When Zena got her period for the first time she was excited. She’d read lots about it and finally it was happening to her. She couldn’t wait to tell her twin sister Amina.

“Oh. Me too,” Amina said softly when Zena came to find her, and the smile fell from Zena’s face. She couldn’t understand why Amina hadn’t told her.

Zena persuaded her sister to and sit and talk together over tea.

Amina worried about being different.
She thought everyone would be able to tell she’d changed, because it felt so huge to her. Zena pointed out that not even she, her twin sister, had been able to tell! Every single girl gets her period at some point, she said – some earlier, some later.

Amina admitted she was worried about leaks and mess.
Zena said – Sure it might happen, but even if we don’t always get pads or tampons we can use tissues or towels, as long as we’re careful they’re clean. You wouldn’t be embarrassed to ask for a tissue and blow your nose, so don’t be about this – we all have the same body stuff!

Amina was embarrassed that having her period meant she was a ‘woman’ and not a girl any more.
You don’t turn into a woman overnight! cried Zena. It’s just the start, she said. Our bodies are just getting ready for later – much later. But she had to admit she’d had similar feelings, despite being excited about her more grown-up future too. The sisters talked about the books and games they loved from their childhood and agreed that they’d spend time together enjoying those girlish things to remind themselves they didn’t have to leave them behind, no matter how old they got.

Finally Amina admitted it hurt when she started bleeding and that scared her.
Zena described the strong ache she got and Amina was relieved that she’d shared her worry. It sounded like her feeling wasn’t much different to Zena’s, and that Zena wasn’t worried. They decided to research it together and see if they could find out more. They found that period pain was usually normal. They even found some tips on how to soothe the aches, like eating healthily, exercising gently and using a hot water bottle.