What if I have big clots of blood during my period?
Dark, chunky clots of blood can be perfectly normal. Many women get them during their period when they have days of heavy cramping and heavy bleeding. Your body usually makes things called "anti-coagulants," that keep your blood from clotting as it moves to your vagina and out of your body. But during days of heavy bleeding and cramping, your body is pushing blood so quickly out of you that your body does not have time to release these anti-coagulants. Your blood then clots. If you have clots that are bigger than a quarter, it is a good idea to talk with your healthcare provider.
What if I get spots of blood on my underwear between my periods?
Bleeding in the middle of your cycle could mean different things. Some women bleed a little bit during the middle of their cycle, when they ovulate (when a mature egg is released from your ovaries). This is nothing to worry about. Other times, "spotting" occurs because of an infection such as a sexually transmitted disease (if you are having sexual intercourse). Very rarely, "spotting" can be because of a polyp (a tumor that may need to be removed surgically), but this is not very common. You should talk to your healthcare provider if you have bleeding when you don't have your period.
Written by the CYWH Staff at Children's Hospital Boston
It's normal to get your period as early as 9 years old or as late as 15 years old. This is a big time range and it's hard to be one of the first or one of the last. Girls who are active in sports or are very thin may not get their period until a later age. Losing weight while you are in your growth spurt can also delay your periods. Talk to your parent or your healthcare provider about your worries and concerns. If you haven't gotten your period by the time you are 15 OR if you started your breast development more than three years ago and haven't gotten your period, get a check-up with your healthcare provider just to make sure everything is okay. Your healthcare provider sees many girls who develop late, so don't be embarrassed to ask. Your healthcare provider may do a genital exam and check to see if your hymen (a thin piece of tissue that partially blocks the entrance to your vagina) is open. Some girls are born with an "imperforate hymen," which means that your hymen doesn't have an opening, and blood cannot leave the vagina. Some girls are also born without a vagina and/or uterus (MRKH), so they don't get their period for this reason. It's a good idea to get regular check-ups during puberty just to make sure that everything is okay.
How often should I get my period?
You should get your period once every month. Your menstrual cycle should be about 28 days. This means that there should be about 28 days from the first day of your period to the first day of your next period. 28 days is an average number, but anywhere between 21 and 35 days is normal. Your period will usually last between 3 and 7 days. The amount of blood flow you have will probably be different each day. You will usually have the most blood in the beginning of your period and the least towards the end. When you are first getting your period, you may have a very heavy period one cycle and very light one the next.
What if my periods don't come regularly?
You may be one of those young women whose periods may be affected by changes in body weight or diet, increased stress, eating disorders, exercise, illness, or going away to college. Remember that if you are having sexual intercourse, an irregular period could be a sign of pregnancy. Your period may last 1 day or it may last 7 or 8. All of your cycles may not be the same number of days, and the length of your cycle may change over time. It is common for a girl just starting her period to have irregular periods for a year or two.
Periods too far apart. You may only get your period 3-4 times a year, instead of once a month. If you are having your periods only a few times a year, this may be because of stress, intense exercise, weight loss, or diet. Too few periods could also be caused by a mild hormone imbalance called Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is especially likely to cause irregular periods if you also have acne, excess hair growth, or weight problems. You should check with your healthcare provider if there are more than 35 days between your periods.
Periods too close together. You may get your period every two or three weeks. This can be because of stress, some types of exercise, or other changes in your life. If your periods are less than 21 days apart, or if your period seems to be too heavy, your provider may want to check your blood count to see if you are anemic. If you are anemic, you may have too few red blood cells, or too little hemoglobin (oxygen-carrying protein in your red blood cells). People who are anemic need to eat foods that have iron and take an iron supplement.
Why should I track of my period?
Keeping track of when your period starts and stops is a good way to see if there is a pattern to your menstrual cycle. It is also important to write down how many days you have your period and the amount of flow you have. Bring your Period Trackers with you when you see your health care provider so that he or she can evaluate your cycle.
