How often does a girl get her menstruation period?
Periods happen about once a month. They last for four to seven days after which there is a pause of about 23 days (three weeks or so) until the next period, although the menstrual cycle varies from one girl to another. In some girls it may be longer or shorter than 28 days or it may be irregular, especially in the first few months after they have started.
It is a good idea to note the days your period occurs in a diary or calendar. This will make it easy to see exactly how many days there are between periods and makes it possible to work out when to expect your next period.
Just as some girls begin puberty earlier or later than others, the same applies to periods. Some girls may start menstruating as early as age 9 or 10, but others may not get their first period until later in their teens. The amount of time between a girl's periods is called her menstrual cycle (the cycle is counted from the start of one period to the start of the next). Some girls will find that their menstrual cycle lasts 28 days, whereas others might have a 24-day cycle, a 30-day cycle, or even a 35-day cycle.
Irregular periods are common in girls who are just beginning to menstruate. It may take the body a while to sort out all the changes going on, so a girl may have a 28-day cycle for 2 months, then miss a month or have two periods with hardly any time in between them, for example. Usually, after a number of months, the menstrual cycle will become more regular. Many women continue to have irregular periods into adulthood, though.
As a girl gets older and her periods settle down - or she gets more used to her own unique cycle - she will probably find that she can predict when her period will come. |