Periods
Starting your period — or menstruation — is a major part of puberty and means your body now can make a baby. Usually, girls get their periods at around age 11 or 12, but it can happen any time from 8 to 16. Don’t worry if you get your period later or earlier than your friends get theirs — that happens a lot. If you haven’t gotten your period by 15 (or within three years of when your breasts started to grow), talk to your parent or guardian, your doctor, or another adult you trust. Read on to learn what your period actually is and how to deal with it. Or, you can skip ahead to learn about PMS and what to do if you are having problems like missed periods.
Some girls find getting their periods very exciting, and others feel uncomfortable about it. It definitely can take a little getting used to! But lots of women come to see their periods as a wonderful sign that their bodies are healthy and working the way they’re supposed to.
Now let's talk about the phases of your menstrual cycle (period).
- In the first phase an egg is released from one of your ovaries. This alternates every month.
- In the second phase the egg travels down the fallopian tube nearest to the ovary it was released from.
- In the third phase, while the egg is still travelling down the fallopian tube, the lining of your uterus begins to build up with blood in tissue.
- In the forth phase the egg will either meet with sperm and grow into a baby or be flushed out of the uterus in what we call a period.
- The fifth phase is therefore your period. Because the lining of the uterus is no longer needed to grow a baby it is flushed out along with the egg.
This process is then repeated monthly. The menstrual cycle can be up to 21-35 days long but most women menstruate (have their period) every 28 days. It's normal for periods to be irregular when you first start out because your body's hormones are not balanced.
Once a woman reaches her 50's she will at some point stop getting periods. This is called menopause. The woman stops getting her period because she is no longer able to grow a healthy baby.
Some girls find getting their periods very exciting, and others feel uncomfortable about it. It definitely can take a little getting used to! But lots of women come to see their periods as a wonderful sign that their bodies are healthy and working the way they’re supposed to.
Now let's talk about the phases of your menstrual cycle (period).
- In the first phase an egg is released from one of your ovaries. This alternates every month.
- In the second phase the egg travels down the fallopian tube nearest to the ovary it was released from.
- In the third phase, while the egg is still travelling down the fallopian tube, the lining of your uterus begins to build up with blood in tissue.
- In the forth phase the egg will either meet with sperm and grow into a baby or be flushed out of the uterus in what we call a period.
- The fifth phase is therefore your period. Because the lining of the uterus is no longer needed to grow a baby it is flushed out along with the egg.
This process is then repeated monthly. The menstrual cycle can be up to 21-35 days long but most women menstruate (have their period) every 28 days. It's normal for periods to be irregular when you first start out because your body's hormones are not balanced.
Once a woman reaches her 50's she will at some point stop getting periods. This is called menopause. The woman stops getting her period because she is no longer able to grow a healthy baby.