My Monthly Period & Symptom Tracker
My Monthly Period & Symptom Tracker is an easy way to keep track of your menstrual flow, and it’s also a way to keep track of cramps, and/or PMS and period symptoms (if you have them) each month.
Review the sample Monthly Period & Symptom Tracker.
Print out copies of My Monthly Period & Symptom Tracker.
Simply make a check mark in the appropriate box (or boxes) for each day of the month. If you don't have any flow or any symptoms on any given day, leave the box empty. Refer to the Blood Flow Key at the bottom for "Flow" definitions.
The dates at the top are the same as the dates in one month. Some months have 28 days, others have 30 or 31.
Remember to bring My Monthly Period & Symptom Tracker with you to your medical appointments.
Written by the CYWH Staff at Children's Hospital Boston
Sometimes having your period can be a pain — literally. Most girls have to deal with PMS, cramps, or headaches around the time of their periods. These problems are usually normal and nothing to worry about. Here are the facts on which period problems are common and normal — and which ones might indicate there's something else going on.
What Is PMS?
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is the term for the physical and emotional symptoms that many girls and women get right before their periods begin each month. If you have PMS, you might experience:
acne
bloating
fatigue
backaches
sore breasts
headaches
constipation
diarrhea
food cravings
depression or feeling blue
irritability
difficulty concentrating
difficulty handling stress
PMS is usually at its worst during the 1 to 2 weeks before a girl's period starts, and it usually disappears when her period begins.
Why Do Some Girls Get PMS?
Doctors have not pinpointed the exact cause of PMS, but many believe it is linked to changing hormone levels. Following a girl’s period, the amounts of estrogen and progesterone (female hormones) in a girl's body increase. Then about 1 week before her period starts, levels of both of these hormones begin to fall. The thinking is that these changing hormone levels can lead to PMS symptoms.
It isn't clear why some girls develop PMS and others don't. It's possible that those who develop PMS are simply more sensitive to the changes in hormone levels. There are other theories as well. For example, some believe that what you eat can affect how you feel, especially during the couple of weeks before a girl's period.
Luckily, there are several things you can do to ease PMS symptoms. Eating a balanced diet with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and cutting back on processed foods like chips and crackers can help. You might also want to reduce your salt intake (salt can make you retain water and become more bloated) and, believe it or not, drink more water. Say no to caffeine (it can make you jumpy and anxious) and yes to certain vitamins: B-complex vitamins, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin E are thought to be helpful. Also, daily exercise and stress-relief techniques like meditation can help some girls.
When it comes to medicine, over-the-counter pain medicines like ibuprofen can relieve achy heads and backs. But for really serious PMS pain, see your doctor. He or she might be able to prescribe a different medicine or birth control pills to help with many of your PMS symptoms.
Why Do Some Girls Get Cramps?
Lots of girls have abdominal cramps during the first few days of their periods. Cramps are most likely caused by prostaglandins (pronounced: pross-tuh-glan-dinz), chemicals your body produces that make the muscles of the uterus contract. The good news is that cramps usually only last a few days. But if you're in pain, medicine like ibuprofen may help.
Exercise may also make you feel better, possibly because it releases endorphins, chemicals in the body that literally make you feel good. Soaking in a warm bath or putting a warm compress on your stomach won't make your cramps disappear but may help your muscles relax a little. If you have severe cramps that keep you home from school or from doing stuff with your friends, visit your doctor for advice.
Why Isn't My Period Regular?
It can take up to 3 years from the time a girl starts menstruating for her body to develop a regular cycle. Even then, what's regular varies from person to person. Girls' cycles can range from 21 to 45 days.
Changing hormone levels might make your period short one month (such as 2 or 3 days) and more drawn out (such as 7 days) the next. You might skip a few months, get two periods almost right after each other, have a really heavy period, or one so light you almost don't notice it. (If you're sexually active and you skip a period, though, you should visit your doctor or a women's clinic to make sure you're not pregnant.)
