How To Tell When Your Period Is Coming

Hello, readers. I'm Naomi, and I hate periods. You may be asking; what am I doing on a period blog if I hate periods? Well, the answer is, I'm kind of stuck with my period until I'm old and wrinkly, so I may as well spend some time helping other people with period-related problems.

Anyway, enough random bio stuff. Go read my bio on the About the Authors page if you want to learn more about me. Time to learn about telling when your period is coming!

Your First Period

Made with MS Paint by me.

The time at which first periods come varies greatly. Periods can start from as young as nine to as old as fifteen, and sometimes people start even earlier or later. However, periods generally start after twelve to eighteen months (or a year to a year and a half) after breast buds start to develop.

Still, six months is a pretty big time frame. There's no good way to get any more specific than that. If your period hasn't already started and it's already been a year or more since your breast buds started to develop, you might want to carry some pads, tampons or other flow-stopping stuff along with you in case your period begins suddenly. I was lucky enough to have my first period in my own house, but you might not be so lucky.

After Your First Period

After you have your first period, it's much easier to tell when your monthly period is coming.

Calendar found on Google Images.

A good way to keep track of when your period is likely to come is to write it down on a calendar whenever your period comes. A menstrual cycle normally lasts slightly less than a month, so you can expect your next period about a month after your last one. Just remember to actually write it down and not forget like I always do.

This method may not work if you have irregular/non-existent periods, which means you skip a month or months at a time. Your period might be irregular or non-existent if any of the following are true:

• Your first period was recent.
• You are underweight.
• You are exercising too much.
• You are pregnant.

Still, even if your periods are irregular, it can be helpful to write down when your period comes so you'll know when it should come, even if it doesn't.

Another way to find out if your period is coming soon (and the way I tend to use) is if you suddenly feel sick for no apparent reason. This may include headaches, stomach cramps or mood swings. I tend to feel sick the day before my period, although it does vary between people. Some people don't have cramps during their periods at all (if that's true for you, you are incredibly lucky).

Finally, even if you forgot to write down when your period came last, and somehow managed to avoid having stomach cramps, you will know it when your period comes. Trust me.

That's all for today. Peace out!

--Naomi

 

Sources:

 

Facing the Facts -- a book my parents gave me.

Personal experience (and I have lots of that).