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It's hard to know exactly when your first period will come. You'll see blood in your underwear, and that's how you know it started. Usually periods start when you're between 11–15, but they can be earlier or later. Periods usually start about 2 years after the first signs of breast development.

Source: TeenHealth

At the beginning, it might feel like your period comes at random times. After your first period, it may not come again for a while. Especially at the beginning, each cycle may be different and can be anywhere from 20–45 days apart. You may even skip periods. Later they will become more regular. Cycles get a bit shorter as you get older. Every 28 days is just the average (in fact, only around 15% of women actually have cycles exactly that long). "Normal" periods means normal for your body.

Source: TeenHealth

Everyone is different, but they are often anywhere from 2–7 days. They can be longer: normal means normal for your body.

Source: TeenHealth

Your body takes a little time to get used to having periods. That means usually as you grow older, they will become more predictable. Some of the symptoms, like cramps, may even get better over time. So even if it seems really bad now, it gets better as you learn how to manage your periods. You've got this!

Source: TeenHealth

Your period is when some blood comes out of your vagina. It happens every few weeks for a few days at a time, starting at puberty. It is a normal, healthy part of life.

Source: TeenHealth

Period blood can be red, pink, or brown. It may also be kind of thick.

Source: TeenHealth

Not as much as you might think! Usually just a few tablespoons (30–45 mL) over the whole period. It may help to know that the blood doesn't come out all at once, usually less than a teaspoon (3–5 mL) at a time. You may notice that a different amount of blood comes out each day. Every person is different, and some people have heavier period flows than others.

Source: TeenHealth

Sometimes a little blood will come out when it is not time for your period. This is called spotting, and it is totally normal. With spotting there is a lot less blood than during a period, not enough to need a pad or tampon. You might just notice a "spot" of bright blood in your underwear or on toilet paper.

Source: Orlando Health

The period blood is actually a lining that builds up in the uterus. The body makes the lining to prepare for having a baby. When there is no pregnancy, the lining is shed. It isn't dirty, and it isn't really a "cleaning out." It's just extra lining you don't need.

Source: Verywell Health

A period refers to the few days when blood leaves the body. The menstrual cycle refers to everything that happens in the reproductive system between two periods. It includes the period at the beginning, and ovulation (the egg leaving the ovary) about halfway through. The menstrual cycle is controlled by hormones.

Source: Verywell Health

There are a lot of period products to stop the blood from getting on your clothes. Pads go in the underwear and catch the blood, and tampons go in the vagina and soak up the blood. Period underwear is made of special material that can absorb the blood.

Source: Healthline

You put a period pad inside your underwear, and it usually has sticky strips to hold it in place.

To put in a tampon, it helps to be relaxed. Use your fingers (or a mirror) to find the opening to your vagina. It may help to sit on the toilet or put one foot up on a seat. Open the tampon. The tampon may have a plastic "applicator" to help you guide it in. Gently push the tampon towards your lower back (not straight up towards your head). Push the tampon as far back as it will go. If it feels uncomfortable, just take a deep breath, take it out, and try again. If it has an applicator, push the top part in and then remove it. The tampon string should hang out of your vagina. You shouldn't feel the tampon at all.

To remove it, pull it out by the string. Never leave a tampon in more than eight hours (you can get an infection called toxic shock syndrome). Changing a tampon every 4–6 hours is a good idea.

Source: Healthline

Some people get symptoms (sometimes called PMS) like bloating or sore breasts before their period. As you start tracking your period, you can pay attention to your body to learn what is normal for you.

Source: TeenHealth

Putting a warm heating pad on your stomach or asking for medicine can help. Sometimes it helps to take medicine right when you first realize you are getting your period, before the cramps even start.

Source: TeenHealth

In general, your period comes on its own. There are medicines that can stop periods from happening, which is something you can ask your doctor about.