All this irregularity can make planning for your period a real hassle. Try to keep track of when your last period started, and guess that about 4 weeks from that day you could be due for another. If you're worried about wearing that cute dress and suddenly starting your period at school, just make sure you pack protection. Carry a pad or tampon in your backpack, and wear a pantiliner to handle the first wave.
When it comes to periods, every girl's body has a unique (and unpredictable) timeline for getting on track. If your period still has not settled into a relatively predictable pattern after 3 years, or if you have four or five regular periods and then skip your periods for a couple of months, make an appointment with your doctor to check for possible problems.
Why Haven't I Started My Period Yet?
Everybody goes through puberty at different speeds. Some girls begin menstruating as early as age 8 or 9; others don't get going until they're 15 or 16. It all depends on your hormones — and your family. Want to guess when you'll get your period? Ask when your mom and grandmothers (from both sides of your family) started theirs. When you start puberty is partly linked to genetics. So although there's no guarantee that you'll follow in their footsteps, your relatives could give you a pretty good clue about your own period.
One thing that can delay puberty — and your period — is excessive exercising, usually distance running, ballet, or gymnastics, combined with a poor diet. For exercise to be excessive, it means more than just playing soccer for a couple of hours a few times a week or working out once in a while with an exercise tape. To exercise so much that you delay your period, you would have to train vigorously for several hours a day, most days of the week, and not get enough calories, vitamins, and minerals.
Unless compulsive exercise has postponed your period, there's nothing you can do on your own to hurry things along. If you haven't started to menstruate by the time you're 16, consult your doctor. He or she will probably do a pelvic exam and take a blood test to determine the hormone levels in your body. Then the doctor might prescribe hormones to jump-start your cycle.
Menstrual Problems
Even if it seems strange to you, most of the stuff that goes along with a girl's period is completely normal. But there are a few conditions that can be more serious. If you suspect you have any of these conditions, see your doctor for advice.
No Periods
Amenorrhea is the term doctors use for absence of periods. Girls who haven't started their periods by the time they are 16 may have primary amenorrhea, usually caused by a hormone imbalance or developmental problem.
There's also a condition called secondary amenorrhea, when someone who had normal periods stops menstruating for at least 3 months. Low levels of gonadotropin-releasing (pronounced: go-nad-uh-troe-pin) hormone (GnRH), which controls ovulation and the menstrual cycle, frequently bring on amenorrhea. Stress, anorexia, weight loss or gain, stopping birth control pills, thyroid conditions, and ovarian cysts are examples of things that can throw your hormones out of whack. To get everything back on course, your doctor may use hormone therapy. If a medical condition is affecting your monthly cycles, then treatment of the condition will help to resolve the problem. As mentioned earlier, lots of strenuous exercise combined with a poor diet can also cause amenorrhea. Cutting back on exercise and eating a balanced diet with more calories will help correct the problem, but be sure to talk with your doctor as well.
Heavy Periods
Menorrhagia (pronounced: men-uh-ray-jee-uh) is the term doctors use for extremely heavy, prolonged periods. Menorrhagia is more than just 1 or 2 days of a heavier-than-average flow. Girls who have menorrhagia soak through at least a pad an hour for several hours in a row or have periods that are more than 7 days long. (Clotting during your period is not necessarily a sign of menorrhagia, though — lots of girls, with both heavy and light periods, pass clots when they menstruate.)
The most frequent cause of menorrhagia is an imbalance between the amounts of estrogen and progesterone in the body. Because of this imbalance, the endometrium (pronounced: en-doh-mee-tree-um, the lining of the uterus) keeps building up. Then when the body gets rid of the endometrium during a period, the bleeding is very heavy.
Many girls have hormone imbalances during puberty, so it's not uncommon to experience menorrhagia during the teen years. Other cases of heavy bleeding may be caused by thyroid conditions, blood diseases, or inflammation or infections in the vagina or cervix. To help figure out the cause of abnormal bleeding, a doctor can do a pelvic exam, a Pap smear, and blood tests. If you do have menorrhagia, it can be treated with hormones, medicine, or removal of any growths in the uterus that may be the cause of excessive bleeding.
