Females: Your Period / Question
Published: July 23, 1999
Dear TeenHealthFX,
I'm worried because most of my girlfriends have already had a period and I haven't. What's normal??
Signed: Periodless
Dear Periodless,
Period is another word for menstruation. Menstruation usually (but not always) occurs about 2 years after the beginning of breast development, growth of underarm hair and pubic hair, and a growth spurt. Puberty begins at a different age for different people and may take a different course in every one. The average age of starting menstruation is 12-13 for White girls, approximately 1 year earlier for Hispanic and African-American girls. But it ranges from 9-18. If you are over 16 years old and you have not started your period yet you should contact your doctor or a teen health center in your neighborhood to get it checked out.
If you don't have a doctor and live in northern
Signed: TeenHealthFX
The teen pregnancy rate in the United States is the highest of any industrialized democracy, nearly twice that of Great Britain and 10 times that of Japan. 
