The world doesn’t make having a period easy.

There’s the physical discomfort — cramps, headaches, back pain, bloating — but there’s also the shame and silence that can come with it.

Growing up, I remember moments when my period arrived unexpectedly at school. I didn’t know what to do. Was I supposed to raise my hand and ask my teacher for a tampon in front of everyone? Whisper to a classmate and hope they had one? Go to the nurse and be treated like I was sick?

Any of those choices meant leaving the classroom, losing learning time and feeling exposed. It was humiliating — on top of already feeling physically uncomfortable. I didn’t want attention. I just needed a basic product so I could stay in class and feel like myself.

And then there was the time I bled through my cheer uniform. I

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