Extremely Painful Periods
Dysmenorrhea (pronounced: dis-men-uh-ree-uh) is the medical term for very painful periods. Primary dysmenorrhea — painful periods that are not caused by a disease or other condition — is more common in teens than secondary dysmenorrhea (painful periods caused by a disease or condition).
The culprit in primary dysmenorrhea is prostaglandin, the same naturally occurring chemical that causes cramps. In large amounts, prostaglandin can cause nausea, vomiting, headaches, backaches, diarrhea, and severe cramps when you have your period. Fortunately, these symptoms usually only last for a day or two. Doctors usually prescribe anti-inflammatory medicines to treat primary dysmenorrhea. As with cramps, exercise, hot water bottles, and birth control pills might also bring some relief.
Some of the more common conditions that can cause secondary dysmenorrhea include:
endometriosis, a condition in which tissue normally found only in the uterus starts to grow outside the uterus
fibroids or growths on the inside wall of the uterus
All of these conditions require that a doctor diagnose the problem and then treat you appropriately.
What to Do if You Suspect a Problem
When you have questions about your period or anything else related to your development, talk to your doctor. This is particularly true if you notice a change in your menstrual cycle. Though most period problems turn out to be nothing to worry about, it's always good to be safe.
See your doctor if:
You have not started your period by the time you are 16. This may indicate that you have a problem that requires medical attention.
You stop getting your period or it becomes really irregular after it has been regular for a while (like 6 months or more). This can be a sign that you may have a hormone imbalance or a problem with nutrition, which can harm your body if left untreated.
You have very heavy or long periods, especially if you have a short cycle and get your period frequently. In rare cases, lots of blood loss can cause anemia (iron deficiency) and leave you feeling really weak and tired.
Your periods are really painful. You might have endometriosis or benign growths that should be removed. Or if you're sexually active, you might have PID.
Chances are that your painful or irregular periods are nothing to worry about. But if there is something going on, the quicker you get it taken care of, the sooner you'll be on your way to feeling great again.
Once you get your period, you'll need to use something to soak up the menstrual blood. There are lots of choices out there, and it may take some experimenting before you find the product that works best for you.
Here's an overview of what's available.
Pads
Super, slender, overnight, with or without wings, deodorant, maxi, mini . . . pads may seem a bit confusing at first because there are so many different kinds. But the good news is that with all these choices, there's bound to be one that works for you.
Pads are rectangles of absorbent material that attach to the insides of a girl's underwear. They're sometimes also called sanitary pads or sanitary napkins. Some pads have extra material on the sides (called "wings") that fold over the edges of your underwear to better hold the pad in place and prevent leakage.
Some girls have periods with heavier bleeding, and others have lighter periods with less bleeding. Pads come in several different thicknesses and absorbencies for heavier or lighter menstrual periods or for day or nighttime use. That way, girls who have a lighter flow don't need to feel like they're wearing a pad that's bigger than they need — and girls with a heavy flow don't need to worry that they'll leak through their pad.
Some pads come with a deodorant or deodorizing substance in them, although these can cause irritation in the genital area for some girls.
Most pads that you buy in stores have a sticky strip along the bottom. You peel off the strip that covers the adhesive, press the pad into the crotch of your underwear (wrapping the wings around and sticking them under the crotch if the pad you're using has wings). This type of pad is disposable. Once you've removed the pad, wrap it in toilet paper and put it in the trash can (or if you're at school or out somewhere, in the special disposal box that's found in most stalls). Don't try to flush a pad down the toilet — even the lightest kind of pad may back up the toilet and make a huge (embarrassing!) mess.
It's also possible to buy reusable pads that can be washed after each wearing — these are usually available in natural health stores or online. These kinds of pads clip onto a girl's underwear (or have a special holder that clips on). Some women choose to use these pads because they think they are better for the environment or because they save money. It's all a matter of personal preference.
