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This episode is dedicated to Irene. The strength you showed as a little girl foretold the remarkable human you would become. Thank you for trusting me, and my listeners, with your story.

Episode 2: Bloody Horrendous ~ First Periods, Shame, and Sisterhood

Fun fact: over a lifetime, the average woman will menstruate for about seven years ~ end on end.
And yet we still whisper about it.

In this episode of The C-Word with Catharine Redden, Catharine talks about first periods. The confusing ones. The painful ones. The ones that arrived with a pad but no instructions. It’s about euphemisms like “the curse,” blue liquid in tampon ads, and the quiet expectation that girls should endure discomfort without complaint.

Alongside Catharine’s own story, women from across generations share what their first periods were really like. Awkward, frightening, funny, and often bloody horrendous. It’s also about the small, practical ways women have always looked after each other, even when no one else did.

Periods are not a failure of the body.
They’re evidence of endurance.

Content Note

We discuss women’s bodies, medical systems, trauma, and other hard-to-talk-about stuff. Also, I swear. A lot.

Support

These resources aren’t included as a formality. Catharine has personally used several of these services during hard and frightening times.

Australia | 24/7

• Lifeline 13 11 14
• Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (ages 5–25)
• 1800RESPECT 1800 737 732
• Emergency 000

Outside Australia, local crisis services are available.

Community

Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/zjooshyoursocials

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/catharine.redden/

Support the podcast
https://catharineredden.substack.com

https://buymeacoffee.com/CatharineRedden

Credits

Recorded on the lands of the Ramindjeri and Ngarrindjeri peoples.

Sovereignty never ceded.

Recorded & edited at Ridley Farm Studio by Luke Ridley

https://ridleyfarmstudio.com.au

https://www.instagram.com/ridleyfarmstudio/

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The C-Word with Cath...