Simple answers about periods, for every age

Put a red dot on a calendar on the first day of each period. Count the days from one red dot to the next. That is your cycle. You can also note how heavy the flow is and how you feel.

After three or four months, you will see your pattern. Our free period calculator shows when your next period is likely.

Your body gives some signs. Your breasts start to grow, usually about two years before the first period. Hair grows under your arms and in your private area. Some months before, you may see a white or clear discharge in your underwear. That is normal.

Most girls get their first period between 10 and 15. Keep a pad in your school bag, so you are ready. See a doctor if breasts start to develop before 8, the first period comes before 10, or periods have not started by 15.

Bleeding usually lasts 2 to 7 days. The first days are often heavier. Tell an adult or see a doctor if bleeding lasts more than 7 days.

Less than it looks. Over a whole period, most girls and women lose about 30 to 40 ml, two to three tablespoons. Some months are heavier, some lighter. Small clots, smaller than a one-rupee coin, can be normal on heavy days.

See a doctor if you soak a pad every one or two hours, or feel very tired, dizzy or breathless.

No. A period is a normal, healthy part of growing up. It shows that a girl’s body is working as it should. A period is not dirty, and it does not make a girl or woman impure. If something about your period worries you, talk to your mother, a didi or a doctor.

The cycle has four parts.

• Period days: the lining of the womb comes out as blood through the vagina.
• Building the bed: hormones make a new, soft lining grow inside the womb.
• The egg’s turn: an ovary lets go of a tiny egg. This is called ovulation.
• Waiting days: the lining waits. If the egg is not fertilised, the lining breaks down and the next period starts.

In science books you may see these called the menstrual phase, follicular phase, ovulation and luteal phase. A cycle is counted from the first day of one period to the first day of the next.

Each month, hormones make a soft lining grow inside the womb (uterus), ready in case a baby starts to grow. An ovary lets go of a tiny egg. If the egg is not fertilised, the body does not need the lining. It comes out through the vagina as blood. This is your period.

Stress, illness, travel, a big change in weight, very hard exercise and some medicines can change your periods for a while. In the first two years, changes are common. Health problems such as thyroid trouble or PCOS can also change periods. If your periods stay very different from your usual pattern, see a doctor.

Yes. In the first two or three years, periods are often irregular. Your period may come every 21 to 45 days. Later it often settles to every 21 to 35 days. Mark the first day of each period on a calendar, and you will soon know your own pattern.

Some cramping on the first day or two is common. A hot water bottle or a warm towel on your lower tummy or back helps. So do a warm bath, gentle walking or stretching, drinking water and rest.

Do not take any medicine for period pain without asking your parent or a doctor first. See a doctor if pain makes you miss school again and again, if you vomit or faint with the pain, or if warmth and rest do not help.

Talk to your mother, a didi or a doctor if:

• your period comes closer than 21 days apart, or more than 45 days apart, after the first two years;
• it lasts more than 7 days;
• you soak a pad every one or two hours;
• you feel very tired, dizzy or breathless;
• your periods stop for three months;
• you bleed between periods;
• you are 15 and your period has not started.

You can also ask us privately on our free menstrual helpline: 85888 70999.

Change your pad every 4 to 6 hours, even if it does not look full. Change it sooner on heavy days. Wash your hands before and after. Wrap the used pad in paper or its cover and put it in a dustbin. Do not flush it.