No matter what kind of pad you choose, it's best to change pads every 3 or 4 hours, even when your flow isn't very heavy. Regular changing prevents buildup of bacteria and eliminates odor. Naturally, if your period is heavy, you should change pads more often because they may get saturated more quickly.
Tampons
Unlike a pad, which catches menstrual blood after it leaves the body, a tampon absorbs blood from inside the vagina. A tampon is also made of absorbent material, but it's compressed into a tiny tubular shape. Like pads, tampons come in different sizes and absorbencies for heavier and lighter periods (words like "super" or "ultra" on the packaging usually mean that a tampon is designed for girls whose flow is heavier).
Tampons can also come with or without deodorant. Again, using these is a matter of personal preference. There's no real need for deodorant in a tampon, since regular changing usually gets rid of any odor. For some girls, the deodorant in tampons can irritate the vagina.
It's easy to use a tampon, but you do need to learn how. After washing your hands, follow the directions that come with the tampons carefully and be sure to relax. Some tampons come with an applicator — a plastic or cardboard tube that guides the tampon into the vagina. Other tampons are inserted with the fingers.
Some girls find that using a slender size, applicator-style tampon makes it easier to insert tampons at first. (An applicator with a rounded top can be especially helpful for beginners.) The first time you use a tampon, try to do so on a heavier flow day so the tampon slips in easier.
Some girls worry that tampons can get lost inside their bodies, but tampons can't just randomly wander around inside us. The vagina holds a tampon in place and the opening of the cervix (located at the top of the vagina) is just too tiny for a tampon to get through. There's only one place a tampon can go — and that's out the way it came in.
Tampons usually have a string attached to one end that stays outside a girl's body and can be used to remove the tampon at any time. Occasionally, a girl may forget to remove a tampon or may insert a new one when the old one is still in place. If a tampon is left in too long, it won't get lost. But a girl may get a discharge and odor, and she could develop an infection. That's why it's important to change tampons often.
A tampon needs to be changed every 4 to 6 hours or when it's saturated with blood. Because you can't see a tampon as you can with a pad, you'll need to remember when it's time to change or you may get spotting or leakage on your underwear or clothing. Pull gently on the string that is attached to the end of the tampon until the tampon comes out, wrap it in toilet paper, and throw it in the trash. Don't flush a tampon down the toilet — even when the box says a tampon is flushable, some tampons can still cause problems in some plumbing systems.
If it's time to change your tampon and you can't find the string, don't worry! The tampon is still there. You'll need to reach in with your fingers to find the string. It may take a minute to do because the string might be a bit hard to grab.
A tampon needs to be changed every 4 to 6 hours or when it's saturated with blood. Because you can't see a tampon as you can with a pad, you'll need to remember when it's time to change or you may get spotting or leakage on your underwear or clothing. Pull gently on the string that is attached to the end of the tampon until the tampon comes out, wrap it in toilet paper, and throw it in the trash. Don't flush a tampon down the toilet — even when the box says a tampon is flushable, some tampons can still cause problems in some plumbing systems.
If it's time to change your tampon and you can't find the string, don't worry! The tampon is still there. You'll need to reach in with your fingers to find the string. It may take a minute to do because the string might be a bit hard to grab.
Tampon or Pad?
When deciding what type of protection to use, it's really up to you. Some girls like tampons because they're easy to store in a purse or pocket. Tampons and cups are also helpful for girls who participate in sports like swimming, since you can't wear a pad in the water.
Some girls prefer pads because they're easy to use and it's easier to remember when to change them since you can see them getting soaked with blood.
Many girls switch back and forth: Sometimes they use tampons and sometimes they use pads, depending on the situation, where they're going to be, and their menstrual flow. Some girls use pads at night and tampons during the day. And some girls with heavy periods use tampons together with pads or pantiliners for added protection against leakage.
If you have any concerns or questions about your period, talk to your doctor.
