Some children get periods at eight, years before menstruation is taught at school

Managing menstruation in public can be challenging at the best of times, but imagine being eight years old and having to deal with your period at school.

You might need to change your pad during class and explain to your friends why you are not going to the swimming carnival. You might be scared you will bleed through your uniform because there aren't any sanitary bins in the junior years' bathroom. 

In Australia, the average age of the first period is about 13. But about 12 per cent of children get their period between the ages of eight and 11. Researchers call this "early menarche" or "early onset menstruation".

But even though a significant proportion of students are getting their first period as early as Year 3 or even Year 2, primary school students are not officially taught about puberty until Years 5 and 6 (when they are aged between 10 and 12).

Our research explores current period education and what support is available for early menstruators. It shows how schools can act as gatekeepers of knowledge about this essential and very normal part of human development.

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