Holmes Patricia - Girlology - A Girl's Guide to Stuff that Matters

If fact, the age you are at menarche can predict how soon your periods will start happening in a regular pattern.

Age at Menarche Years until Very Predictable PeriodsUnder 111 to 2 years11 to 12Up to 2 or 3 yearsOver 12Up to 4 or 5 years

Periods will become “very” predictable once you start ovulating regularly. It’s not as reliable as the TV schedule or even as the trash pickup days, but it’s as reliable as they can get—that means within two to three days of the predicted time. Remember, to ovulate means to release an egg from your ovary. Once you start to ovulate with every cycle, then your periods become predictable. Your period will always start about 14 to 16 days after you ovulate. Problem is, you don’t always know when to expect ovulation. Like we said before, most girls have no clue when they ovulate because they usually don’t feel it. But if your periods are happening about the same number of days apart every time, you can know that you are probably ovulating. Miraculous!

So far we’ve been talking about regular ovulation, which means you are ovulating pretty much every month. But did you know you can ovulate before you even get your first period?After that, some of your cycles will include ovulation and some won’t. That means pregnancy can happen before a girl even has her first period if she is having sex.

MenstrualCalendar

Keep up with your periods by using the boxes below whenever you have bleeding. Copy it or make a chart like it to keep track of your bleeding—the heavier your bleeding is, the darker you fill in the box. Very light days (some people call this “spotting”) can be shown with just a dot in the box for that date. If you develop any irregular bleeding, this chart or one like it will be very helpful to your doctor. Besides, it will also help you recognize the pattern of your periods and help you predict when you will have your next one.

PredictingYour Periods

By keeping track of your periods on a calendar, you can usually tell when you should expect your next period. To calculate your cycle length, look at the past few periods on your calendar. Starting with the first day of a period, count the number of days until the first day of the next period. Do this for two or three cycles.

Most cycles will be between 21 and 45 days long. If your cycle length is about the same (within three to five days of each other) for several cycles, you can then start predicting your next periods pretty accurately.

If your periods are completely irregular, check the table on to see if it is time for you to be ovulating regularly yet. If it is, and you are still having unpredictable periods, talk with your doctor. Also, if your periods are skipping more than two months at a time, you should talk with your doctor. Some girls and women never ovulate regularly and may need medication to make their periods predictable.

How MuchBleeding Is Normal?

Most periods have only a couple tablespoons to about one-half cup of blood and fluid . . . and it’s mostly fluid and tissue, not blood. That’s why it doesn’t always look like real blood, but instead looks kind of brown or dark maroon, even blackish. Our bodies can make up for that amount of blood loss in no time, so we do not become anemic (have a low blood count).

As we’ve mentioned, most periods last anywhere from three to seven days. It is normal to have heavier blood flow in the first one or two days, then it gets lighter toward the end. The number of pads or tampons that are normal to use will depend on how soaked you let them become and what types you are using.

Clots are dark clumps of blood that are the consistency of liver or old Jello-O. Clots happen when blood stays in one place for a while, like in your vagina. You are most likely to see clots in the morning from the menstrual blood that has been in your vagina while you were lying down. When you get up, you might pass small clots. If you use a tampon, you might also see clots hanging on to the end of it when you take it out. These are normal, but if you have a lot of larger clots, that could signal heavier-than-normal bleeding.

Cramps!

Some girls will have cramping in their lower abdomen or pelvis before or during their periods. Sometimes the pain is even in the vulva, upper thighs or lower back. Most older teens and women will have at least some mild discomfort with their periods. About 10 percent (one in ten, right?) will have severe cramps that make them stop doing activities they would normally do.

Menstrual cramping happens because the uterus (made of muscle tissue) squeezes to release the tissue and blood that make up your period. The squeezing is caused by that hormone (progesterone) and some other chemicals (called prostaglandins ) that are released after ovulation.

If you feel bloated (full or puffy in your lower belly) or crampy with your periods, there are some things you can do to feel better:• Exercise, such as walking, jogging, swimming, bicycling, stretching or yoga. These things really do help cramps . . . we’re not kidding!• Take essential fatty acids(especially omega-3) supplements like flaxseed oil, evening primrose oil or fish oil tablets.• Avoid red meatand fried, fatty or greasy food (they have saturated fats, which can actually increase cramping).• Try medications, such as ibuprofen 400 to 600 milligrams every six to eight hours or naproxen 440 milligrams every twelve hours. These may sound like big names you’ve never heard, but there are brand names that you are probably more familiar with. You’ll have to look at medication labels to see what is really in them. These doses are a little higher than the instructions on the bottle advise, but they are closer to prescription doses often used for menstrual cramps. It’s safe to use these doses for a couple of days. These medications block the prostaglandins that cause cramps and usually work better than some products that say they are for menstrual cramps, including aspirin or acetominophen. Aspirin products usually do little for cramps and may make bleeding heavier. Some medicines for cramps even contain caffeine. Caffeine does nothing for menstrual cramps and might make breast tenderness worse. Read the labels on medications you can buy without a prescription to find out exactly what is in them! Check with a parent before you take any type of medication.• A heating pad or a warm bathalways feels nice.

If you have tried the things above and still have cramps that stop you from doing things or make you miss school, you should talk with your doctor.There are prescription medications and hormones that can treat even the most severe cramps. There are also some medical conditions that can cause bad cramps. Your doctor can discuss these with you and make sure you are okay.

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