It is important for every girl to know the signs that her period is about to start. You really don't want to get caught unprepared or unaware, do you? The good thing is that your body will show some signs telling you to get ready your first period. These signs could be different for different girls. Some may experience bloating, nausea, light cramping, and constipation, while others may also experience fatigue, puffy face, hot flashes, tooth pain, and general achiness. Your breasts may swell a bit and you may experience lower back pain with increased urination. Why do you experience these signs? Will there be some other common signs?

Signs You're About to Start Your Period

PMS or Pre-menstrual Syndrome symptoms occur before you experience your period. PMS will accompany a variety of psychological and physical symptoms because your body experiences several hormonal changes; thesesymptoms range from cramping and nausea to back pain and mood swings. PMS affects almost every woman during her reproductive years.  

The most common PMS symptoms are headaches, tummy pain, fluid retention, bloating, backache, tiredness, dizziness, breast tenderness, nausea, changes to your hair, and weight gain. Some psychological symptomsmay also appear, such as mood swings, anxiety, depressed mood, tearfulness, decreased self-esteem, feeling irritable, and forgetfulness.

Although it is difficult to deal with symptoms such as bloating, fluid retention, and mood swings, they will disappear soon after you period finishes. You may be one of those women who experience period pain, also called dysmenorrhea. It feels as if you have muscle cramps in your lower abdomen – it may also spread to your thighs and back. The pain can be dull but it will be more constant. Most women experience this pain soon after the bleeding begins and continues for a day or so.

What to Do About PMS Symptoms

So these are the signs you're about to start your period. Sounds annoying right? To overcome some of the issues, you may have to try some self-help techniques, such as performing gentle exercise, taking painkillers, massaging your lower abdomen, and applying a heat pad to your tummy. Paracetamol and NSAIDs usually provide relief from pain, but sometimes, your healthcare provider may prescribe stronger painkillers such as codeine to reduce pain and discomfort. You will have to make subtle changes to your diet to deal with symptoms such as weight gain.

Here’s more about how to relieve PMS symptoms:

Here are a few tips that will help you calculate your cycle length and duration to manage your periods better:

• Be sure to count the days from the day you have your period. You should also count the first day of the subsequent period. This will help you calculate your cycle length. The length is usually up to 28 days, but some women may have it up to 35 days.
• Maintain a record by noting the first and last day of your period. Keeping a record will help determine the length of your cycle to make things more manageable.
• Make use of an app to keep track of your period and your cycle length.  There are several nice options available, such as MyMenstrualCalendar and MyMonthlyCycles.

A Word About the First Period for Teens and Preteens

 It is important to know signs you're about to start your period,but it is also true that some teenage girls will experience severe symptoms while others will have mild signs only.

When Does It Come?

It may also come at different times for different girls. Some girls have it when they turn 8-9 years old, while others don't have it until they turn 16. However, the average age is between 12 and 13 years, but you may need to see your healthcare provider if you're 16 and haven’t experienced your first period. This usually means you're suffering from a condition called primary amenorrhea, which requires careful diagnosis and testing with therapy.

Signs of Your First Period

You can have a closer look at other signs of development to determine how long it will take your first period to arrive. You will notice your breasts become bigger and fuller before you actually have your first period. Noticing more hair in your armpits and on your pubic area usually means your period is around the corner. It is also not uncommon to notice a whitish discharge from your vagina as well as a few drops of blood a few weeks before your first period. You can also ask your older sister or mother to help you know about signs you're about to start your period.

Here’s one girl sharing her experience of first period: