When you get your period

What Can I Expect When I Get My Period?

In This Section

Puberty
Who can I talk to about it?
Are my vulva and vagina normal?
Are my breasts normal?
What’s up with periods?

What can I expect when I get my period?
Are my penis and testicles normal?
What’s the deal with erections, ejaculation, and wet dreams?
What are puberty blockers?
What happens during puberty if I’m intersex?

It’s normal to be nervous about your first period. Knowing what’s normal can help you feel more prepared. But everyone’s body is different, so periods are different too.

Is This Normal? Puberty in People with Vaginas, Explained | Planned Parenthood Video

When will I get my first period?

There's no way to know exactly when you'll get your first period. One day, you’ll see blood in your underwear or on your sheets, and boom — there it is! There may be signs of your first period (like cramps, bloating, or pimples), but this doesn’t happen for everyone.

Most people get their first period between ages 12 and 15, but some people get theirs earlier or later than that. Your period might start around the time it did for other people you’re related to, like your mom or sisters. If you don't get your period by the time you're 16, it’s a good idea to go to your doctor or a Planned Parenthood health center — just to make sure everything’s okay.

It’s totally normal to be anxious or curious about getting your period, but try not to stress about it too much. Everyone’s body is different, so everyone starts their periods at different times. You never know when it’s going to show up, so carrying a tampon, period underwear, or a pad in your bag can help you feel more ready for when your first period comes.

How do I know if my period is coming?

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. And sometimes the signs change month-to-month. As you get older, it usually gets easier to tell when your period is coming.

Many people mark the days they have their period on their calendar or on an app. Keeping track of your periods will help you know when your next period is coming. It can also tell you if your period is late or early. It’s really common to have periods that don’t come at the exact same time every month — especially when you’re a teenager.

Keeping a tampon, period underwear, or a pad in your bag can help you be prepared for your period, no matter when it shows up. If you start your period and don't have a tampon or pad, you can ask a parent, friend, teacher, or the school nurse for a tampon or a pad. (Don’t be shy — almost all people with periods have borrowed a tampon or pad at some point!) Some bathrooms also have vending machines where you can buy a tampon or pad. If you’re REALLY stuck somewhere without a tampon or pad, you can fold up a bunch of toilet paper or a clean sock or washcloth and put it in your underwear to soak up the blood.

If your clothes accidently get stained, you can wrap a sweater around your waist or ask to go home. You can also keep a change of clothes in your locker. Again, try not to be embarrassed — everyone who has a period has accidentally bled on their underwear or clothes before. It happens!

What’s a normal period?

Normal periods are different from person to person. They can also change over your lifetime. Periods usually come about once a month. When you first start having your period, the bleeding may last only a few days or be really light (meaning not that much blood comes out).

During your period, it’s normal to bleed anywhere from 2 to 7 days. It may seem like a lot of blood comes out, but most people only lose about 1-6 tablespoons of blood and tissue during each period. Period blood can be red, brown, or pink. It’s also normal for it to be kind of clumpy at times. If your period is so heavy that you have to change maxi pads or super tampons every hour call your doctor or your local Planned Parenthood health center.

During the first few years of your period, it might not always come at the same time every month. You may bleed more or less, or have different PMS symptoms month-to-month. As you get older, periods usually get more regular and it’ll be easier to know what’s “normal” for you. Learn more about what a normal period is.

Even though it’s normal to have periods that aren’t always regular, missing a period can be a sign of pregnancy. If you’ve had penis-in-vagina sex without using birth control and you skipped your period, take a pregnancy test. Read more about what to do if you miss your period.

Want to track your period? We’ve got you. Download our Spot On app.

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Periods - NHS

A period is the part of the menstrual cycle when a woman bleeds from her vagina for a few days.

For most women this happens every 28 days or so, but it's common for periods to be more or less frequent than this, ranging from every 23 days to every 35 days.

Your period can last between 2 and 7 days, but it will usually last for about 5 days. The bleeding tends to be heaviest in the first 2 days.

When your period is at its heaviest, the blood will be red. On lighter days, it may be pink or brown.

You'll lose about 20 to 90ml (about 1 to 5 tablespoons) of blood during your period, although some women bleed more heavily than this.

Read more about heavy periods, period pain, irregular periods and stopped or missed periods.

When do periods start?

Periods usually begin at around the age of 12, although some girls will start them earlier or later.

A delay in starting periods isn't usually a cause for concern. Most girls will be having regular periods by age 16 to 18.

Read more about early or delayed puberty.

Sanitary products

Sanitary products soak up or collect the blood released during your period. The main types of sanitary products are:

sanitary pads
tampons
menstrual cups

Sanitary pads

Sanitary pads are strips of padding that have a sticky side you attach to your underwear to hold them in place. One side of the pad is made of an absorbent material that soaks up the blood.

Pads come in many sizes, so you can choose one to suit how heavy or light your period is.

You can also get reusable washable pads.

Pantyliners are a smaller and thinner type of sanitary pad that can be used on days when your period is very light.