Source: Verywell Health

It is normal to feel some pain during your period. It is also normal for periods to come early, late, or be skipped, especially at the beginning. Sometimes periods can be severely painful, very heavy, or the time between them can be very long. These are sometimes signs of health conditions called endometriosis and PCOS. If you are worried, talk to your doctor. They can help you find what is wrong and give you medicine. A trusted adult can help.

Source: Livi: severe period pain

It's totally normal to feel nervous to talk about periods with your parents or other adults. But remember, they were kids once too! They are usually happy to help by chatting or getting supplies. Periods are a normal part of life. If you are still nervous, find another trusted adult to talk to, like a teacher or school nurse.

If you are unsure what to say, you can always send them a text or write a letter. Talking in the car or while walking is a good time too (no need for eye contact!). Of course, you can also just talk to them any time you want. Periods are normal, healthy, and nothing to be ashamed of.

Everyone is different, but usually one of the first signs of puberty in females is a breast bud, a small lump behind the nipple that leads to the development of breasts. Then come vaginal discharge, pubic hair, and a growth spurt. Then periods begin. It is perfectly normal for these changes to happen "out of order" though. It can take a few years for all the changes to happen.

Source: TeenHealth

Everyone is different, but usually one of the first signs of puberty in males is the testicles growing and making sperm. Then come pubic hair, erections (the penis gets hard sometimes), and a growth spurt. It is perfectly normal for these changes to happen "out of order" though. All the changes take a few years to happen.

Source: TeenHealth

The first sign your breasts are starting to grow is a small swelling or lump behind the nipple. This is called a "breast bud." When your breasts start growing, they can be a bit sore or itchy. Your breasts may continue to grow into your late teens and early 20s.

Source: TeenHealth

Yes, breasts can be different sizes, and can grow at different rates during puberty.

Source: TeenHealth

Totally. The vagina makes a fluid to clean itself. Sometimes it ends up in your underwear. The fluid is called discharge, and it can be sticky. It can look different at different times of the menstrual cycle, from clear to a bit white or yellow. You can wear panty liners, which are like thin pads, to absorb discharge if you want to.

Source: TeenHealth

Awesome! There's an app for that too. Check it out at the link below.

Source: All About You: The Puberty App

No. If there is no sperm present, the egg disintegrates after 24 hours. The egg leaves the ovary halfway through the cycle, at the opposite time from the period. The egg leaving the ovary is called ovulation.

Source: Healthline

"Womb" is another name for the uterus. This is where the period lining (the blood) builds up. Usually the word womb is used when talking about where a baby develops during pregnancy.

Source: TeenHealth

There are three openings: the urethra (for pee), the vagina (for periods), and the anus (for poop).

Source: TeenHealth

Some people can feel ovulation (the egg leaving the ovary), and some people cannot. You will figure out what is normal for your body.

Source: Healthline

Technically, a woman can get pregnant once she starts having periods, and a man can start a pregnancy once he produces sperm (although it is rare in the first couple years of puberty). But just because you can have a baby doesn't mean you are ready! It is a big emotional and personal commitment.

Source: TeenHealth

People can have a baby without being pregnant by adopting a child. They can also use a surrogate, which is when one person offers to be pregnant with the baby and another person or people raise the baby as the baby's parents.

Source: TeenHealth

When someone is pregnant they stop having periods. So missing a period is one sign of being pregnant. But missing a period can happen for a lot of reasons other than pregnancy. Missing periods is especially common as a teen. There are pregnancy tests that can show if someone is pregnant.

Source: Verywell Health

"Finding out you're pregnant can be scary, but try to stay calm. You're going to be okay, and there are people who can help you." You are not alone. Check out the link below for help.

Source: Planned Parenthood

That's totally normal! Your body does not work like a clock. Especially as a teen, your cycle and period can last different amounts of time from one cycle to the next. As you get older, they will become more regular. But it is good to start practicing tracking now.

Source: TeenHealth

It is a myth! We just liked the name. The fact that the menstrual cycle lasts about as long as a moon cycle (a month) is a coincidence. After all, people have all sorts of different cycle lengths, so how could they all be controlled by the moon?

Source: Lunar cycle study