Periods start during puberty. The average age for puberty to start in girls is 11, but can be earlier or later. Periods usually begin at around the age of 12. Some girls will start them later, and some earlier – everyone is different.
When do periods start? Most young people will have their first periods when they're between 11 and 14½, but anywhere from 9-16 years is considered normal. Periods are likely to start soon if your child has: had a major growth spurt.
When do most girls get their period? Most girls get their first period when they're between 10 and 15 years old. The average age is 12, but every girl's body has its own schedule. Although there's no one right age for a girl to get her period, there are some clues that it will start soon.
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.
Menarche is not a word in a seven-year-old's vocabulary, but there are girls who experience their first menstrual periods at age seven or even younger as a result of precocious puberty.
In your 40s, your menstrual periods may become longer or shorter, heavier or lighter, and more or less frequent, until eventually — on average, by age 51 — your ovaries stop releasing eggs, and you have no more periods.
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. If your period lasts for more than 7 days, you should talk with your doctor.
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.
Some people get signs that their periods are coming — like bloating, pimples, sore breasts, and feeling emotional. Many people get cramps in their belly, lower back, or legs before their period. These symptoms are called PMS. Not everybody has signs that their periods are about to start.
PMS (premenstrual syndrome) is when a girl has emotional and physical symptoms that happen before or during her period. These symptoms can include moodiness, sadness, anxiety, bloating, and acne. The symptoms go away after the first few days of a period.
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.
Causes of Early Puberty
These hormones tell the body to make sex hormones- testosterone in males and estrogen in females. For most children, early puberty starts for no known reason. It can run in families. Sometimes there is a problem in the brain, such as an injury, a tumor or an infection.
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.
Between the ages of 8 and 13, girls typically experience: Their breasts begin to bud, and their areolas (pigmented area around the nipple) enlarge. Scant pubic hair appears. Height increases by about 2¾ inches per year.
Growing pubic hair
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.
Swimming on your period is perfectly safe, and actually beneficial to your health.
Smaller sizes are best for lighter flow. A lot of people think you have to use pads with your first period, but there's no reason why you can't use a tampon if you want. It's your choice! Both pads and tampons are safe, even for your first period.
What if you get your period at night? If you start bleeding in the evening or overnight, it can be confusing whether to count that as your Day 1 since there are just a few hours left in that day. For the sake of simplicity, I recommend that you do count that as your Day 1.
Several different things could be causing bleeding that's too early. Cycles may become irregular when menstruating years are starting or nearing an end. Pregnancy is another factor that may cause a period twice a month. But thyroid function and structural problems could also be throwing your normal cycle out of whack.
When you are born, this number has reduced to around two million and by the time you reach puberty and begin menstruation (start your periods) you will have somewhere between 300,000 and 500,000 eggs remaining. At menopause, you will have 1,000 to 2,000 eggs remaining.
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.
Spotting or light bleeding after menopause might not seem like a serious problem, but you should never ignore it or wait to bring it up with your doctor. After a woman's periods have stopped, vaginal bleeding could be a sign of a health issue—including endometrial (uterine) cancer.