Tampons

Tampons are small tubes of cotton wool that you insert into your vagina to soak up the blood before it comes out of your body.

There are 2 types of tampon – ones that come with an applicator and others without an applicator that you insert with your fingers. In both cases, there's a string at one end of the tampon, which you pull to remove it.

Tampons come with instructions that explain how to use them. If the tampon is inserted correctly, you should not be able to feel it inside you. If you can feel it or it hurts, it might not be in properly.

It is not possible for a tampon to get lost inside you. Your vagina holds it firmly in place and it expands inside you as it soaks up the blood.

For more information, read:

Can a tampon get lost inside me?
What if I forget to remove my tampon?

Menstrual cups

Menstrual cups are an alternative to sanitary pads and tampons. The cup is made from silicone and you put it inside your vagina.

Menstrual cups collect the blood rather than absorb it. Unlike tampons and most sanitary pads, which are thrown away after they've been used, you can wash menstrual cups and use them again.

Period underwear

Period underwear are pants made from absorbent fabric. They soak up blood in the same way as sanitary pads, and have a layer to prevent leaks. They're designed to be washed and reused.

PMS (premenstrual syndrome)

Changes in your body's hormone levels before your period can cause physical and emotional changes.

This is known as PMS (premenstrual syndrome) or PMT (premenstrual tension).

There are many possible symptoms of PMS, but typical symptoms include:

feeling bloated
breast tenderness
mood swings
feeling irritable
spotty skin
low sex drive (loss of libido)

These symptoms usually improve when your period starts and disappear a few days afterwards. Not all women who have periods get PMS.

Getting pregnant

Working out when you can get pregnant – your fertile time – can be difficult. It's around the time you ovulate, which is about 12 to 16 days before the start of your next period.

But sperm can survive inside a woman's body for up to 7 days before ovulation occurs. This means your fertile time extends back earlier in your cycle.

You can calculate when your period will start and your peak ovulation times using an online period calendar.

You cannot get pregnant if you do not ovulate. Some hormonal methods of contraception, such as the combined contraceptive pill, contraceptive patch and contraceptive injection, work by preventing ovulation.

Read more about periods and fertility in the menstrual cycle, infertility, contraception and trying to get pregnant.

Changes in your periods

Your periods can change – for example, they may last longer or get lighter. This does not necessarily mean there's a problem, but it does need to be investigated.

You can see your GP, or visit your nearest women's clinic or contraceptive clinic.

Bleeding between periods, bleeding after having sex, or bleeding after the menopause needs to be checked by a doctor.

It might be caused by an infection, abnormalities in the neck of the womb (the cervix) or, in rare cases, it could be cancer.

You could be pregnant if you miss a period and you've had sex. See your GP if you've taken a pregnancy test and the result is negative (you're not pregnant) and you've missed 3 consecutive periods.

They will investigate the cause and recommend any necessary treatment.

Read more about stopped or missed periods.

When do periods stop?

Your periods will continue until you reach the menopause, which usually happens when you are in your mid-40s to mid-50s. In the UK the average age of menopause is 51.

Your periods will not usually stop suddenly when you go through the menopause. They may start to become less frequent over a few months or years before stopping altogether.

Video: Menstrual cycle

This animation explains in detail how the menstrual cycle works.

Media last reviewed: 21 October 2020
Media review due: 21 October 2023

Page last reviewed: 05 January 2023
Next review due: 05 January 2026

When should a girl's period start? – Academic Medical Center (AMC)

The onset of menstruation is a very important and very emotional moment in a girl's life. At this time, the support and care of her mother, who is ready to help sort everything out, is especially important to her. Mom is also not easy, because she is worried about the health of her daughter. Everyone begins menstruation at different ages, and the specifics of the formation of the menstrual cycle also differ. To dispel anxiety and tell what is the norm and what is a dangerous symptom, the candidate of medical sciences, doctor of the highest category, pediatric gynecologist Tatyana Valerievna Yudina agreed.

Tatyana Valerievna, tell me, at what age should menstruation begin?

- Menstruation usually starts between 10 and 15 years of age. If menstruation began in a girl under 8 years old, or if a 15-year-old does not have them, this is a reason to see a doctor.

Puberty begins at 8 years of age, and the appearance of menstruation at this age is no longer considered premature, but early. Given our ecological situation, this is not a pathology. I see many girls who have been menstruating since the age of 8.

After the onset of menstruation, intensive growth stops. If this happened at the age of 8, and the girl did not grow taller than everyone else in the class, you need to contact the specialists and temporarily stop menstruation. The gynecologist and endocrinologist will jointly prescribe hormonal therapy that keeps sexual development.

How is the monthly cycle in girls?

- The monthly cycle is set differently for everyone, but it should normalize within a year and a half. Normally, menstruation should last about 7 days with a frequency of 23-30 days. However, your periods may be irregular at first. During the period of the formation of the menstrual function, breaks of 2-3 months are acceptable and are a variant of the norm.

How heavy should the discharge be?

- The most important thing is that the gasket does not change every 2 hours. On the first day, 1 pad should be enough, on the second and third days - a maximum of 3 pads, and then - in descending order. A few days of menstruation are more abundant, the rest - less.

