My private parts, what am I going to menstruate?

Look, your private parts don't menstruate, you know? What happens is that menstrual blood exits your vagina, which is part of your reproductive system. That's where the blood from your uterus leaves your body.

Where does menstruation come from?

Basically, every month your body prepares the uterus for a pregnancy, kind of lining it with a soft bed of blood and tissues. If pregnancy doesn't happen, this lining is no longer needed, so the body gets rid of it. This is the material that comes out through your vagina, and we call it menstruation. It's like a monthly cleaning of your uterus, very normal and healthy.

Signs that your period is coming

Before you actually start menstruating, you might notice a few things. Your breasts might start to grow and feel a little sore, and perhaps you'll start to have a whitish or yellowish discharge in your underwear. It's quite common for it to appear a few months before your first period. Then, when your period comes, it's usually dark red or brown blood at the beginning and end, and a brighter red in the middle. And it's not a lot of blood at once; it's like a few teaspoons over several days.

If you want to get an idea of how close your first period is, there's a quiz here on the site that can help you: how close is my first period?