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ABOUT YOU Puberty Education Programme

Help your students understand their changing bodies and emotions, and embrace puberty with confidence.

Puberty Kits For Schools

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Wondering, "When will I get my period?" Always knows! Our easy tracking tool, the Period Calculator, helps to map out your cycle for months.

Period Calculator

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As she grows up, your daughter may start questioning her gender identity and what she can and can’t do.

#### Be there to support her
If she feels that she doesn’t ﬁt with society’s traditional deﬁnition of what it means to be a girl, it doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with her. This is just a natural part of growing up – children explore and question. You can help by simply observing, accepting and being on hand to offer – or ﬁnd – further support if she needs it.

#### Don’t let society limit her
Remind her that her biological sex doesn’t deﬁne what she can and can’t do. Help her realise that she can achieve anything. For example, remind her that girls can play football, be strong and be brave! Be careful not to inadvertently stereotype her, or others, yourself.

As she grows up,..

1 How to dispose sanitary pads

Always Daily Normal To Go Panty Liners

A123 6 Tips on How To Raise a Confident Daughter

That's why we're here with advice on everything about first periods and puberty.

My period

Wanna be your most unstoppable self?

Why Am I Bleeding Before My Period Is Due?

Discovering a little blood on your knickers before your period is due can be confusing.

A013 How to Start Your Period

1 How long does a first period last?

How long your [first period](/en-gb/tips-and-advice-for-girls-and-parents/my-period/what-is-a-period/) lasts is individual just to you. But the general average is from 3 to 5 days. However, some girls get their period for just two days (lucky them!) and some bleed for seven days. Neither is any cause for concern.

If your period is a little shorter or a little longer than average, don’t worry! If your friend’s period is longer or shorter than yours – also, don’t worry! It’s all perfectly normal. These small differences between our bodies are part of what makes each of us an individual – kind of like having blue eyes or green eyes.

How long does a first period last?

Puberty & Period Quiz

A137 Different Types of Discharge

Period Tips

A057 Ovarian Cysts: Causes, Treatment and Prevention

Ovarian Cysts: Causes, Treatment and Prevention

A050 How Many Days Are in a Menstrual Cycle?

VIEW ALL ARTICLES (I'm pregnant)

VIEW ALL ARTICLES

A071 All About Early Puberty in Girls

It may feel like you’re developing much faster than your friends are. You’re not alone.

A145 Is It Normal to Have Cravings Before And During Period

5 Skin changes

Figuring out how many days are in your menstrual cycle will let you calculate how often your period is.

So, to answer the question: YES, you can calculate when you’ll get your next period.

Read more about calculating your menstrual cycle:

Figuring out how many days...

It is possible to get thick yellow discharge after your period. It thickens up at this time to stop any infections getting into the body and a mild creamy yellow or milky white colour is normal.

Also, at this point in your cycle, your discharge may have a yellow or brown tinge to it. This happens if the lining and dead cells haven’t been cleaned out entirely during your period, so your body is a bit late in getting rid of the last bits.

Your Period Just Ended

# Your Period Just Ended

A064 Tampons vs. Pads 

Tampons vs. Pads 

A011 What Causes Period Pain?

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__A changing mood__ is a common premenstrual syndrome symptom. The hormones in your body can affect your mood and your patience for things that wouldn’t normally get under your skin.

You may feel extra sensitive before your period arrives. It can feel like your emotions are going haywire and that you feel like crying at the drop of a hat.

Before getting alarmed, check the calendar. Are you about to get your period? If so, you know to take a deep breath, keep calm, and not get too flustered by how you’re feeling.

Sometimes some strategically planned alone time is also just what you need.


4 Mood changes

You may have heard your period being referred to as your monthly visitor.

If you want to make your period come because you haven’t had it in a while and are worried, you may want to look at any underlying issues that can be making your period late.

If your period is irregular due to stress or drastic weight gain or loss, then remedying the core issue causing your period to go a little haywire can help make your cycle become more regular and will help make your period come on regular schedule.

However, these changes take time until they take effect. There is no one thing you can do to, say, get your period tomorrow or the next day.

How to make my period regular?

