Menarche
The first time she bleeds, the world quietly changes.
Preparing for Menstruation
Menarche arrives quietly in most households — a conversation in a bathroom, a packet of pads, a return to ordinary life. But something has crossed over, and it deserves to be noticed.
A first period is practical — there are pads to understand, changes in the body and questions about what happens next. But it can also be a meaningful moment in a girl's relationship with her body. How she meets menstruation, and the messages she receives around it, can stay with her for a long time.
Women's Den wants girls to meet this beginning with good information, openness and a sense that their changing bodies are nothing to be embarrassed about or left to figure out alone.
Around a first period there can be
- Curiosity mixed with shyness
- Questions that aren't always easy to ask
- Wondering what will happen and when
- Feeling that periods are something you should keep to yourself
- Adults wondering how to offer something different from what they themselves received
Something to take with you
Growing Up & Periods
A guide for parents
Wondering where to begin?
Explore the support available around first periods and growing up.
Or receive the slow letter: