You can help your child by being informed, providing reassurance, role-modelling body acceptance and a healthy lifestyle, and respecting your young person's need for more privacy. Take practical steps to support your young person through their bodily changes. Look after your own needs too.
If you have a daughter approaching that 10-15 year age range, then the time is near for you to prepare her for her first period and the realities of puberty. Next to teaching a child how to drive, this can be one of the more nerve-wracking tasks for a parent. But it may be easier than you think.
When your daughter starts to go through puberty, her gonads (ovaries) and adrenal glands (glands that sit on top of the kidneys) release hormones. These hormones cause the first signs of puberty, which are breast development, body odor, underarm hair, pubic hair and acne (pimples).
Pubic hair – Once her pubic hair starts growing, you can expect her period to develop in one to two years. It may begin soft and thin but it will become courser and thicker towards the end of puberty.
The first period typically occurs after a female first ovulates. This happens when the ovaries release an egg into the fallopian tube. When this happens, the womb lining thickens in preparation for the egg to be fertilized. If fertilization does not occur, the lining sheds, as the body no longer needs it.
Leading up to your first period, you may notice these symptoms: Cramping (pain or achiness in your belly, back or legs). Bloating (your belly feels full or swollen). Tender or sore breasts (chest).
Your first period (and the next few after that) may just look like brown spotting in your knickers. It's not the red blood you may have been expecting. So what actually DOES your first period look like? A lot of girls are surprised when their first period looks like just a few brownish spots in their knickers.
Talk to her about menstrual hygiene
Poor hygiene during periods can cause infections, so it's important to talk to your daughter about hygiene during periods and make sure she understands how to best clean and look after herself. Here are some tips: Keep up your normal personal hygiene.
Most of the time, a girl gets her period about 2 years after her breasts start to develop. Another sign is vaginal discharge fluid (sort of like mucus) that a girl might see or feel on her underwear. This discharge usually begins about 6 months to a year before a girl gets her first period.
As a girl develops, her body will make more fat to allow for fuller thighs, stomach and breasts, and wider hips. Lean body mass in girls diminishes from approximately 80 percent to 75 percent by the end of puberty, while the amount of body fat increases.
Your first period should last anywhere from 2 to 7 days. It may be very light, with just a few spots of brownish blood. Or it may start and end more brownish, but be brighter red on heavier flow days.
When you first start having your period, it may last only a few days. Your first few periods may be very light. You may only see a few spots of reddish brown blood. Anywhere from 2 to 7 days is normal.
When your child's period is coming, they might have a range of physical symptoms, including sore breasts, pimples and greasy hair. Your child might also have a sore tummy, feel sick or have diarrhoea. Period pain and these associated symptoms are common.
Menarche is defined as the first menstrual period in a female adolescent. Menarche typically occurs between the ages of 10 and 16, with the average age of onset being 12.4 years.
Most girls will not start menstruation until they weigh at least 100 pounds. Puberty hormones lead to girls developing breast, hips, pubic hair, and growing in height. Menstruation means that a girl is now physically able to become pregnant. About once a month, the ovaries release an egg.
In the years leading up to your first period, you'll notice changes in your nipples, chest and pubic hair. Your body will become more like an adult, and becoming pregnant will become possible. For most people, these changes become noticeable around ages 8–10, but can happen earlier or later than that (1,2).
Growing pubic hair: Just after your breasts start to form, you'll probably start growing pubic hair. It will be soft and thin at first, but it'll get coarser over time. Your period usually arrives around one to two years after.
Soon after her breasts start to form, she'll start developing pubic hair. It will be soft and thin at first and then gradually become coarser. Her first period usually arrives around one to two years after pubic hair starts growing.
Girls usually begin puberty between the ages of 8 and 13 years old. The earliest sign of puberty in most girls is the development of breast "buds," nickel-sized bumps under the nipple. It is not unusual for breast growth to start on one side before the other.