03/08/2020
Signs and symptoms of PMS may include mood swings, acne, bloating, food cravings, increased breast tenderness, fatigue, and increased hunger and thirst. When your period begins, it’s normal to experience mild pain with your periods a couple of days each month. However, if your pain is not relieved with over-the-counter pain medicine, and you miss school or doing things with your friends because of it, you may have “dysmenorrhea” (pronounced: dis–men–o–ree–a). When your period begins, it will feel like liquid flowing slowly with start and stops, out of your va**na. Although it may seem like a lot of blood, only a small amount is released at a time and should not be painful. It’s also normal to see small clots of blood from your va**na on the toilet paper after you urinate (p*e). However, if you see clots larger than a quarter, you should call your health care provider (HCP) and schedule an appointment.
What if I haven’t had my period yet?
It’s normal to get your period as early as 9 years old or as late as 14 years old. This is a big time range and it’s hard to be one of the first or one of the last. Girls who are active in sports or are very thin may not get their period until a later age. Losing weight while you are in your growth spurt can also delay your periods. A late start to puberty and menstrual periods may run in your family. Talk to your parent or your healthcare provider about your worries and concerns. If you haven’t gotten your period by the time you have turned 15 or if you started your breast development more than three years ago and haven’t gotten your period, get a check-up with your health care provider (HCP) just to make sure everything is okay. Your HCP sees many girls who develop late, so don’t be embarrassed to ask. Your HCP may do a ge***al exam and check to see if your h***n (a thin piece of tissue that covers part of the entrance to your va**na) is open. Some girls are born with an “imperforate h***n,” which means that the h***n does not have an opening, and blood cannot leave the va**na. Rarely, girls are born with a condition called Mayer Rokitansky Kuster Hauser syndrome (MRKH), which is an incomplete va**na and/or small or absent uterus, so they don’t get their period for this reason. It’s a good idea to get regular check-ups during puberty just to make sure that everything is okay.
