Growing up: your period, your body

What is normal for most girls your age

• Your period comes every 21 to 45 days in the first years. Later it often settles to every 21 to 35 days.
• It lasts 2 to 7 days.
• The colour can be bright red, dark red or brown. Brown is usually old blood, often at the start or end.
• Small clots, smaller than a one-rupee coin, can be normal on heavy days.
• Some months are heavier, some lighter.

Track your cycle

• Mark the first day of every period on a calendar or in a notebook. A red dot is enough.
• Count the days from one red dot to the next. That is your cycle.
• After three or four months, you will see your pattern. You can also use our free period calculator.

Tell 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 are 15 and your period has not started.

Why it hurts During your period, the womb squeezes to push out its lining. These squeezes are cramps. You may feel them in your lower tummy, back or thighs. Some girls also feel tired, have loose motions or a headache.

What helps

• A hot water bottle or a warm towel on your lower tummy or back.
• A warm bath.
• Gentle movement: walking, stretching or easy yoga, like child's pose (see our yoga for period pain guide).
• Lying on your side with your knees pulled up.
• Drinking water and eating regular meals.
• Rest when you need to.

About medicine Do not take any medicine for period pain without asking your parent or a doctor first.

Tell an adult and see a doctor if

• pain makes you miss school again and again;
• you vomit or faint with the pain;
• warmth and rest do not help;
• the pain is getting worse each month.

Bad period pain can have causes that a doctor can treat. You do not have to be brave about it alone.

What is normal

• A little white or clear discharge in your underwear most days. It often starts a few months before your first period.
• It changes through the month: sometimes sticky, sometimes slippery like raw egg white, sometimes thicker before your period.
• It may dry slightly yellow on underwear.

Keep clean, simply

• Wash the outside with plain water once or twice a day. No soap or wash inside.
• Wear clean cotton underwear and change it every day. Dry it in the sun.
• After the toilet, wipe from front to back.

Tell your mother, a didi or a doctor if

• it smells bad;
• it itches or burns;
• it looks like curd;
• it is green, yellow or grey;
• you have pain in your lower tummy.

These are common and easy to treat. There is nothing to be ashamed of.

Sanitary pads

• Easy to use and easy to carry.
• Change every 4 to 6 hours, or sooner if full. Change before sleeping and on waking.
• Wrap the used pad in paper and put it in the dustbin. Never flush it.

Cloth pads

• A good choice when kept clean, and they cost less over time.
• Use soft cotton. Change as often as a pad.
• Wash with soap and water, and dry in the sun, not in a dark corner. Store dry in a clean bag.

Period underwear

• Underwear with layers that soak up blood. Reusable. Wash and dry well after each use.

Menstrual cups and tampons

• These go inside the vagina. Many women use them safely.
• If you are curious, talk to your mother, a didi or a doctor first. They can help you decide when you are ready and how to use one safely.

Whatever you use

• Wash your hands before and after changing.
• Carry a spare in your school bag.
• The right product is the one that keeps you comfortable and clean.

Your school kit

• 2 pads (or clean cloth), a spare pair of underwear, a small paper bag, tissues.
• A dark jacket or dupatta to tie around your waist if you leak.

If it starts in class

• Ask your teacher to let you go to the toilet. You do not have to explain in front of everyone.
• Many schools keep pads with a teacher or the school nurse. Ask.
• If you have a stain, tie your jacket or dupatta around your waist. It happens to almost every girl at some point. It is nothing to be ashamed of.

Sports, PT and dance

• You can play any sport during your period. Exercise often eases cramps.
• Change your pad just before the game. Dark shorts or leggings help you feel confident.
• If you feel very tired or the pain is bad, it is fine to rest that day.

Toilets at school

• If your school toilet has no water, no dustbin or no lock, tell your teacher or principal. In January 2026 the Supreme Court held that menstrual health is part of the right to life, and directed that girls in classes 6 to 12 get free period products, safe disposal and education about periods. You are right to ask.

Moods

• In the days before a period, many girls feel irritable, sad, worried or teary. This is called PMS. It usually gets better once the period starts.
• Sleep, regular meals, moving your body and talking to someone you trust all help.
• If you feel sad or hopeless most of the time, or think about hurting yourself, tell an adult you trust today, or call the helpline. You deserve help.

Pimples

• Pimples often flare before periods. Wash your face twice a day with plain water or a mild face wash. Do not squeeze them.
• If pimples are very bad, painful or leave marks, a doctor can help.

A changing body

• Breasts grow, hips get wider, and hair grows under your arms and between your legs. Every girl changes at her own speed.
• Wear a bra that fits and feels comfortable when you are ready.
• Bodies come in all shapes and sizes. No one else's body is the right one for you.

About food and weight

• Your body needs good food to grow and to have healthy periods. Skipping meals or dieting hard can stop your periods.
• Eat dal, vegetables, fruit, roti or rice, milk or curd, and eggs or meat if you eat them.

Why periods are irregular at first It takes the body two or three years, sometimes more, to settle into a regular rhythm. Stress, exams, illness, travel and big changes in weight can also delay a period.

What PCOS is PCOS (often called PCOD in India) is a common hormone condition. Signs can include periods that are very far apart, many pimples, and thick hair on the face or body. Only a doctor can say if you have it. One ultrasound scan is not enough to say so in girls your age.

When to see a doctor

• Periods more than 45 days apart after the first two years, or stopping for three months.
• Lots of pimples and extra hair, along with irregular periods.
• No period by 15.

What helps either way

• Regular meals, good sleep and moving your body every day.
• Keeping a period calendar to show the doctor.

PCOS is common and can be managed. It is not your fault.

Whether to visit a place of worship is a choice for you and your family, and we respect every faith. What matters for your health is that no one keeps you away from water, soap, food, rest or school.