What is a period, why does it happen, and how do I look after myself?
Your guess
Pick one before you read on. It is fine to be wrong.
By the end you can
Explain what happens in a monthly period and why
Describe simple ways to stay clean and comfortable during a period
From puberty, a girl's body goes through a cycle about once a month. It is called the menstrual cycle. Its job is to get the uterus ready, in case a baby starts.
Draw it first
Draw the uterus through one cycle
1 Days 1 to 5: the old lining breaks down and leaves through the vagina as blood. This is a period.
2 Next, the lining builds up again, thick and soft.
3 About day 14, an ovary lets go of an egg. It moves along the oviduct toward the uterus.
If no sperm meets the egg, no baby starts. The lining is not needed, so it breaks down. It leaves through the cervix and the vagina as blood, a little at a time. Then a new cycle starts.
A period is the days when the lining leaves the body. Most periods last about 2 to 7 days. Only a little blood is lost, often a few spoonfuls. That is about 30 to 40 mL in all. It can look like more.
Letting go of an egg is called ovulation. It happens about 14 days before the cycle ends. In a 28 day cycle that is about day 14.
A 28 day cycle. Day 1 is the first day of a period. The egg is let go about day 14.
Not every cycle is 28 days. Anything from about 21 to 35 days is common. In the first year or two after periods start, cycles are often not regular. That is normal.
A 32 day cycle. The egg is let go about day 18, because 32 − 14 = 18.
See it three ways
With things
Ana marks the first day of each period on a calendar. Her periods start every 28 days.
As a picture
In words
Her period is days 1 to 5. Her egg is let go about day 14. Her next period should start on the day after day 28.
In symbols
28 − 14 = 14
A few habits keep you clean and comfortable. A pad is a soft pad worn in the underwear to soak up the blood. A cloth pad is washed with soap and water, then dried in the sun. Sunlight helps to kill germs. A bought pad is used once, then wrapped and put in a bin.
A menstrual cup, where you can get one, is another way. It is a small soft cup worn inside the vagina. It is emptied every few hours, washed, and boiled between periods.
A tampon is a small roll of soft cotton worn inside the vagina. Change it every 4 to 8 hours, and never leave one in for longer. A forgotten tampon can cause a rare but serious illness.
Caring for a cloth pad. Dry it fully, because a damp pad grows germs.
Change a pad every 4 to 8 hours, or sooner when the flow is heavy. Wash your body with water every day. Wash your hands before and after you change a pad.
Period pain is common. It is a cramp low in the belly. Warmth helps: hold a cloth soaked in warm water, or a bottle of warm water, on the belly. Rest and gentle walking help too. A painkiller from a health worker or a pharmacist, taken as the packet says, also helps.
Your first period may start at school or away from home. Tell a trusted adult, such as a teacher. Fold a clean cloth into your underwear until you have a pad.
Things that help with period pain. A health worker can help when the pain is bad.
Try it
Mark a cycle on a home made calendar
You need: paper, a pencil, a ruler.
Draw a grid of 7 columns and 4 rows. Number the boxes from 1 to 28.
Pretend a period starts on day 1 and lasts 5 days. Shade days 1 to 5.
Work out 28 − 14 = 14. Draw a small egg on day 14. Write next to day 28: next period starts tomorrow.
What you will see: The period, the egg and the next period sit in the same places in every 28 day cycle. A real cycle may be a few days shorter or longer.
If you cannot try it, this is what happens.
A wrong idea many people have
You should not wash, bathe or do sport during a period.
Why it feels right: Some people were told this. It can also feel as if moving will make more blood come.
The test that breaks it: Washing takes away the blood and the smell, and keeps germs down. Many sports players play during their periods.
What is true: Washing with water every day keeps you clean and healthy. Gentle exercise can ease period pain.
Key words
menstrual cycle
the cycle, about once a month, that gets the uterus ready for a baby.
period
the days when the lining of the uterus leaves the body as blood.
ovulation
when an ovary lets go of an egg.
pad
a soft pad worn in the underwear to soak up period blood.
Back to your guess
The answer is C: A period is the lining of the uterus leaving the body when no baby has started.
A period is the old lining of the uterus leaving the body as blood. It happens because no baby started that month. It is healthy, not an illness.
Check yourself
Try each one before you look. A wrong answer tells you where to go next.
What is a period?
See the answer
The lining of the uterus leaving the body as blood
When no baby starts, the lining breaks down and leaves through the vagina.
If you chose A: There is no cut. The blood is the old lining of the uterus leaving the body. Go to S3.4.5.
If you chose C: Urine leaves through the urethra. Period blood comes from the uterus and leaves through the vagina. Go to S3.4.4.
Why does the lining of the uterus build up in each cycle?
See the answer
To be ready in case a fertilised egg settles in it
If an egg is fertilised, it settles in the thick lining and grows. If not, the lining breaks down.
If you chose A: The lining is not a food store for her. It is ready for a fertilised egg to settle in. Go to S3.4.5.
If you chose B: The lining is not for cleaning. It is a soft bed for a fertilised egg. Go to S3.4.5.
In a 28 day cycle, about which day is an egg let go?
See the answer
Day 14
The egg is let go about 14 days before the cycle ends. 28 − 14 = 14.
If you chose A: Day 1 is the first day of a period. The egg is let go later, about 14 days before the cycle ends. Go to S3.4.5.
If you chose C: Day 28 is the last day of the cycle. The egg is let go about 14 days before that. Go to S3.4.5.
What is a good way to care for a cloth pad?
See the answer
Wash it with soap and water and dry it in the sun
Soap and water clean the pad, and sunlight and a full drying help kill germs.
If you chose A: A damp pad grows germs. Wash it with soap and dry it fully first. Go to S3.4.5.
If you chose C: There is nothing to hide, and a dark damp place lets germs grow. Sunlight helps kill them. Go to S3.4.5.
Which helps period pain?
See the answer
Warmth on the belly and rest
Warmth relaxes the cramping muscle of the uterus, and rest helps too.
If you chose B: Warmth, rest and gentle walking help, and a health worker can help more when the pain is bad. Go to S3.4.5.
If you chose C: Going without food does not help. Eating well, with foods that have iron, helps your body. Go to S3.4.5.
When should Mei see a health worker about her periods?
See the answer
If her periods are very heavy or very painful
Very heavy or very painful periods can often be helped, so they are worth a check.
If you chose A: Periods are a normal part of life, so most need no health worker. Go to S3.4.5.
If you chose B: Periods are private, but health workers help with them all the time. It is fine to ask. Go to S3.4.5.
Kofi's sister has a 30 day cycle. About which day is her egg let go?
See the answer
About day 16
The egg is let go about 14 days before the cycle ends. 30 − 14 = 16.
From an earlier chapter
Which part of the body lets go of an egg?
See the answer
An ovary
The two ovaries hold the eggs. About once a cycle, one of them lets go of an egg.
If you chose A: The uterus is where a baby grows. The eggs are held in the ovaries. Go to S3.4.4.
If you chose C: The cervix is the neck of the uterus. The eggs are held in the ovaries. Go to S3.4.4.
Keep it
Copy this into your exercise book.
Each cycle the lining of the uterus builds up. An egg is let go about 14 days before the cycle ends. No baby starts, so the lining leaves as blood: a period. Pads, washing, warmth and rest help.
Draw: Draw a cycle wheel of 28 days and mark the period and the egg.
