When I see that puberty has started, I usually try to ask parents or patients if they have either had a conversation about body changes and puberty / periods, and / or if they had a class on puberty at school. Sometimes parents haven’t talked to their kids about these topics, so I remind them that if they don’t discuss, then kids can end up getting their information from social media, which isn’t always reliable.

I think that it’s important to be prepared and have some pads ready ahead of time, at home, and in the school bag as well.  An extra pair of pants or leggings might come in handy as well, if it will fit in the school bag.  It’s also really important that people understand that this is a normal process that the human body goes through, that it’s not dirty or something to be ashamed of.

A couple of other tips: it’s good to track the periods, either on a regular calendar, or you can download an app. That way, you can see if there is a pattern to the periods, and how long it lasts on average. It’s normal for periods to be irregular for the first 2 years or so. After that, I would consider getting lab tests if it is still skipping around (if it’s not coming every 3-4 weeks).  But when you come to the doctor’s office b/c of irregular periods, its helpful to have it already tracked on an app / calendar b/c then we can see the pattern over a period of time.

A lot of people have painful cramps with their periods. For that, I usually recommend warm heating pads, exercise and ibuprofen (like Motrin or Advil). If you are going to take medication, it’s helpful to start it early, b/c it also helps lower the level of some of the hormone-like substance that is usually contributing to the bloating and cramping (prostaglandins).

There’s a nice website for puberty, it’s www.amaze.org. It also has information for boys as well!