i been having cramp every now and i want to kno if im getting my period and im 11 be the way

Cramps can happen before your first period, but random tummy cramps on their own don't mean your period is starting today.

Your uterus is a muscle, and when periods start, it squeezes to push out its lining. Stronger squeezes are what hurt. Sometimes your body can have cramps or twinges before your very first period, but tummy pain can also just be digestion or gas. A first period can come anywhere from about 9 to 15, sometimes later, and the average is around 12. Having tummy pain that comes back every month with still no period means telling a grown-up.

Other signs your period is getting closer

Instead of just cramps, doctors look at the overall signs of puberty:

• Breasts starting to grow, which is usually the first sign (the period often comes about 2 years later, and that varies a lot)
• Pubic and underarm hair, usually soon after, though hair first is normal too
• A growth spurt (the period often comes about a year after the fastest growing, and that varies a lot too)
• Clear, white or off-white discharge in your underwear, which can start some months before (if it changes colour, smells bad, itches or feels sore, or it hurts when you pee, tell a grown-up)

What to do right now

A heat pad, or a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel that a grown-up fills, can help too. There are medicines that help period pain, and a grown-up decides if you take one, which one and how much, for your age and weight.

Tell a grown-up if the pain stops you doing normal things like school, doesn't get better with the pain relief a grown-up gives you, or keeps getting worse from one period to the next. Tummy pain that is strong or keeps getting worse, sits on one side (especially low on the right), or comes with a fever, being sick or not wanting to eat means telling a grown-up straight away.

Also, getting a period before 9 (or any bleeding or pink or brown spotting before 9), no period by 15, or no breast growth or other puberty signs by 13 means telling a grown-up so a doctor can check.

If you want to see where you are with other body changes, there's a quiz on this site: how close is my first period?