Your periods will start when your body is ready. This is usually between age 8 and 17, or 2 years after your first signs of puberty.
Typically, 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.
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.
Now the average age for a first period is closer to 12, with one University of Cincinnati study reporting that about 10 to 15 percent of girls enter puberty at age 7 or younger, a phenomenon known as precocious puberty. This is up from just 5 percent in similar studies conducted in the early 1990s.
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.
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.
“The average age is about 12 or 13,” explains Dr. Twogood. Periods start when the body is ready, so remember that this can be at different times for different people. However, if your daughter hasn't started her period by the time she's 15, you should reach out to your health care provider for support.
If your period comes early once in a while, it is likely normal and not a cause for concern. Menstruation might start early because of a change in your lifestyle, intense physical exercise, illness, or stress. However, sometimes it happens with no reason, and this is still not necessarily abnormal.
If your daughter has started her periods, it's a good idea to make her teacher aware.
If a girl starts menstruation at a young age, it's usually because the hormones in her body responsible for puberty are being produced earlier.
Growing pubic hair
Her first period usually arrives around one to two years after pubic hair starts growing.
What does an early period mean? Getting your period early usually means your hormones are a slightly off-balance. Fluctuations in your hormones from month to month are common and are typically nothing to worry about, especially if you've only just started menstruating.
Any girl who has her period can get cramps. Some are more likely to get them, such as girls who: are younger when their periods start. have longer periods or heavier blood flow.
Pubic hair – Once her pubic hair starts growing, you can expect her period to develop in one to two years.
Myth: menarche means the end of growth is near
Follow-up data from the Fels Longitudinal Study show that girls who start menstruating at age 10 grow, on average, 10 cm (4 inches), while those in whom menarche is delayed until age 15 grow, on average, 5 cm (2 inches).
A study including almost half a million people finds that starting periods before the age of 12 increases the risk of heart disease and stroke later in life. Share on Pinterest A range of reproductive factors are linked with health risks in a new study.
The cycle isn't the same for everyone. Menstrual bleeding might happen every 21 to 35 days and last 2 to 7 days. For the first few years after menstruation begins, long cycles are common. However, menstrual cycles tend to shorten and become more regular as people age.
The most probable explanation for why periods and breast development might be happening younger is that girls tend to weigh more today than they did a generation ago—and this higher body fat percentage is leading to earlier activation of the pituitary gland, which produces the hormones responsible for puberty.
Always Cotton Soft
Get her the ALWAYS gentle Cotton Soft pads for some added comfort. The cotton-like softness on the top layer will provide her with the comfiest feel and protect her skin from dampness for long hours. These soft pads provide period protection and comfort like no other with its cushiony softness.
Most girls start their periods when they're about 12, but they can start as early as 8, so it's important to talk to girls from an early age to make sure they're prepared. Respond to questions or opportunities as they arise and do not be embarrassed. Periods are natural.
Early periods often result from hormonal changes, especially during puberty and perimenopause. Many underlying medical conditions, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis, can also cause menstrual irregularities.
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).
“The primary reason that period blood could be brown is because it's old blood,” said Dr. Cummings. It usually happens at the beginning or the end of your period, when your flow is lighter. Because the longer blood takes to leave the body, the longer it has to oxidize (read: get exposed to oxygen), which makes it dark.