Nowadays girls start menstruating earlier than their mothers, right? So my mom started menstruating at 11 and I'm 10, is it likely to happen very soon?

It's super normal for you to wonder about this, and yes, there's a good chance you'll menstruate early if your mom menstruated early, because generally our bodies follow our family's pattern a bit. But it's not like a strict rule, you know? Every body has its own timeline.

What can happen

Many girls nowadays menstruate a bit earlier than their mothers or grandmothers, but doctors say that most first periods happen between ages 10 and 13. What's important isn't just your mother's age, but also the signs your body is already showing. For example, have your breasts started growing a while ago? And have you noticed a clear discharge in your underwear? These are some signs that your first period is coming, it usually happens a few months after the discharge starts.

How to know when it's coming

There's no way to know the exact day, how agonizing! But paying attention to your body's signs and talking to a trusted adult can help you feel more at ease. They can help you understand what's happening and how to prepare.

And if you want to get an idea of how close your first period is, there's a really cool quiz on the site that helps you see the signs: how close is my first period?