Joanne O’Riordan: I used to think missing a period was a blessing

What I didn’t know when I was younger was that everyone experiences periods differently

Joanne O'Riordan wx221022

I was a little bit older when I first got my period. I think I was 14. When I got it, well, I have no limbs, so I had to tell someone straight away. 

I remember getting really annoyed [by my period] because I used to have to skip swimming training and stuff like that. At that time, I was petrified by tampons because someone else has to put it in for me.