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HEALTH
Your Bod
First Period Prep
What are some signs that I’m going to start my period? I’m 12 years old and still have not started. Can you give me some clues to go by?
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to circle a date on the calendar and know that’s when you’re getting your period? Even when you do start getting it monthly, the date may be difficult to guess each month, as it takes awhile for your bod to get on a sched’.
Unfortunately, there aren’t a ton of signs for your first period. There are ways to tell that your body is maturing, which means you’re getting close to puberty, such as breast growth, public hair and acne. Although it’s also possible to see these body changes after your first period.
The typical “period” signs may not show up before your first one. Typically, before periods, girls might have bloating, cramping, headaches, mood swings, acne breakouts, etc. But you may not have any of that before your first period.
Doctor Corina Tennant-Moore, who is an OBGYN at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, suggests paying attention to any spotting, but agrees that you may not see it coming. Best to be prepared with pads and/or tampons at home, and you can carry one with ya, just in case. We want to hear from you! Send us your weirdest body questions here (seriously, we'll answer anything!) and it just might get featured.
POSTED IN period 101, puberty
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