A151 - Healthy & unhealthy behaviours in teenage relationships

The ﬁrst signs of puberty

- Starting to develop breasts
- Getting taller
- Becoming curvier
- Getting spots / greasy hair


- Experiencing mood swings
- Discharge in her underwear
- Growing pubic hair

A006 PMS Symptoms Before Your Period

#### 6 Visualise success
By picturing what you want to happen – whether it’s acing an exam or being the ﬁrst to cross the ﬁnish line - you make it more likely to happen. When you try it, visualise every detail, from what you’re wearing - to how you feel. The more vivid your imagination, the better! 

#### 7 Practise gratitude 
Being grateful for what you have and for what others have given you can help you improve your outlook and thought patterns. Try keeping a gratitude diary – write 3 things you’re grateful for every day before bed. 

#### 8 Celebrate small wins 
Be proud and celebrate all your achievements, even if they seem small - like getting that difﬁcult homework done!

#### 9 Don’t compare yourself to others, you’re unique
It’s good to look to others for inspiration but don’t compare yourself to them. We’re all different and all have strengths and weaknesses so compare yourself to yourself and see how far you’ve come and how much improvement you’ve made. 

#### 10 Strike a power pose 
If you ever need a quick conﬁdence ﬁx before taking on a challenge, make like Wonder Woman and strike a power pose. Research shows that ‘power posing’ – where we stand with our feet apart, hands on our hips and chin tilted upwards – helps us to feel more powerful.

6. Visualise success

1 What is normal menstrual flow?

A046 How Long Does A Period Last? 

A147 Common Period Problems

Common Period Problems

A138 What Does Yellow Discharge Mean?

What Does Yellow Discharge Mean?

The average female loses between 4 and 12 teaspoons of menstrual ﬂuid during her period, but only a small amount of that is blood.

Since her body contains over four litres of blood, explain that it doesn’t miss the little bit lost during a period and replenishes it quickly.

It leaves her body over three to seven days, so only a bit comes out at a time.

The average female loses between...

A112 Top 5 Reasons to Use Pantyliners

A017 What Does Your First Period Look Like?

A118 Her Puberty & Period FAQs

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2 Practicing confidence

A054 Your Menstrual Cycle Need to Know

A106 More Discharge During Pregnancy Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Worry (A Lot of Discharge During Pregnancy)

More Discharge During Pregnancy Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Worry

A099 What Is Vaginal Discharge?

Do you want to know more?

Learning how to stop PMS mood swings is key to not letting your period get in the way of your life and we're here to help you with this!

A027 How to Stop PMS Mood Swings

How to Stop PMS Mood Swings

A130 Smelly Discharge: Causes, Prevention and Treatment

Smelly Discharge: Causes, Prevention and Treatment

Meditation is a great way of connecting with your thoughts and emotions. Getting in touch with yourself is very helpful in clearing any bad thoughts or feelings from your mind.

5 Meditate

How to Calculate Your Menstrual Cycle

Get cycle savvy

There’s no need for your daughter to go to the doctor when she gets her ﬁrst period. However, you should book an appointment if she:

- Has severe menstrual cramps or any other extreme pelvic pains
- Experiences bleeding that is unusually heavy or lasts more than seven days
- Has vaginal itching, redness, sores, swelling, an unusual odour or discharge
- Is thinking of becoming sexually active and needs to discuss contraception and safe sex habits
- Might be pregnant
- Notices a change in the regularity of her periods after more than a year
- Experiences frequent urination or a burning sensation when she urinates
- Has any injury to her pelvic area
- Has had non-consensual sex or may have been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease.

There’s no need for your daughter..

Parent's corner

A060 What are Periods Called in Other Countries?

What are Periods Called in Other Countries?

ABOUT YOU Puberty Education Programme HP promo

Always is here to support you every day of your cycle! Click here get expert advice from Always for all period-related issues!

Tips and Advice for Women

A065 What is PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome)?

My Period category icon

A063 How to Deal with Stress?

Some girls and women spot when they ovulate, i.e. when an egg is released from one of your ovaries.

Ovulation happens 14 days before the first day of your next period (so on day 14 if your cycle is 28 days long). The change in hormones that occur during ovulation can cause light bleeding before your expected period.