If the bleeding is so strong that the pad has to be changed every two hours, this is a reason to run to the gynecologist, and just run, not walk!

What to do if menstruation did not start at the age of 15?

— So, you need to go to the doctor. First, it is necessary to exclude anomalies in the development of the external genital organs. The girl may have atresia - the absence of a hole in the hymen, there may be no entrance to the vagina and uterus, there may be hormonal disorders. These are the most complex pathologies, and there are a lot of reasons for delaying the onset of menstruation, including low body weight. The only reason not to worry is the late onset of menstruation in mom. In any case, if menstruation has not appeared before the age of 15, you should definitely go to the gynecologist so that he can examine him on the chair and do an ultrasound.

You can learn more about the Pediatric Gynecology Department at AMS and make an appointment with Tatyana Valerievna Yudina by following the link.

First period. What, where, when and how

Your first period: what do you need to know?

The onset of menses (menses) in adolescent girls is an important stage of puberty. This is one of many signs that a girl is entering puberty and may now become pregnant.

Menstruation is a delicate topic that not in every family parents can cover correctly and explain what is happening, give scientific information about what changes are happening now with her body and what will now change in her life. Many girls dread the day they get their period, and some look forward to those changes. What you feel at this moment is normal.

Unfortunately, due to the fragmentation of data and the lack of special classes on reproductive health in the school curriculum, many girls and most boys lack basic knowledge about the structure of the female reproductive system and what menstruation is and how it occurs, about the rules for safe hygiene and protection. This is very sad, because the banal lack of reliable information in this extremely important area can lead you to unpleasant health consequences.

Signs of the first menstruation

The first menstruation in adolescent girls can begin at different ages and depends on when puberty began, when the body begins to mature and enter the phase when the girl becomes sexually mature, that is, is able to become pregnant.

One of the first noticeable signs of the beginning of puberty is the "swelling" of the breast. Do not confuse it with the growth of a real breast: this means that the nipple simply becomes more prominent. In other girls, the first sign may be the appearance of pubic hairs. On average, after 4-4.5 years, menstruation usually begins, but the spread is normal from one and a half to six years.

Often a sign of age when menarche occurs—the first menstruation in a girl's life—is the appearance of armpit hair and breast growth to the size of an adult bra (with cups A, B, C, etc.). From this point on, you can expect that your period will begin in a period of 3-6 months, if, of course, they have not already begun. A common symptom of the early onset of menstruation is a slowdown in growth.

Further, within six months, the girl may notice an increase in the growth of pubic hair or their appearance, and after another six months, the peak moment of growth occurs. After another year, the breasts grow to adult size and armpit hair appears. The first period usually occurs in the period for or after 4 months after this.

Half a year before the first menstruation, many girls notice an increase in the amount of vaginal discharge: this is normal

Important! If there is itching or a strong smell before the first menstruation, you should consult a gynecologist for advice: this may be a sign of infection.

At what age does menstruation begin and what should be the menstrual cycle?

The variation in age may vary, on average, in women of the European race, menstruation begins at the age of 12-13 years.

However, it is worth considering that the age at first menstruation tends to decrease. Some girls may start their period at age 10 or 11, others at 15.

The interval between periods is called the menstrual cycle. It is considered from the first day of menstruation to the beginning of the next.

For some it is 28 days, but it can be shorter or longer, from 21 to 45 days. Usually, after menarche, the cycle may be established for some time, and at first the cycle may be longer. After a couple of years, it is reduced to 21-34 days.

Many girls are faced with the fact that in the first years after menarche, menstruation may be irregular: this is normal, it may take some time for the body to establish a stable cycle. For example, during this period, a girl may have two cycles of 28 days, and then menstruation may not come on time in the next. Despite the fact that the cycle usually becomes regular within a couple of years, in about a third of women it remains unstable.

Menstruation must be marked in a special calendar or in the application on the phone. You need to mark from the first day of the beginning of menstruation to the end, and so on. The length of the cycle is considered from the first day of menstruation to the beginning of a new period. For example, if your period started on January 1st, then went for 4 days, and then began on January 30th, then you need to mark the days from the first to the fourth and 30th as the days of menstruation and count the number of days from January 1st to 30th. e (the 30th will be the start date of the next cycle). It turns out 29This is the length of the menstrual cycle.

How long do periods last and how much blood is shed?

Many girls wonder if their periods are normal: it's absolutely normal when you don't know what to expect!

The duration of menstruation can be different: some have 2-3 days, someone even 7, on average, menstruation lasts 3-5 days. The amount of blood excreted also varies from person to person.

Blood during the first menstruation, as well as menstruation in general, may differ in color on different days. Often on the very first day, the blood has a red-brown tint, darker than in subsequent days. Sometimes on days when menstruation is especially strong, clots can stand out: do not be alarmed, this is due to the fact that the blood has simply coagulated. The brown color of menstruation can also be in the last days: this means that the blood has been in the uterus for a long time and has managed to oxidize.