My first time having sex ended not with awkward laughter, but with blood-soaked sheets, panic, and a hospital stay. I was in my late teens, unprepared and anxious. There was no foreplay, no care—just pain. Within minutes, I was bleeding uncontrollably.

Six sanitary pads later, I called for help. A&E confirmed I had tears in both vaginal walls. Nurses stuffed gauze inside me to stop the bleeding. I stayed two nights in the hospital. One gynecologist gently told me, “This isn’t how sex is meant to be.”

Growing up in a South Asian home, sex was taboo. I believed my mum’s warnings: that boys would promise love, then leave. My shame was immense—but my pain was real.

What I learned changed me: first-time sex shouldn’t hurt. Not everyone bleeds. Comfort, arousal, and communication matter. A lack of sex education left me in pain, confused and scared.

Now, sex feels safe—because I know my body, my needs, and my worth. Young women deserve better guidance, better information, and the right to say not yet or not like this.

Sex should start with consent—and never end in silence.