Some girls worry that if they use tampons, they will no longer be virgins. The truth is, a virgin is someone who has never had sexual intercourse. Inserting a tampon is definitely not the same as having sex!
So why do girls ask this question so often? Girls who are virgins usually have a hymen, a very thin piece of skin-like tissue that stretches partly across the opening of the vagina. A lot of people mistakenly think that a girl is only a virgin if her hymen has not been broken. Most of the time a girl's hymen breaks after having sex for the first time.
But a girl's hymen can tear in ways that have nothing to do with having sex. For example, it is possible that inserting a tampon might tear the hymen (although that usually doesn't happen). So even if a tampon does break a girl's hymen, she is still a virgin until she has had sexual intercourse.
Menstruation (a period) is a major stage of puberty in girls; it's one of the many physical signs that a girl is turning into a woman. And like a lot of the other changes associated with puberty, menstruation can be confusing. Some girls can't wait to start their periods, whereas others may feel afraid or anxious. Many girls (and guys!) don't have a complete understanding of a woman's reproductive system or what actually happens during the menstrual cycle, making the process seem even more mysterious.
The Female Reproductive System
Baby girls are born with ovaries, fallopian tubes, and a uterus. The two ovaries are oval-shaped and sit on either side of the uterus (womb) in the lowest part of the abdomen called the pelvis. They contain thousands of eggs, or ova. The two fallopian tubes are long and thin. Each fallopian tube stretches from an ovary to the uterus, a pear-shaped organ that sits in the middle of the pelvis. The muscles in a female's uterus are powerful and are able to expand to allow the uterus to accommodate a growing fetus and then help push the baby out during labor.
As a girl matures and enters puberty, the pituitary gland releases hormones that stimulate the ovaries to produce other hormones called estrogen and progesterone. These hormones have many effects on a girl's body, including physical maturation, growth, and emotions.
About once a month, a tiny egg leaves one of the ovaries — a process called ovulation — and travels down one of the fallopian tubes toward the uterus. In the days before ovulation, the hormone estrogen stimulates the uterus to build up its lining with extra blood and tissue, making the walls of the uterus thick and cushioned. This happens to prepare the uterus for pregnancy: If the egg is fertilized by a sperm cell, it travels to the uterus and attaches to the cushiony wall of the uterus, where it slowly develops into a baby.
If the egg isn't fertilized, though — which is the case during most of a woman's monthly cycles — it doesn't attach to the wall of the uterus. When this happens, the uterus sheds the extra tissue lining. The blood, tissue, and unfertilized egg leave the uterus, going through the vagina on the way out of the body. This is a menstrual period. This cycle happens almost every month for several more decades (except, of course, when a female is pregnant) until a woman reaches menopause and no longer releases eggs from her ovaries.
How Often Does a Girl Get Her Period?
Just as some girls begin puberty earlier or later than others, the same applies to periods. Some girls may start menstruating as early as age 10, but others may not get their first period until they are 15 years old.
The amount of time between a girl's periods is called her menstrual cycle (the cycle is counted from the start of one period to the start of the next). Some girls will find that their menstrual cycle lasts 28 days, whereas others might have a 24-day cycle, a 30-day cycle, or even longer. Following menarche, menstrual cycles last 21–45 days. After a couple of years, cycles shorten to an adult length of 21–34 days.
Irregular periods are common in girls who are just beginning to menstruate. It may take the body a while to sort out all the changes going on, so a girl may have a 28-day cycle for 2 months, then miss a month, for example. Usually, after a year or two, the menstrual cycle will become more regular. Some women continue to have irregular periods into adulthood, though.
As a girl gets older and her periods settle down — or she gets more used to her own unique cycle — she will probably find that she can predict when her period will come. In the meantime, it's a good idea to keep track of your menstrual cycle with a calendar.
How Long and How Much?
The amount of time that a girl has her period also can vary. Some girls have periods that last just 2 or 3 days. Other girls may have periods that last 7 days or longer. The menstrual flow — meaning how much blood comes out of the vagina — can vary widely from girl to girl, too.
