Of all the signs that you’re becoming a woman, getting your period is probably the biggest. Starting menstruation not only affects your sexual health – i.e. enabling you to get pregnant – but it can also be a confusing time, and have an impact on your mental wellness. While some of your friends may be excited to start their periods, others are probably feeling afraid or anxious about it. However, you’ll feel more positive about your wellbeing once you know more about your reproductive system and what actually happens during the menstrual cycle.
Girls can start having periods from the age of eight up to 17, but most girls tend to get them between 11 and 14. Generally, you can expect to get your first period about two to two-and-a-half years after your breasts have begun to develop. Also, roughly six months before your periods start, you might notice that you have an increased amount of clear vaginal discharge. This discharge is common, and you have no need to worry about it unless it has a strong odour or causes itchiness.
About once a month, a tiny egg leaves one of your ovaries (which sit on either side of your uterus, or womb, and contain thousands of eggs, or ova). This process is called ovulation, and lets one of your eggs travel down the fallopian tubes and on its way to your uterus. A few days before this, your body’s oestrogen levels will stimulate your uterus to get ready for a pregnancy. The uterus builds up its lining with extra blood and tissue, making then thick and cushioned. If a sperm then fertilises the egg, it travels to your uterus and attaches to these cushiony walls, so it can slowly develop into a baby.
However, as you ovulate every month, most of the time the egg will not be fertilised by a sperm (which happens during unprotected sex) and will not attach to the wall of your uterus. When this happens, your uterus needs to get rid of the extra tissue lining and will shed the blood, tissue and unfertilised egg. When this goes through the vagina and out of the body, it is a menstrual period. This will continue to happen almost every month unless you become pregnant, in which case you get nine months off! You continue to have periods until you reach menopause (which happens, on average, at the age of 52).
All girls are different, meaning their menstrual cycles will last for different lengths of time and the actual periods will vary. Your menstrual cycle starts on the first day you have a period, continues during the time you’re bleeding and lasts up until your next period. After your first period, you might find your menstrual cycle lasts anywhere between 21 and 45 days and, after a couple of years, cycles shorten to an adult length of 21-34 days. It’s common to have irregular cycles when you’re just beginning to menstruate, as your body is getting used to all the changes. Cycles usually become more regular after a year or two, but some women do have irregular periods into adulthood. It’s it’s a good idea to keep track of your menstrual cycle with a calendar.
In terms of how long your actual period will last, this also varies. For some girls it’s a case of two or three days, while others can last up to seven. Your menstrual cycle, or how how much blood comes out of your vagina, can vary widely from girl to girl, too. Most teens will change pads three to six times a day, with more frequent changes when their period is heaviest, usually at the start of the period. If you’re concerned about starting your period or that you’re losing too much blood, talk to a nurse or GP for more information.