A hormonal imbalance that affects ovulation can also cause spotting in the middle of your cycle. If you experience that a lot and feel worried about it, consult your doctor.

#### Other changes to your hormonal balance

Things like stress or new birth control pills can also change your hormonal balance and cause light bleeding before your expected period. While it can be unnerving, it’s nothing to be alarmed about.

Ovulation

You may feel like scoffing biscuits and crisps as though the world is going to run out of them tomorrow. Food cravings (especially for chocolate!) are totally a sign of getting your period.

Don’t sweat the occasional indulgence. Your caloric needs actually rise right before you get your period, so feel free to give in a little to the occasional craving. Just don’t go overboard.

You may feel like scoffing...

This can be especially true when it comes to getting your period.

Maybe you have a pool party to go to at the end of the week and you want to make sure your period has come and gone by then. Or maybe your period is a little late and you’d like to do something about it.

All this may have you wondering how to make your period come and what would be the home remedies for making your period come sooner.

Your body has its own internal clock that it operates on...

Getting pregnant can seem like it is in the hands of the gods at times but don’t worry! Click here to learn how mucus discharge can help you!

A141 Mucus Discharge and Getting Pregnant

Mucus Discharge and Getting Pregnant

5 Write her a note

A131 Pink Discharge – What Does It Mean?

A061 Don’t Be Worried about Your First Gynaecological Examination

You might also want to start wearing an [Always Dailies](/en-gb/feminine-products/panty-liners/) pantyliner in the run up to your period so you don’t get caught off guard when it arrives.

Always Dailies

A033 How Often Is a Period?

A078 All You Need to Know About Boobs!

A040 What Causes Irregular Periods?

A good time to start having conversations with your daughter is when you ﬁrst start to talk about puberty. Discuss the things that boys and girls both experience, like getting taller and growing hair under the arms and in the pubic area. Then explain that some things are different for boys & girls:

#### For boys:
- Boys have testicles where they start to produce sperm during puberty.
- This is needed to help make babies when a boy becomes a man.

#### For girls:
- Girls have ovaries, which contain eggs, and a uterus, where a baby can grow.
- If an egg is fertilised by the sperm, it will then lodge in the lining of the uterus and develop into a baby.

Explain that boys and girls go through puberty so that their bodies can get ready to have babies, if that’s something they choose to do when they’re grown up.

A good time to start having conversations...

Girl Talk Episode 4 (General)

A022 Making Sense of Bad Period Cramps

7 Pregnancy

A055 Toxic Shock Syndrome Symptoms

Toxic Shock Syndrome Symptoms

A090 Your Guide to Breast Development During Puberty

Your Guide to Breast Development During Puberty

Women's corner SP image

## What is self-conﬁdence? 
__Self-conﬁdence__ is a feeling of trust in ourselves, in our abilities and in our judgement. When we feel conﬁdent, we believe we can. 

## Why is self-conﬁdence important? 
Self-confidence helps us to be positive and face challenges head on. It is important because it helps us lead happy and successful lives where we feel fulﬁlled. It helps us achieve our goals, enjoy healthy relationships and foster our personal growth. 

## Can I build self-conﬁdence?
Yes! Whilst there are some factors that inﬂuence how conﬁdent you feel that you can’t change, like your genes and how you are treated by others, there are plenty of things you do have control over like:

- The choices you make
- The risks you take
- How you think about and respond to challenges and setbacks

Check out the tips below on how you can cultivate your own self-conﬁdence. 

What is self-conﬁdence? 

PMS & Cramps

A120 How To Talk To Your Daughter About Sex

Abnormal period symptoms generally fall into a few categories:

1. You’re bleeding too much
 Having an abnormally long, heavy menstrual period is known as [menorrhagia](/en-gb/tips-and-advice-for-women/period-tips/heavy-periods-menorrhagia/). Typically, you shed between 10 and 30 ml of menstrual fluid during your period.
 This means you would use about 7 to 8 pads or tampons per period, on average. If you’re bleeding through pads or tampons in less than two hours, it’s a sign of an irregular period. Ask your doctor if you’re concerned.

