Sexuality & Sexual Health

I'm 12 and I Haven't Had My Period in 7 Months

Published: July 17, 2018

Dear TeenHealthFX,

I'm 12 years old and i haven't had my period in about 7 months. That period 7 months ago was my first, and I'm sure it actually was a period. I am not sexually active, and i haven't taken any insane medications, to what i know. Is this normal? I'm quite worried.

Signed: I'm 12 and I Haven't Had My Period in 7 Months

Dear I'm 12 and I Haven't Had My Period in 7 Months,

Periods can be irregular for some young women in the first couple of months, or even in the first couple of years, after menstruation begins. However, since TeenHealthFX cannot know exactly why you have not gotten your period in seven months since starting menstruation, it would be best to check in with your doctor about it. FX recommends that you ask a parent/guardian to schedule an appointment with your primary care physician so you can talk to him/her about it.

If you don't have a doctor and live in northern New Jersey, you can call the Adolescent/Young Adult Center for Health at 973-971-5199 for an appointment with an adolescent medicine specialist or contact your local teen health center. You can also contact your insurance company for a list of in-network providers.

For more information about periods, you can read the TeensHealth article All About Menstruation.

Signed: TeenHealthFX

Ratings

Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in the US among people aged 10-14 ¹

Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in the US among people aged 15-24 ²

51% of youth (6-17) get treatment each year for a mental health condition ³

15.6 teenage girls for every 1,000 will give birth to a baby before they are 20 years old. ⁴

Only 6% of high school students get tested for STDs ⁵

1/3 of high school students who were currently sexually active used effective hormonal birth control the last time they had sex with an opposite-sex partner ⁶

Nearly 30% of female students currently drank alcohol and nearly 20% currently used marijuana.⁷

2.14 million middle and high school students currently vape ⁸

Over 80% of women and men both report having experienced their first rape under the age of 25. ⁹

Almost 40% of high school students have reported using marijuana at least once. ¹⁰

83.88% of 12- to 17-year-olds have reported using marijuana within the last month. ¹¹

One in four women first experienced intimate partner violence before the age of 18. ¹²

5.9 million teens have reported to drink at least once in the past month. ¹³

In 2022, there were 1,573 motor-vehicle deaths from underage drinks ¹⁴

About 1 in 10 children live in a home with a parent who has a drinking problem ¹⁵

Only 65 percent of teens consistently wear seat belts when driving or as a passenger. ¹⁶

The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16- to 19-year-olds than any other age group. ¹⁷

49% of the youth report having less than 3 friends in 2022 ¹⁸

^{2.7 million youth report experiencing severe major depression}¹⁹

Over 3.3 million teens will be graduating from high school in the year 2023-2024 ²⁰

The average social media screen time for teens is 7 hours and 22 minutes per day ²¹