Some girls may be concerned that they're losing too much blood. It can be a shock to see all that blood, but it's unlikely that a girl will lose too much, unless she has a medical condition like von Willebrand disease. Though it may look like a lot, the average amount of blood is only about 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) for an entire period. Most teens will change pads 3 to 6 times a day, with more frequent changes when their period is heaviest, usually at the start of the period.
Especially when menstrual periods are new, you may be worried about your blood flow or whether your period is normal in other ways. Talk to a doctor or nurse if:
your period lasts longer than a week
you have to change your pad very often (soaking more than one pad every 1–2 hours)
you go longer than 3 months between periods
you have bleeding in between periods
you have an unusual amount of pain before or during your period
your periods were regular then became irregular
Cramps
Some girls may notice physical or emotional changes around the time of their periods. Menstrual cramps are pretty common — in fact, more than half of all women who menstruate say they have cramps during the first few days of their periods. Doctors think that cramps are caused by prostaglandin, a chemical that causes the muscles of the uterus to contract.
Depending on the girl, menstrual cramps can be dull and achy or sharp and intense, and they can sometimes be felt in the back as well as the abdomen. These cramps often become less uncomfortable and sometimes even disappear completely as a girl gets older.
Many girls and women find that over-the-counter pain medications (like acetaminophen or ibuprofen) can relieve cramps, as can taking a warm bath or applying a warm heating pad to the lower abdomen. Exercising regularly throughout the monthly cycle may help lessen cramps, too. If these things don't help, ask your doctor for advice.
PMS and Pimples
Some girls and women find that they feel sad or easily irritated during the few days or week before their periods. Others may get angry more quickly than normal or cry more than usual. Some girls crave certain foods. These types of emotional changes may be the result of premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
PMS is related to changes in the body's hormones. As hormone levels rise and fall during a woman's menstrual cycle, they can affect the way she feels, both emotionally and physically. Some girls, in addition to feeling more intense emotions than they usually do, notice physical changes along with their periods — some feel bloated or puffy because of water retention, others notice swollen and sore breasts, and some get headaches.
PMS usually goes away soon after a period begins, but it can come back month after month. Eating right, getting enough sleep, and exercising may help relieve some of the symptoms of PMS. Talk to your doctor if you are concerned about your premenstrual symptoms.
It's also not uncommon for girls to have an acne flare-up during certain times of their cycle; again, this is due to hormones. Fortunately, the pimples associated with periods tend to become less of a problem as girls get older.
Pads, Tampons, and Liners
Once you begin menstruating, you'll need to use something to absorb the blood. Most girls use a pad or a tampon. But some use menstrual cups, which a girl inserts into her vagina to catch and hold the blood (instead of absorbing it, like a tampon).
There are so many products out there that it may take some experimenting before you find the one that works best for you. Some girls use only pads (particularly when they first start menstruating), some use only tampons, and some switch around — tampons during the day and pads at night, for example.
Girls who worry about leakage from a tampon often use a pantiliner, too, and some girls use liners alone on very light days of their periods.
Periods shouldn't get in the way of exercising, having fun, and enjoying life. Girls who are very active, particularly those who enjoy swimming, often find that tampons are the best option during sports.
If you have questions about pads, tampons, or coping with periods, ask a parent, health teacher, school nurse, or older sister.
When girls begin to go through puberty (usually starting between the ages of 8 and 13), their bodies and minds change in many ways. The hormones in their bodies stimulate new physical development, such as growth and breast development. About 2 to 2½ years after a girl's breasts begin to develop, she usually gets her first menstrual period.
About 6 months or so before getting her first period, a girl might notice an increased amount of clear vaginal discharge. This discharge is common. There's no need for a girl to worry about discharge unless it has a strong odor or causes itchiness.
The start of periods is known as
menarche. Menarche doesn't happen until all the parts of a girl's reproductive system have matured and are working together.
