Periods
One of the changes that occurs during puberty is starting your period.
Periods
Some girls feel anxious about their period starting, or not starting when they think it should, starting your period is not as scary as you may think, and it is important to remember that everyone is different, periods usually start around age12-13, some girls
start their period as early as 8 or as late as 18.
What is a Period
A period is when you have bleeding from your vagina which usually last for a few days. Each month one of your ovaries releases an egg at the same time the lining of your womb becomes thicker to prepare for a possible pregnancy, if a pregnancy does not occur the egg travels down to you womb and the lining of your womb is shed this is your period.
Menstrual cycle
The average length of the menstrual cycle is 28 days, day one being the first day of your period. Some women menstrual cycle can be as short as 21 days and some as long as 40 days.
How long will they last?
A period usually last 3-7 days
How much blood will I lose during my period?
It might look a lot a lot but it is only about 3-5 table spoons
How will I know when my period is coming?
A year or so before you start your period you may notice a damp white-yellow stain on your pants, this is called a vaginal discharge. Your breasts may become more tender and a bit larger, you may gets spots and feel a bit moody the week up to your period ,one minute you feel fine and the next the world is against you.
It can take time for your periods to become regular, for the first year they may come at different times before they begin to settle, it is a good idea to mark in a diary when you get your period, so you can work out when the next one is due.
What to do
Some women use sanitary towels or tampons to collect the blood leaving your body. Towels soak up the blood as it leaves your body, having a sticky strip that sticks to the inside of your pants.
Tampons fits inside your vagina absorbing the blood before it leaves your body. It can take a bit of practice to get the hang of using tampons.
You will need to change your towel or tampon regularly about every 4 hours or sooner. Always wash your hand before and after changing your towel or tampon.
Always check that you’ve taken out your last tampon out at the end of your period.
Some times women can develop problems when using tampons which can lead to toxic shock syndrome which can be serious, if you have two or more of the following – being sick, a rash, sore throat, sudden fever, diarrhoea you should remove your tampon, stop using them and see a doctor straight away.
When disposing of towels or tampons they should never be flushed down the toilet they should be raped up and put in the bin.