| 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. | |
| While timelines can vary, most girls get their first period within 2 – 3 years after the development of breast buds. | |
| The average age for girls to get their first period in the United States is around age 12. | |
| It's important to emphasize that periods are a normal part of growing up. | |
| Young girls should know that it's okay to talk about periods and ask questions about them. | |
| Some young people may have anxiety about how to handle their first period, given that it can happen unexpectedly. | |
| Providing supplies (pads, tampons, and pantiliners) for your child's locker or backpack and reviewing resources at school, including the school nurse, can help alleviate this worry. | |
| While some girls will have bright red blood with their first period, other girls may only have spotting with red-brown discharge―both are normal! | |
| While some people will have periods once a month, periods may be irregular in the first few years as the body adapts to rapid physiological changes. | |
| Also, normal cycles of periods can be as short as 21 days or as long as 35… so even people with regular cycles might not have a period every single month! | |
| Abdominal cramping or pain with periods is also common. | |
| For most people, ibuprofen or naproxen used as needed are the best medicines to help with period cramps. | |
| If menstrual cramps are severe or causing your child to miss school, talk to your pediatrician about other options. | |
| Puberty is the time when kids grow into young adults through physical and emotional changes. | |
| This doesn’t happen all at once, but slowly over time. | |
| It's good to know about the changes that come along with puberty so you know what to expect. | |
| For most females, the first physical change of puberty is breast development. | |
| It starts with small, firm, tender lumps (called buds) under one or both nipples. | |
| The breasts will get larger over the next year or two. Dark, coarse, curly hair will appear on the labia (the folds of skin surrounding the vagina). | |
| Later, more hair will grow in the pubic area and under the arms. | |
| Their body shape begins to change as their hips widen and they gain weight and body fat. | |
| Expect the first period (menstruation) about 2 years after breast buds appear, usually between the ages of 9 and 16. | |
| Most females have a growth spurt about 1–2 years before their period starts. | |
| After they get their period, most females grow about 1–2 more inches before growth stops. | |
| What Emotional Changes Happen During Puberty? | |
| Just as those hormones change the way your body looks on the outside, they also change how you feel on the inside. | |
| While your body is adjusting to all the new hormones, so is your mind. | |
| During puberty, you might feel confused or have strong emotions that you've never had before. | |
| You may feel anxious about how your changing body looks. You might feel get upset or lose your temper more than usual. | |
| It's easy to feel embarrassed or anxious when talking about these topics, but you need the right information. | |
| If you aren’t comfortable talking to your parents, you might talk to your doctor, a school nurse, a teacher, or a school counselor. | |
| What Else Should I Know? | |
| Even though everyone goes through puberty, we all go through it a little differently. | |
| Some of your friends might have gotten curves, but you haven't yet. | |
| Maybe your best friend's voice has changed, and you think you still sound like a kid. | |
| But eventually everyone catches up, and the differences will even out. | |
| Keep in mind that there is no right or wrong way to look. | |
| We are all unique, on the inside and the outside. | |