Chella Quint - Own Your Period

Most people who have periods get their first one between the ages of 9 and 16, but the average age is about 12-and-a-bit years old. A few start a couple of years earlier, at about 7 or 8 years old. This is a little unusual, but its certainly not impossible. Some people who get periods do not identify as girls, and may be non-binary, gender fluid, trans guys, or intersex. And some girls or women whom you may expect to have them may not ever get periods at all. This might be because of how their bodies developed before they were born, or because they had a serious illness.

No matter what, though, if you are someone who already has periods, or youre going to start soon, or you want to find out more about what periods might be like for your friends or siblings now and as you get older, then this book is for you!

When I was studying periods, I talked to a lot of kids about the best way to teach it, and they said not to leave anything out. So I havent! Talking about periods means using some words that may not be familiar to you. Knowing a bit of science background will also help you understand how your body works. This section explains these words and facts, because some of them will come up a lot as you read the rest of this book. You may know some of these things already. If so, thats great! If not, dont worry! Youll be an expert before you know it.

Periods are part of puberty... and puberty is a part of growing up. Puberty is the name we give to the time when childrens bodies start to grow into adult bodies. When you first hear about it, puberty may seem like a really big change that will happen all at once, but it is actually much more gradual.

Think about it this way: most of the things that your body does started when you were a baby. When you were born, you could already sleep and eat and pee and poop and cry. Before long you learned to smile and laugh, and then to move around and communicate some more.

But all of those changes happened slowly, probably without you noticing, until maybe you outgrew your shoes or could reach a light switch for the first time. You have been learning new skills and words and getting bigger all this time. Puberty may be the part of growing up that we happen to have a name for, but youve been growing and changing your whole lifeand you are already very good at it!

Whats your story?

You might not remember your earliest growing-up milestones, such as getting your first tooth, or starting school. Can you remember losing your first baby tooth? If you dont, someone in your family probably will! There may be a photo of you with missing front teeth, or someone may have written down the details.

Menstru-what?

You may have already heard of periods from your friends or a relative or a teacher. You also may have heard the word menstruation. They both mean the same thingmenstruation is the actual word, while period is a nickname. It is short for menstrual period. You will see the words menstruation, menstrual, and period a lot in this book.

Not everyone feels comfortable talking about menstruation, so a lot of people try to avoid the topic. Can you remember the first time you heard about periods or menstruation? What was the mood or attitude at the time? Ask your friendsthey may have had a similar experience.