For parents and loved ones

What they're going through

A child in puberty is dealing with a body that changes month to month, new feelings, and often the worry of being earlier or later than friends. Mood swings and arguments at home are a normal part of it.¹

You matter more than you may think. In a 2023 survey of 3,001 UK girls aged 12 to 18, 60% said they learned about periods from their parents, and 74% trusted their parents more than anyone else for information about periods. Yet 61% wished they had been told more about what to expect before their first period.²

What helps

• Start early. Bring periods into everyday talk about growing up from about age 9, before a first period arrives.³ Girls who know what to expect feel less anxious when it happens.⁴
• Keep it plain. Use the real words, skip slang, and never describe periods as dirty. Ask what they've already heard at school or from friends. If you don't know an answer, say you'll look it up.³
• Let them set the pace. Short, calm talks in a relaxed moment work better than one big one.³
• Get practical. Show them pads and other products, and pack a small kit for their school bag.³
• Include boys. Talk about periods with sons as a normal part of puberty, and make clear that teasing about periods hurts.³ If you're a dad, your openness matters too.³
• Help with the first OB-GYN visit. ACOG recommends one between 13 and 15. It may be just a talk.⁵

A teen may find it easier to talk about this with another trusted adult, like an aunt, a teacher or a school nurse.⁴ That's fine. What matters is that they have someone.

What not to say

• "Pain is normal, you'll grow out of it." In the same survey, 35% of girls said being told pain is normal had stopped them, or might stop them, from getting help, and 25% said the same about being told heavy bleeding is normal.² Mild cramps are common. Pain that keeps them home, or bleeding that soaks through a pad every hour or two, is a reason to see a doctor.⁴
• "It's just hormones." Mood changes are real. Strong sadness, anxiety or anger that doesn't pass is worth a doctor's visit.¹
• Anything that makes a leak shameful. In a 2025 UK survey, 86% of women had had a period leak, and over half had been shamed about period symptoms, most often by friends, partners and family.²

When to get help

Take them to a doctor if:^1,4

• puberty starts before 8, or there are no breast buds by 13
• there is no period by 15, or within 3 years of breasts starting to grow
• periods come more often than every 21 days, less often than every 45, or 90 days apart even once
• a period lasts more than 7 days, or soaks a pad or tampon every 1 to 2 hours
• bleeding is heavy and they bruise easily, or someone in the family has a bleeding disorder