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Home › Expert Q&A › Health and Safety › When should I expect my daughter to get her period?

Expert Q&A

 

By David L. Fay, M.D.
Family Physician
Associate Director, Waukesha Family Practice Residency Program

When should I expect my daughter to get her period? I have heard that years ago the average was at 11, but now is around age 9. She just turned 9, is large for her age (90 pounds) and tall for her age. Her legs are covered in hair and her breasts are just beginning to show. When should I begin to talk to her about her body changes and period?

Now! Breast development and body hair are "secondary" sexual characteristics which make their appearance early in puberty, and herald further development. In girls, puberty begins anytime between 8 and 13 years of age, with the average at 10.5 years old. The earliest sign is budding of the breasts, followed by the development of body hair. Menarche (the onset of the menstrual period) occurs about 2 years after the beginning of breast development, at an average age of 12.5. If breast budding starts at the age of 9, one would expect menses at about 11 years of age."

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