Is this normal? Periods when you’re in puberty
When you’re going through puberty, your body is putting a lot of its energy into making you taller, stronger, physical changes like breast development and growing your brain – this means that your menstrual cycles are often last on your body’s list of things to do. What does this look like? Well, you might get your first period and then not see another one for a few months. The brain-ovary connection is still getting set up and the signal can drop at times while other puberty-related things are getting done.
Your mom, older sister or aunt, she might not remember what it was like to have periods as a teen. It’s important to know that the periods you are having now during puberty will likely be very different to the periods you will have once your body has fully matured and you are older.
What is normal for periods when you’re a teen and during puberty?
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Normal: Irregular periods. For the first four years after you get your first period you are likely to experience very irregular periods. This is because many of your cycles will happen without ovulation. Ovulation and menstruation are linked, absent or delayed ovulation means you will have later or missed periods. This can look like bigger gaps between periods or a long gap between your first period and the second specifically.
Talk to a doctor or a trusted adult: If your periods are still not regularly arriving and it’s been four years since your first period. If you get your first period and wait for longer than six months to get your second. If your period disappears completely when you have already had several periods. If you use Teena to track you will know if and when you have cycles with ovulation, which is useful for accurate prediction of the arrival of your next period and keeping tabs on your developing menstrual cycle status.
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Normal: Heavier periods with clots. Heavier bleeding and clots are more common during puberty years due to hormone shifts and changes. You may need to change your pad or tampon every two to three hours for the first few days of your period. You may experience clots in the morning or throughout the day which look like small clumps of darker menstrual blood and tissue from the uterus. It’s a good idea to note down in your Teena app how often you have to change pads or tampons and how long your period lasts, that way you can remember and see if it changes over time.
Talk to a doctor or a trusted adult: If you are changing your pad or tampon hourly or you often leak through because you cannot manage the amount of blood flow. Heavy periods can be common but they should not get in the way of your school life or activities. Periods with bright red flow should not last longer than 7 days.
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Normal: Cramps happen to a lot of teens. This will feel like a squeezing sensation in your lower stomach area or may also spread to your lower back. It may start the day before your period or happen during your period. Cramps should be manageable with a heating pad, stretches, and suitable medications. Cramps are more common during teen years again because of hormone shifts and changes. You can track your experience of cramps in the Teena app so you can remember and see if it changes over time.
Talk to a doctor or a trusted adult: Cramps should not be unbearable. They might be uncomfortable and you may need to rest sometimes, but they should be able to be treated by heating pads and medications. If you cannot soothe your cramps with these options, they last for longer than a few hours, or if the amount of pain stops you going to school or having fun with your friends then you may need a health check. You should not be vomiting, fainting, or feeling very sick due to cramps.
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Normal: Spotting, brown spotting and other irregular bleeding patterns. If you are having irregular cycles then irregular bleeding can come along with that. This might look like some brown spotting when you first get periods. Or lighter spotting that happens before your period arrives or continues after your period has mostly ended. You may have some lighter bleeding or brown marks in your underwear even before you get your first period.
Talk to a doctor or a trusted adult: If you are experiencing bleeding many days of the month or your period seems to last weeks or you feel like you are never not on your period. Keeping track of your spotting and periods with the Teena app can help you to know if you are experiencing more days or bleeding than not and need to talk to your doctor or a trusted adult.
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Normal: Puberty can mean mood swings and lots of emotions. Especially before your period you might feel more irritable, sad, introverted, or want more time alone or to be quiet, you may feel easily upset and sensitive. When you are having menstrual cycles you should also have times that you feel happier, energetic, upbeat and social. Moods may feel like they shift quickly from one side to the other. If you use Teena you can track your moods and start to see patterns in how you feel.
Talk to a doctor or a trusted adult: If you find you feel sad, anxious, or easily upset most of the time. If you find you stop enjoying doing the things you love or stop wanting to hang out with friends. If your mood makes you stop feeling excited to make plans in the future. If you ever consider hurting yourself. If you start feeling anxious in a way that makes you avoid doing certain things.
Remember, everyone is different and will have a different puberty and period experience. Your cycles may be regular or pain-free from the start! This is also okay. We are sharing what is common and normal, but it is not the same for all teens. Tracking your cycles with Teena will help you to understand what is normal for you and also help you understand when you might need support.
Sources:
https://www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/heavy-menstrual-bleeding-menorrhagia#:~:text=Hormone%20imbalances%20between%20estrogen%20and,can%20cause%20heavy%20menstrual%20bleeding.
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-are-my-teens-periods-so-heavy-should-i-be-concerned/
https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/clumps.html
https://polaristeen.com/articles/depression-vs-moodiness-in-teens/
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=90&ContentID=p01599
https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/aftercareinformation/pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=av2822#:~:text=Many%20teens%20have%20bleeding%20or,some%20kinds%20of%20birth%20control.
