How Early Can A Girl Get Her Period

Kat A Former Clue Intern Shared Her Personal Experience Of Waiting To Get Her First Period Below

All About Getting Your Period

“Periods can be frustrating, messy and sometimes downright painful. Nevertheless, I couldnât wait to get mine. When I was nine, my mom taught me about periods, but stressed that I shouldnât expect mine to start any time soon since she had gotten hers later than average. Still, I was determined that that wouldnât be the case for me.

When I was 10, I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, looked down, and finally, a little spot of blood! The wait was over! I was a grownup now, ready to tackle anything! I rushed down the hall to tell my mom who gave me a pad with an unconvinced look on her face. That night I was almost too excited to sleep, knowing what I could tell all my friends in the morning. You can imagine my despair when there was not a hint of red to be seen, only a small cut on my upper thigh. False alarm.

Throughout elementary and middle school I had to sit through various puberty talks and was given countless handfuls of pads and tampons from sex ed teachers âjust in case.â I had to watch all of my friends come into school ready to spill the details of where they were and how they felt now that they were âa real woman.â I wasnât as physically mature as they were but I felt absolutely sure that this milestone would make me fit in again. Days, months and years passed. I watched everyone develop, claim that they had âsynced up,â and relate to each otherâs symptoms. I felt excluded.

How Do You Know If Your Period Is Late

Whether youre busy or just have a lot on your mind, its easy to forget when you should expect your period to start. But if youre not sure when to expect your period, its hard to know if its late.

A period tracking app like Flo can help. By logging your usual menstrual cycle dates, Flo can predict when you can expect your period. This information can also be very useful if you need to go to your health care provider when you miss your period. Having information about your cycle can help them understand whats happening inside your body.

When Should I Talk To My Kids About Periods

Talking about periods shouldn’t be one big talk at a particular age. Instead, start the conversation early and slowly build on your child’s understanding. Girls and boys need reliable information about periods. So make sure you talk to your sons too!

  • For example, if your 4-year-old sees a tampon and asks what it’s for, you could say, “Women bleed a little from their vagina every month. It’s called a period. It isn’t because they’re hurt. It’s how the body gets ready for a baby. The tampon catches the blood so it doesn’t go on the underwear.”

Over the years, you can give your child more information as he or she is ready.

If your child doesn’t ask questions about periods, you can bring it up. By the time they’re 6 or 7 years old, most kids can understand the basics of periods. Look for a natural moment to talk about it, such as:

  • when kids asks about puberty or changing bodies
  • if your child asks where babies come from
  • if you’re at the store buying pads or tampons

Ask if your child knows about periods. Then, you can share basic information, such as: As a girl develops into a woman, her body changes so she can have a baby when she grows up. Part of that is getting a place ready for the baby to grow inside the mom. The place a baby grows is called a uterus. Every month the uterus wall gets ready for a baby. If there is no baby, the uterus wall comes off and bleeds a little. The blood comes out a woman’s vagina. The body makes a new wall every month, just in case there is a baby.

Recommended Reading: New Hire 90 Day-probationary Period Template

Talking To Your Daughter About Periods

Periods? Ew Gross!

Dont be alarmed if this is the response you get when you decide to have the period talk with your tween. In fact, a good majority of you can expect it.

It seems like only yesterday when your little girl was playing with her Barbies and baby dolls. Now shes wearing braces, blasting the latest Justin Bieber song on her IPod, and wanting you to drop her off a mile down the road, and last night you overheard her talking with her friend about the hottest boy in school. What happened? Where did the time go? Remember when your mother told you not to blink

Well, the time has come.

Talking to your daughter about her period may at first be a little awkward. One of the main obstacles to overcome before you have the talk is getting comfortable with your own thoughts and feelings. Talk with your partner, your mother, or a close friend about how youre feeling. This may be just as difficult of a time for you as it is for your daughter. Acceptance sometimes doesnt come easy. Recognizing how youre feeling, and reasoning it out beforehand, will help you be more open and understanding of your daughters feelings.

