Periods.
This website is for middle school tweens and teens (and their families) who are getting ready to, or who have recently started their periods.
This website was created as part of a grant project funded by the Beverly Education Foundation.
What you'll find in this website:
Looking up information online about health issues, particularly about ones having to do with reproductive health (because that's what periods are about!) is tricky. We have a list of some of the best books to come out in the past few years, including chapter books with stories of girls and their periods.
We've got just a few (not too many!) great videos that are funny and informative. Some are about the science and technical stuff and some are about how real people deal with their own periods.
First there were pads. Then there were tampons. Now there's so much more - here's a guide to help you figure out what's what (and how it works!) so you can find out the right solutions -- for you.
Even when you have your period, you can and should be able to go to school, play sports, and do lots of other things. That can be hard if you are embarrassed or, worse, can't afford period products, like millions around the world. Learn how people are working to end period poverty, period shaming, and stand up for menstrual equity.
Did you know?
CDC National Survey of Family Growth (2002):
The average age of a child in the U.S. getting their first period is 12.43 years
81% begin menstruating between the ages of 11 and 14 in the U.S. -- while they are in middle school.
8% get their period when they are 10 or younger, while 11% begin menstruating at the age of 15 or older.
UK Betty for Schools survey (2019) found
almost half (47%) of women surveyed felt unprepared and didn’t know what to expect when their period started
just 22% recalled feeling excited or happy about it
Nearly a third (32%) admitted to feelings of shame.
State of the Period Harris Insights & Analytics Survey (2019) for Thinx and PERIOD surveyed teens ages 13-19 and found:
1 in 5 U.S. teens have struggled to afford period products or were not able to purchase them at all.
80% feel there is a negative association with periods, that they are gross or unsanitary.
More than 4 in 5 teens have either missed class time or know a classmate who missed class time because they did not have access to period products
79% feel that they need more in-depth education around menstrual health.