Teen FAQ

Relax!

It is OK to not have gotten your period yet -- it will come. Some females feel pain like cramps and aches, but others feel nothing. If you feel pain, take something like Midol, use a heating pad, stay clean, and mostly relax. Your body is changing and it may take a while to get used to your particular symptoms. You or a parent can buy sanitary pads to have at the house so you feel ready when your period starts. PE teachers and nurses at school can help too. There are several good books that will help you get comfortable with the speedy, but exciting changes happening in your body. These are:

• "What's Happening to My Body Book for Girls"
• "My Body My Self"

Recommended Reading for Teens:

"The Period Book: Everything you need to know but do not want to ask."
by Karen Gravelle and her fifteen-year-old niece Jennifer Gravelle

Here are some reviews:

Not every parent knows how to start a conversation about puberty and menstruation, and not every young girl has an adult in her life that she can get answers from to really tough questions like:
* What if a tampon won't come out?
* Is it normal for one breast to grow faster than the other?
* Is there any way to avoid being surprised by, or predicting, a period starting?
* Does having a period make me smell funny?
* When should a girl start visiting a gynecologist?
* Is it normal for a girl to have a little clear fluid that comes out?

This book can help any girl between the ages of 8 and 14 understand the changes associated with puberty that her body is going through, feel proud about those changes, find answers to questions she might have about menstruation. This practical, easy to read, and well-illustrated book is a must have for families of preteens and libraries.

"After I read this book I shared it with my eldest daughter, age 8, who first looked at all the pictures, then started asking questions about those pictures. We had a wonderful conversation that when on for about a week. We would discuss one topic, go about our lives, and then she would ask another question, seemingly out of the blue. It was obvious to me that she was thinking about this book, and I continue to feel privileged to answer her questions. We have a long road ahead, but this book helped us take the first steps,"
-- Nancy L. Brown, Ph.D.

Read more about: Menstruation

What to do

Your first period should not be a stressful thing, if you are prepared. Most of the time a first period will be pretty light and you will notice blood in your panties. You can change your panties and put in a sanitary pad, and then change it regularly. You may want to have several sizes of pads at home and maybe in your backpack. The smaller ones can be used during the day, but at night, you may want to user longer and wider pads so that while speeling you do not soil your sheets and bedclothes. When you change your pad, wrap it up in toilet paper and throw it in the garbage - do not flush it - pads can cause serious plumbing problems. If you have cramps, you can talk to an adult about taking something to make you more comfortable. Some people like warm baths, or a heating pad across their lower back or abdomen, too.

Write down the date that your period started, and then keep track -- periods tend to come every 28 days, but not necessarily when you first start. You might want to keep an extra pad in your backpack, and maybe a spare pair of panties, just in case.

Symptoms of first period

The definition of a first period is having bleeding from the vaginal area, although some young women will get brownish spotting in the underwear as the first sign. Usually first periods are very irregular, can be dark brown in color or bright red. Some last just a few days, others for several days. You may have cramping in the lower abdomen, bloating, sometimes acne gets worse this time of the month. Your breasts can be more tender right before a period, and some of us even get moody. There is a wide variety in "normal" periods. They can occur anywhere from every 21 days to every few months, especially at the beginning. Being prepared might include having a pad available in a school locker, back-pack, or purse. While you can't always tell when it will start - it never hurts to be prepared.