Stress to your daughter that getting her period is normal and healthy and DOES NOT hurt. Tell her that periods are a sign her body is working properly and growing from a girls body into a womans body. Explain that getting a monthly period is her bodys way of practicing for a time to come someday when she may have a baby.

Show her a diagram

Best Time To Get Pregnant After A Period

7 Ways to Prepare your Daughter for her First Period

The likelihood of becoming pregnant is highest during the two days before ovulation begins or exactly on the day of ovulation, when an egg is released from the ovary. Usually, ovulation happens about two weeks before the start of the next period. Cycles and ovulation dates vary, so you may want to try an efficient method of predicting ovulation to improve the chance of conception.

Here are four methods for predicting ovulation they can help you find the best time to get pregnant after your period:

  • For regular cycles with the same number of days each month, an ovulation calculator can help determine the most fertile day of the month.
  • Tracking the signs and symptoms of ovulation, like changes in basal body temperature and cervical mucus, can also help determine the best time to get pregnant after your period.
  • Recommended Reading: Dark Brown Discharge Instead Of Period

    Why Having A Period Might Stop

    The absence of a menstrual period is called amenorrhea. This condition describes women who have not had a period in their teenage years or women who used to have a regular period that has stopped. There are several causes of amenorrhea.

    Pregnancy is the most common reason for a woman to stop having her menstrual period. There’s also breastfeeding and extreme weight loss caused by serious illness, eating disorders or excessive exercising.

    Gland problems and reproductive problems may also have this effect. If your period has not started by the age of 16, or if you have stopped having your period, while you are still young, contact your healthcare provider.

    How Do I Choose A Pad Or Tampon That Is Right For Me

    There are smaller, slender pads and tampons available that young women often prefer, particularly when they first start menstruating. You may find it helpful to use different products over the course of your period, with more absorbent tampons or pads being used on heavier flow days, and smaller tampons or pantiliners on low flow days. Each woman has her own preferences and whatever works best for your body is just fine!

    Also Check: Primosiston To Stop Period

    Periods And Additional Needs

    Periods can be especially challenging for young people with additional needs and their parents. If your child has moderate to severe intellectual disability, they might not understand why theyre experiencing changes to their body and mood.

    Your child still needs to know about periods and the menstrual cycle at a level they can understand. Your GP, or other health professionals involved in your childs care, can recommend resources you can use with your child, like books and visual aids. You could also speak to your childs school about support.

    Jillian Michaels: 5 Ways To Control Pms

    Can a woman be pregnant if she gets her period? – Dr. Suhasini Inamdar

    Open the Lines of Communication

    Instead of having a formal menstruation “talk” with your daughter, try opening up the dialogue and, openly and honestly, asking your daughter about her questions.

    Here are some suggestions for answering your daughter’s questions about menstruation:

    The more information that you share with your daughter about periods and PMS symptoms, the more comfortable and prepared she will feel as her body grows and changes.

    Also Check: 90 Day Probationary Period Policy Examples

    Can I Get Pregnant The Day Before My Period And Still Have A Normal Period

    This is a question Flo users often ask, maybe because of the misconception that its not possible to get pregnant during a period.

    You can’t get pregnant a day before your period, as ovulation will have occurred 10-16 days before the period .

    Regardless of when conception happens, periods stop.

    Nevertheless, some people experience spotting during ovulation and mistake it for period blood. In fact, ovulation is the most fertile day of a cycle. Having unprotected sex during ovulation spotting can result in pregnancy.

    Sometimes, people may also mistakenly assume implantation bleeding is just a period. Actually, implantation bleeding is an early sign of conception.

