Is My Daughter’s Period Normal? A Parent’s Guide to the Four Numbers
Pediatricians are taught to treat the menstrual cycle as a vital sign — something to be checked at every visit, like blood pressure. Here are the numbers they check against, and the three patterns that mean a phone call rather than a wait-and-see.
In the first years after periods start, normal means: cycles arriving every 21 to 45 days, bleeding lasting 7 days or fewer, using 3 to 6 pads or tampons a day, and never more than 90 days without a period. Irregular timing is expected early on. Heavy volume, prolonged bleeding, and pain that costs her school days are not, at any age.
Get the printable guide and cycle tracker
The four numbers on one page, the questions to ask at the appointment, and a twelve-cycle tracker she can fill in herself — designed to be specific enough to be useful and private enough that she will actually use it. Enter your email to read and download it. We send the guide and occasional articles on period health. Unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
Board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist, licensed in Colorado. Parameters per the ACOG and American Academy of Pediatrics guidance on the menstrual cycle as a vital sign.