2. You’re bleeding for too long
 In general, a girl’s [period](/en-gb/tips-and-advice-for-girls-and-parents/my-period/how-often-is-a-period/) lasts anywhere between 3 and 7 days. If your period is regularly much shorter or much longer than this, this could be a sign of an irregular period. Ask your doctor if you’re concerned.

3. You’re not on a regular period schedule
 The average [menstrual cycle](/en-gb/tips-and-advice-for-girls-and-parents/my-period/what-is-the-menstrual-cycle/) is 28 days. In other words, if you have a regular period, you get your period about once a month. Of course, this 28-days figure is just an average.
 Every girl has her own unique cycle length. Anywhere between 21 and 35 days is considered normal.
 Getting your period anywhere outside this window is a symptom of irregular menstruation.

Abnormal period symptoms generally fall into a few categories:

A023 When Does PMS Start?

How To Talk To Your Daughter About Sex

Your first period, as well as the next few after that, are often very light. That’s because your body is just getting a hang of this whole [menstruating](/en-gb/tips-and-advice-for-girls-and-parents/my-period/menstrual-cycle-phases/) thing and hasn’t quite sorted out what to do with all the new hormones floating around your body.

Your period may get heavier after the first day or so, or it may stay light. Your body will do its own unique thing. There is no right or wrong. Just keep in mind that you may not bleed much on your first period.

How much will I bleed during my first period? 

A135 What is Clear Stretchy Discharge a Sign of?

What is Clear Stretchy Discharge a Sign of?

Don’t Be Worried about Your First Gynaecological Examination

A150 - Fixed Vs. Growth Mindset

Fixed Vs. Growth Mindset

Jumbotron - Master Your Menstrual Cycle

Period calculator - sidebar icon

Period calculator

A124 What To Do When Your Daughter Gets Her Period Early Or Late?

First things first. [Period cramps](/en-gb/tips-and-advice-for-women/pms-and-menstrual-cramps/what-are-period-cramps/) are normal. Period pain is caused by a substance released by your body called prostaglandins.

They make your uterus contract so that it squeezes out its lining – aka your menstrual fluid. These contractions are what you feel when you have period cramps.

The intensity of your period cramps can vary from month to month, and even from day to day of your period.

Many girls experience their most intense period pain and [heaviest flow](/en-gb/feminine-products/what-size-pad-should-you-wear/how-to-prevent-period-leaks/) on the first day of their periods and then notice that their period pain tends to taper off gradually over the rest of [their period](/en-gb/tips-and-advice-for-girls-and-parents/my-period/how-long-does-a-period-last/).

1 Some pain is normal!

A100 Why Do I Have Watery Discharge? 

2 Is spotting before my period normal?

#### What products do I need to prepare for my first period? 

There are several products available to help you stay feeling clean and fresh when you’re on your period.
- [Sanitary towels](https://www.always.co.uk/en-gb/tips-and-advice-for-girls-and-parents/my-period/what-is-a-sanitary-pad/) – These absorbent pads stick to your underwear after you remove the adhesive strip. They are good for wearing overnight and on days when your flow is heavier. Some come with wings that fold over the edge of your underwear for better protection. We recommend [ALWAYS Ultra pads](https://www.always.co.uk/en-gb/feminine-products/sanitary-towels/always-ultra/) - they have a special absorbent core that turns liquid into gel – and gel doesn’t leak! Ultra pads also come in different sizes and absorbency levels, so you can get just the right fit for you.
- [Panty liners](https://www.always.co.uk/en-gb/feminine-products/panty-liners/always-dailies-profresh/) – These are light pads that you wear on your lighter days. Like regular pads, they stick to your underwear with an adhesive strip. Wear an [ALWAYS Dailies](https://www.always.co.uk/en-gb/feminine-products/panty-liners/always-dailies-fresh-and-protect/) Fresh & Protect panty liner a few days before your period is supposed to come.
- Tampons – These are inserted into your vagina with the use of an applicator. After wearing them for fewer than eight hours, you remove them by pulling on the string attached. Try wearing TAMPAX Pearl Compak which are grate for period beginners. 
- Menstrual cups – Like tampons, these are inserted into the vagina to gather blood, which you empty out later. For younger women, the smaller size is recommended.


What products do I need to prepare for my first period?

1st period - what to expect

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