What a period actually is

A period (menstruation) is an ordinary process that shows a girl's body is growing up. It isn't an illness.

Low down in your belly there is a small pear-shaped organ called the womb, or uterus. Next to it are two ovaries. During each cycle, hormones make the inner lining of the womb thicker. This lining is like a soft nest that would be needed if a pregnancy happened in adult life. Meanwhile, a tiny egg is released from an ovary.

When there is no pregnancy, the body doesn't need this lining. It comes away and leaves through the vagina along with some blood. That is a period. Then the whole thing starts again.

• A period usually lasts 2 to 7 days.
• The time from the start of one period to the start of the next is called a cycle.
• In teenagers a cycle is most often 21 to 45 days long.
• Blood comes out slowly, and the total is a few tablespoons, even if it looks like more.
• It can be bright red, dark red or brown.
• You may see small clots, which is usually normal.

A first period most often comes between ages 10 and 16, usually about two years or a little more after your breasts start to grow.

Period blood isn't dirty, and your body isn't getting rid of anything harmful. It is ordinary blood and tissue from the womb. You aren't sick or weak on these days, and you can carry on with normal life.