I completely agree that girls needed to educated about their bodies, including all the sexual bits. But girls and boys both should be educated not only about their bodies, but about those of the other gender and the fact that not everybody fits into those two categories. Perhaps if all this were taught openly people wouldn't be so nuts about it.

I went to Catholic school. The nuns were quite forthright, and what they didn't cover in detail, my mother *did*. Frankly, I think calm, detailed education about reproductive systems and reproduction and diseases, etc., is necessary by age 12 or 13 at latest. I say this b/c I was 10 when Mom sat me down, and did so b/c the pamphlet my older sister got was so vague and so full of euphemisms that my sister (who already had her period) had no idea that it was meant to discuss her period!

Please tell me these horror stories are not true! My grandma once told me how she had her first period,. She she had no idea what's going on, because she never heard of period, and her mother only told her: It's in the wardrobe. "It" were menstrual pads. But it happened back in the 1950's! I grew up in 1990s and early 2000s, and I knew how periods work long before I got my first. So it was no surprise, no panicking. But I never went to the catholic school...

As a kid, I remember thinking that, since I be a girl, I'd just randomly get pregnant. Freaked out for so long because my parents also said that it was a huge sin to get a child before you're married. This conundrum terrified me.

There is a distinct correlation (dare I say, 'causation'?) between places that do not provide sex education and unplanned/unwanted teen pregnancies. These are, unsurprisingly, the same places that have the strictest anti-choice/anti-abortion laws. Also, the same places where half the population (the ones that can't get pregnant) makes laws for the other half.

This all strikes me as odd. I went to elementary school in the '70s (public school) in Alberta and we started sex ed in Grade 4. Nurses were sent to the schools and they left NOTHING a mystery. We got everything from the biology of reproduction to disease prevention, various forms of birth control information, and advice on relationships. We were never lied to and they answered every single question completely and bluntly. I'm glad I went to school there.

I was a “victim” of early sex ed, back in the early 1970s. The teachers were kind of squeamish talking about it, so pretty much skirted around the details—-to the point where 11 year old me was left wondering how sperm made it through pajamas as a man and woman just lay down next to each other to make a baby. And my first period totally blindsided me, since all we got was “the movie”, where they separated the girls and boys and showed them gender-based movies about our changing bodies (and, of course, we all tried to sneak into the others’ movies, until the powers that be got smart and scheduled them for the same time—-girls in the auditorium and boys in the cafeteria, closely watched).

Thank God for internet.

Weird catholic schools you went to. In 1968, grade 5, we learned all about our bodies and periods. And in a catholic school. I blame our mothers for ignorance

For better or worse, my son knows all about periods, because he will not give me a moment alone, ever. However, I was extremely impressed with him the other day. We got a dog and I've never had one that went into heat. She did, and was spotting. His dad asked him to get a paper towel, fully intending to clean it up himself; but my son did, without batting an eye, being grossed out, or even being asked.

Some of these topics fall to the parents. I'd rather I be the one to talk to my kids than a school! I don't hide anything from my children. My 7-year-old knows what happens every month. She knows she will eventually have her period. We were talking about puberty just last night and how it can cause mood swings and all the other things that come with it. If you have kids, talk to them.

my school doesnt even have sex ed 💀

My first SE class was in 5th grade and I was absolutely mortified when I found out how sex worked. I remember thinking - the p e n i s goes WHERE??!! On a seperate note, I had no idea about female fertile windows until I was in my late twenties trying to conceive. All I remember from sex ed in regards to pregnancy was "you can get pregnant anytime, even if you are on your period" which is a complete lie.

This makes me sad. Sadly I still see and know many women and men in their mid twenties who don't know basic things about periods, sex an pregnancies. The generation of my parents were raised to believe it is a shameful topic that one has to postpone discussing as long as possible and if discussed used the most far-fetched words possible. Which in cases of curious kids like me led to discovering all the information from books and the Internet and also experimenting myself. I read in some book that "the man and the woman hug and kiss and his penis enters her" and I wondered how does it know when and where to enter :D Later I found adult movies and was still wondering why my body looks different down there than those of the ladies I saw. Because of early engagements in those kinds of things and not being well informed and explained to I was very disappointed and had to heal some emotional traumas later, but I guess it's still better than finding all about it when you're 35 for example :D

After reading this, I'm glad I grew up in a rational, science-minded household. It also helped that my mom was nurse, and didn't hide anything about reproduction. In fact, she bought the book 'Where Did I Come From?' to teach my sisters and I about sex. I'm also glad I went to a non-religious private school during my middle and high school years. We actually had a lady from Planned Parenthood come in and teach us about birth control. She not only blew up a condom to show how much it could stretch, but then rubbed vasoline on it to show us why you shouldn't use petroleum-based lubricant.

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I got my period when i was 11 and still don't know anything but no one will help me

Mom didn't give me the talk. Was late 70s. Got it on an off for a few months til she noticed a stain on my panties an asked about it. Then threw huge pads at me an told me to count 28 days and get ready every month. Sex Ed was in grade school and I was out sick the year the girls learned it. I had to sit in the next years class to learn it. With my sister. Still didn't know anything. Skipped 10 months once and thought I was pregnant without being w a boy. Crazy things we sorta figure it out as we get older. But I'll have the talk with anyone that asks (if I had parent permission) in my family. Still waiting to be asked.

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Hustler was my choice for sex ed.