Helping girls understand and feel comfortable with what is going to happen/happening when your period starts
Its likely that you will have many questions about periods and might be too embarrassed to ask someone for the answers. These questions might include: When will I start? What do I need to do when I start? What's a normal period? Why do some girls have painful periods and symptoms and other girls don't? Should I be in this much pain?
Its quite normal for your period to start at an entirely different time to your friends - the NHS website says, most girls start their periods when they're about 12, but they can start as early as 8 and most will have started by age 15. There's a good chance no warning that your period is about to start so its worth discretely carrying a sanitary towel in your school bag or in a pocket when you go out so you're prepared (and if or those around you haven't got one when you start, best plan is to wrap a lot of tissue around your knickers - or there's some other emergency ideas on this Youtube video).
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or premenstrual tension (PMT) is the behavioural, physical, psychological symptoms that can happen during the two weeks before your period. Most females have some form of PMS/PMT and the symptoms usually disappear a few days afterwards your period starts. There are many different symptoms, but typical they can include:
- bloating
- breast pain
- mood swings
- feeling irritable
There are things you can try to reduce or manage the symptoms and also resources to help you better understand and appreciate this exclusively-female thing that is happening within your body.
Websites Offering Support:
Mail Online
article covers the topic of “Can alternative medicine relieve period pain?”
NHS
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 before the big day.
Books on this subject:
Girls Only!
focuses on the practicalities of periods, the social and personal implications of starting your period, and the physical and emotional developments in puberty. It tells you what happens and when, what you need to know and how to prepare. It answers all the questions girls are dying to ask, but daren’t, in a clear, friendly way, using real-life examples.
The Changes That Take Place When You Start Your Period
charts the changes that take place when a girl enters puberty. It is written in sensitive humorous, and unpretentious way with the aim of removing her fears. It helps the reader to understand and appreciate why these changes are necessary for her development to take her from the girl she was to the woman she is destined to become.
The PMS Bible
Fully updated, the highlights include how PMS affects school performance, especially in teenage girls.
What’s Happening to Me?
A sensitive, detailed and informative – yet witty – guide to female puberty, tackling key subjects from the physical changes that occur at this time to practical matters, such as buying your first bra. Illustrations and diagrams reveal everything young girls need to know about the changes they will experience as they approach puberty.
Videos on this subject:
