| A period is a release of blood from a girl's uterus, out through her vagina. |
| It is a sign that she is getting close to the end of puberty. |
| It also means that she can get pregnant if she has sex. |
| There is a lot to learn about periods. Here are answers to some common questions. |
| When Do Periods Usually Start? |
| Most girls get their first period when they're around 12. |
| But sometimes it comes a few years earlier or later. |
| Every girl's body has its own schedule. |
| There isn't one right age for a girl to get her period. |
| But signs to watch for include: |
| breasts starting to develop (periods usually start about 2 years after this), hair growing under a girl's arms and in her private parts, seeing or feeling vaginal discharge fluid (sort of like mucus), which usually begins about 6 months to a year before a girl gets her first period |
| What Causes a Period? |
| A period happens because of changes in hormones in the body. |
| Hormones are chemical messengers. |
| The ovaries release the female hormones estrogen and progesterone , which cause the lining of the uterus (or womb) to build up. |
| The built-up lining is ready for a fertilized egg (an egg that has joined with a sperm) to attach to and develop into a baby. |
| If there is no fertilized egg, the lining breaks down and bleeds. |
| Then the same process happens all over again. |
