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Q and A - Periods
"What happens when you get a period at school?" Well, most schools have materials to help girls when that happens. So, ideally, a person would find a trusted adult, tell them that they started their period, and that adult would help them find a pad or tampon to take care of it. "What is the most likely time to get a period?" well, on average, most women get their periods around 12. But periods can start anytime between the ages of 8 and 16 and in some communities, we're seeing people as young as 7 getting their periods, but that's pretty rare. So, the average age is still around 12. "How do you know when you are going to get your period?" Well, no one ever really knows when they are going to get their period, but there are some signs. There could be other changes that happen in the body that give you a hint that the period is coming. People might notice breast growth or hair growth or oil or sweat. Some people have these changes happen before a period, for other people it is a complete surprise. They get their period before any of the other changes. So, each person is going to be different. "When do periods stop?" Well, a period lasts for about 5 to 7 days. That's one period. And people get their periods once a month until they are about 45 or 50 years old. So, periods stop later in life when the eggs are no longer coming out of a female body to prepare for pregnancy. Another important thing to know about periods is that during puberty periods can be irregular, meaning they do not always come once a month. There could be more time or less time between periods. It could take awhile for periods to become regular.
