Whats a period?

Question

is it a thingy?
is it a dork?
is it a gay person?
is it a boat?
What?!!!!

Answer 1

What is a period?
When a girl "has her period", a small amount of bleeding (a few spoonfuls) takes place from her vagina. The vagina is a small opening that girls have between their legs. The bleeding will last for a few days and usually happens every month. This bleeding is sometimes referred to as menstruation and is not something to be scared of. Some girls get a white stain in their panties before they have had their first period, and this means their first period may begin soon.

Most girls will have their first period between the ages of 11 and 14. But some girls will start as early as 8, whilst others may be as late as 17.

Once a girl has had her period a few times she may notice that her body or mood changes slightly beforehand. For example, her breasts may feel sore, or become larger, or she may get spots on her face. But no one can tell if a girl has her period just by looking at her.

How does a girl stop blood getting on her clothes during her period?
When a girl has her period she can use sanitary towels or tampons to soak up the blood. Most girls start by using sanitary towels.

Sanitary towels are thin pads made of a soft cotton-like material. They are worn by a girl inside her panties. Most towels have a sticky strip on them that sticks the pad to the inside of the girl's panties.

A tampon is like a small rolled up piece of cotton wool with a string at one end. A girl pushes a tampon into her vagina leaving the string hanging outside her body. The string is then used to pull the tampon out. Some tampons also come with cardboard or plastic applicators that insert the tampon for you. As a tampon is put into the vagina there is no problem about going to the toilet when using a tampon.

Sanitary towels and tampons can both be bought in supermarkets and chemists. They usually come in packets of about 10 or 15. Towels and tampons come in different thicknesses so you can use a thicker one when the bleeding is heavier, and thinner ones for lighter bleeding.

In areas where tampons and towels are not available, or are too expensive to afford, many women will use rags or old strips of cloth or towelling to soak up the blood. "Menstrual cups" (small latex or silicone cups that are inserted into the vagina to collect the blood) are also available from chemists in some countries, and most can be washed and reused many times.

How often does a sanitary towel or tampon need to be changed and how do you dispose of them?
A sanitary towel should be changed every few hours during the day, even if the flow of blood is not very great. A sanitary towel can be used overnight without changing. Tampons should be changed several times a day and a tampon should not be used overnight. Changing tampons is particularly important because if a girl forgot to change a tampon for a long time, perhaps 24 hours or more, then it could make her ill.

Used sanitary towels and tampons should be wrapped up and put in a bin. In most women's public toilets there is a special bin in each cubicle which used sanitary towels and tampons can be put in.

Do periods hurt?
Some girls feel uncomfortable or have cramp-like pains when they have periods. For some girls the pain can be quite intense and it may be necessary to talk to a doctor about it. Usually the pain is not very bad and does not last very long. If you have any difficulty you should talk to an adult, as there are a number of things that can be done to help.

When a girl has her period she can do the things she normally does including having a bath or shower. Washing the vaginal area daily helps prevent infections developing. But it's a good idea to wash and dry from front to back to avoid spreading germs to the vagina.

When having a bath the amount of blood will not be enough to change the colour of the water. If a girl is using a tampon she should take it out before having a bath or shower and use a new one afterwards. If a girl wants to go swimming whilst she has her period she should use a tampon rather than a sanitary towel.

When does a girl need to start wearing a bra?
There is no set time when a girl needs to start wearing a bra and some girls go through life never wearing one. Girls who wear a bra usually do so because they feel more comfortable wearing one. Some girls wear a bra only when they are doing sports, others wear one all the time except when sleeping. Bras are made with different size cups for different breast sizes.

Often one breast grows faster than the other. Some girls' breasts remain small throughout their adult lives. Some girls find that their breasts or nipples start to tingle or itch whilst they grow. But these feelings stop when the breast stops growing.

It is not necessary to wear a bra to keep breasts healthy.

What can a girl do if...
She gets spots?
Almost everybody has spots at some time during their life. Most young people get spots around puberty. Washing your face more often with mild unperfumed or antiseptic soap and warm water may help. Some people find that not eating certain foods such as chips and chocolate can help. Other people say this won't help because it is the higher level of hormones in the body that is causing the spots to occur. For some people drinking lots of water can be very effective in helping prevent spots.

It is important to try not to pick at, or squeeze, the spots as this can cause them to become infected. It may help to use some special anti-acne cream or lotion. You can buy this from chemists and some supermarkets. If you get very bad spots it might be acne which your doctor can help with by giving you pills or special creams.

Her period starts and she doesn't have a sanitary towel or tampon?
A girl can always use something soft like tissues, or rolled-up toilet paper inside her panties to soak up the blood until she can get a sanitary towel or tampon.

Her period starts when she is at school?
If you are at school you should ask a friend or a teacher or other adult if they could help. There might be some sanitary towels in the school office as it quite often happens that a girl's period starts unexpectedly.

Someone says she smells?
As boys and girls' bodies develop during puberty so too do their sweat glands. These glands are to help control the body's temperature and result in more sweat being produced. The best way to reduce the risk of smelling is to wash and change your clothes regularly and perhaps use anti-perspirant deodorant on especially smelly areas, e.g. under your arms. However, most girls do not need to use a vaginal deodorant, and these may cause irritation.

Her period doesn't start when she expects it to?
When a girl first starts having periods they can occur at very irregular intervals. It can often take a couple of years before a girl's periods settle down and occur at regular intervals. The interval between periods is then usually about 28 days (a month).

Changes in your emotions can also cause changes to your periods. For example, worry about a period starting can sometimes cause further delay to the period.

However if you have had sexual intercourse you could be pregnant if your period does not start when you expect it to. You must in these circumstances talk to an adult or see a doctor as soon as possible.

She is being bullied because of her size?
If a girl is being bullied because of her size or for any other reason, then she should talk to an adult.

She is unhappy about the way she looks?
Height and weight are the two things that can particularly worry young people. But try and think about things you like about yourself and the way you look. Also remember that your body is changing and will keep changing.

info 4rm www.avert.com

Answer 2

I'm sort of torn between "a gay person" and "a boat".

Maybe just split the difference and go with 'a punctuation mark'.

Yeah...that's it.

Answer 3

Well, there's the punctuation mark...or you could be referring to the monthly cycle that occurs in women's reproductive system in which the uterine lining is flushed out in a bloody discharge lasting about a week.

Answer 4

A period would either be a punctuation mark aka (.) or it could be what you have when you are sexually mature, aka when you are able to become pregnant. That would be when you go through puberty and your body changes on the inside.

Answer 5

Actually, the blood is from the liner of the uterus losing after the egg has been published however no longer fertilized. A lady will get a interval each month, until she is pregnant. A interval can be the punctuation on the finish of the sentence-->.

Answer 6

A period as in the thing we women get monthly? Read this hun, it tells you everything...
http://www.4women.gov/FAQ/menstru.htm

Answer 7

a boat?
wow.
go talk to your mom
kthnxbye

Answer 8

It's something a girl gets, and it's punctuation.

Answer 9

You are kidding me, right? How old are you? If you have to ask this question, you need to go talk with your mom or older sister if you have one.~

Answer 10

ii dont think your talking bout a .
are you talking a bout a girl's period?
if your younger then like ten then dont go here: http://www.avert.org/puberty2.htm