Signs You Are About To Get Your First Period

To be honest, there is no definitive way of telling when you may get your first period. While there are certain signs leading up to your period time, it is often like one day you may wake up with a blood-stained bed sheet and boom! You just got your first period. At least this is how it is for most young women. You are a carefree young girl all through your little life that you have been on earth and suddenly one day you find yourself standing on the precipice of womanhood. But that is not something negative at all. Menstruation is a part of growing up and is nothing to be ashamed of or feel sad about. With the right period knowledge at your disposal, you can also stay prepared for it so periods don’t come as a shock to you and also so that you have all the right tools (read, ‘sanitary pads’) to deal with it.

So, let us understand our bodies better and learn to recognise the tell tales of when you may be about to get your first period. Here we go.

Signs When You May About to Experience Your First Period Time

The foremost thing to remember here is that all women are unique and so are their bodies. So, there is no right or wrong time to get your first period. All healthy. beings have. their own time and pattern which may be. different from others.

That said, you can ask your biological mother when she got her first period as chances are you would also get yours around that age. However, there are several other signs your body shows which can tell you about its probable arrival. For this, pay attention to the changes in your body, such as that in your nipples or breasts, pubic hair, body shape and the fluid in your underwear. Let us take a deeper look at them in this period guide to understand this better.

Nipples or Breasts

The change in your breasts can be the first thing that you may notice. It begins with the bumps around the nipples getting raised which gives way to the darker portion of the nipples getting bigger and puffing out. These are known as breast buds. They can develop on both sides at the same time but can also happen on one side at first and take up to 6 months for the other side to develop too.

Getting period education allows you to know that once you begin seeing this change in your breasts, it can take about 2-3 years for you to get your first period if you see this at the age of 8 or 9. However, if this takes place late when you turn 112 or 13, then you may get your periods faster; in about a year.

Pubic Hair

After you notice breast buds developing, it is pubic hair that starts cropping up. This may begin as a few strands of hair at first which grow on to become thicker and curly and spread to a wider area towards your thighs. While this usually happens after your breasts begin to grow, some may also find sparse pubic hair before that as well.

The hair in your armpits does not begin to show until you get your first period time or sometimes around it.

Body Shape

The shape and size of your body also begin to change, quite fast, before you get your first period. If you have good period knowledge, you can notice your sudden growth spurt and know approximately when your periods may begin. This is because, after your biggest growth spurt, it takes around 6 months to a year after which you may start getting periods. Tracking your height can help you here. You can notice that there’s a fast and constant increase in height which starts slowing down indicating the3 onset of the first period.

Along with an increase in your height and weight, you will also find that your pant size gets bigger too. This is because your hips or the pelvic area located below the abdomen, begins to widen. This is to make space for your reproductive organs, including your uterus, ovaries and vagina which start growing in size. So, while some parts of your body remain the same, others start accumulating more fats and getting rounder. This happens around the same time as you begin developing breast buds.

Vaginal or Cervical Fluid

After some time your breasts begin to develop, and you will also notice a change in the fluid coming out of your vagina. It may feel wetter than before and is a whitish liquid with no smell. It is mostly seen about 6 to 12 months before you get your first period.

When your period is getting nearer, you can find this vaginal fluid changing every day. This is the indication of the beginning of the menstrual cycle, even though you may not have yet had your periods.

It is very important to learn about this monthly cycle in your period guide as your periods only form a part of it.

The hormonal level in your body fluctuates every cycle as your body readies itself to release an egg or ovum. This causes a change in your vaginal fluid. It can sometimes be less and sometimes more. Also, it can look and feel different at different stages of your menstrual cycle being creamy like body lotion at times or even clear and stretchy like egg whites.

This change doesn't need to be clearly visible. People also tend to miss it until they have experienced a few cycles after their first period time.

One thing to keep in mind here is that this vaginal discharge is indicative of your vagina’s self-cleansing ritual so it is completely normal. And for the same reason, you must only use plain water to clean your inner labia or vagina.

Conclusion

All of these changes which you may. experience and notice before your first period are natural. While it can be exciting and welcomed for some girls it can also be stressful and challenging for others. All of these feelings are valid and normal. So, it would be a good idea to talk to a trusted adult like your mother, aunt, older sister or a friend and let them guide you through this process. If you are prepared with the right period knowledge and tools such as sanitary pads, it will be very easy for you to deal with your first period when it is time for it.