    How Will I Know When My Periods Are Going To Start

    Signs that your period is on its way are if you’ve grown underarm and pubic hair. Typically, you’ll start your periods about 2 years after your breasts start growing and about a year after getting a white vaginal discharge. The average girl will get her first period around 12 years old, but it varies from person to person.

    Read Also: Employee Probationary Period Template

    How Do I Know When I Will Get My Next Period

    Its impossible to predict when your next period will start. Most girls and women go about 28 days from the first day of one period to the first day of the next, but anywhere from 21-35 days is normal. Especially in the first few years of menstruating, your period may be very irregular. If you track your period on a calendar , you will begin to notice a pattern over time. You can use this menstrual diary to keep track of your periods.

    Can You Get Pregnant Right After Your Period

    Signs Before Your First Period

    Yes, it is possible to get pregnant right after a period if the fertile window starts immediately after menstruation ends. Sperm can live for up to five days inside the body. If bleeding stops on day six, sex happens on day seven, and ovulation occurs on day 11, the sperm from day six may still be in the uterine tubes. In this case, pregnancy is still possible. The likelihood of pregnancy after a period increases with every day after bleeding has stopped.

    For people trying to conceive, this can be an ideal time to try. Having sex every day increases the chance of conception.

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    Can You Get Pregnant While On Your Period

    The chances of getting pregnant while on your period are low, but pregnancy is still possible.

    The answer lies in understanding the fertile window. For people who are trying to get pregnant, menstruation is not the best time to conceive. Getting pregnant depends on ovulation, which happens when an egg is released from the ovary and moves toward the uterus. The day of ovulation varies from one person to another and from cycle to cycle.

    Although the chances of getting pregnant while on your period are low, there are exceptions. For example, it is possible to conceive during a period if ovulation occurs early in your cycle or if your periods last longer than five days.

    The chances of becoming pregnant during menstruation are higher for people with shorter monthly cycles. Shorter cycles mean ovulation occurs early in the cycle. Because sperm can live for up to five days inside your body, having sex near the end of a period could lead to pregnancy if ovulation occurs early .

    Generally, most people ovulate sometime between days 10 and 17 of their menstrual cycle. The earlier ovulation occurs, the earlier the fertile window will start. The fertile window begins five days before ovulation. If ovulation occurs on day 14 of a cycle, then the fertile window starts on day nine. But if ovulation occurs on day eight of a cycle, the fertile window begins on day three possibly in the middle of a period.

    Why Periods Happen In The First Place

    If your periods are irregular, it may help put your mind at ease to first understand how the menstrual cycle works and why you even bleed in the first place. Every month your body goes through two main phases to complete the cycle and begin a new one. The length of the menstrual cycle is measured from the first day of bleeding through the last day before your next period starts.

    Day 1 of the menstrual cycle is the first day you see any amount of bleeding. This also signifies the first day of the follicular phase, when your hormones trigger an egg to start maturing in preparation for being released. When a mature egg leaves a Fallopian tube, it’s called ovulation.

    In the luteal phase, the uterine lining is made fully ready to nourish a fertilized egg if it implants–in other words, if you become pregnant. If that doesn’t happen, the lining deteriorates and is shed. That’s the blood, tissue, and mucus you see when you have your period.

    The reason a teen girl’s periods may not be following a predictable pattern is simply that the hormone axis between the brain and ovaries that controls ovulation is still developing. After a year or two, when this hormone axis matures, periods should become more regular.

    Recommended Reading: Donating Blood While Menstruating

    Can You Have A Period And Still Be Pregnant

    No once pregnancy begins, the uterine lining no longer sheds each month. Once the body starts releasing a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin, monthly periods will stop. However, some people experience light bleeding after conception, around the same time their period would have started. This is called implantation bleeding.

    If youre pregnant and experience bleeding or spotting, contact your health care provider.

    Pregnancy can occur even if youre on your period. To avoid pregnancy, it is important to use contraception.

    Birth control methods that can prevent pregnancy on your period include:

    • Male condom

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