Talking to your daughter before her first period

A girl who has been told nothing may see her first blood and assume she is ill or has done something wrong. A calm talk ahead of time prevents that. First periods usually arrive between 10 and 15, though for some girls they begin as young as 8. So you can start at around 8 or 9, without rushing and without trying to cover everything at once.

There is no need for a formal sit-down. It is easier in the car, on a walk or while buying things at the pharmacy. Use plain words: 'As you grow up, your body will start to release a little blood once a month. It isn't an illness. It's what a healthy body does.'

• What a period is and why it happens
• There is usually not much blood, and any pain tends to be mild
• How to use a pad and change it
• Who to go to if it starts at school
• She can shower, go to school and do sport during a period

Put together a small kit: a few pads, clean underwear, wipes. Keep it in her school bag, so she feels ready wherever it happens first.

Your tone teaches more than your words. If periods sound secret and shameful, your daughter will not come to you when something goes wrong. It is enough to say: 'Ask me anything, and if I don't know, we'll find out together.'