KEJ136

11/30/2023 12:01:37 PM

Realistically, I feel guilty as I know I have asked questions on this site about health anxiety before but I just feel very out of control with my health right now.

Show Answer

Hi, you are always welcome to visit the site and ask questions and we have spoke many times about many different topics regarding health. 

My advice remains the same, stay away from search engines and social media, because such a lot of this content is not medically factual...and that includes TikTok. 

And please book an appointment with your GP to discuss the relationship you have with your overall health and they will see if you possibly need some counselling to help you overcome these fears.

VUT613

11/29/2023 6:45:44 PM

Im 15 My periods are Usally very noticblely heavy and crampy usually but my current period im only having minimal pain and a little bit of brown discrhage coming out, is this normal

Show Answer

Hi, yes this is very normal. Throughout puberty your body is constantly changing and hormone levels are on a bit of a rollercoaster, so it is very common for your flow to vary from time to time.

LGH603

11/28/2023 6:08:31 PM

Hi Vicki!! How do I take a shower while on my period? Do I have to wear a tampon?

Show Answer

Hi, what a great question and the answer is no, not if you don't want to. Any blood released will simply wash away and you can then insert a fresh one after showering.

YJS645

11/28/2023 2:47:58 AM

when is someone physically ready for a cupped bra, like at what stage, and how do you tell what tanner stage you're at

Show Answer

Hi, I am not a fan of the tanner stage personally. For me if when measuring you find you are a C cup or above then a cupped bra is a good option, but not a must have if you prefer cropped tops or sports bras. I use a combination of both and my bust is quite full.

OUK646

11/28/2023 2:44:03 AM

Hi Vicki, I have swimming soon and my period is due around the start of a month, but I might have started it early, I'm not sure because the blood is brown and there isn't much of it but it's not like discharge. Just wondering if it's safe to use a tampon or not

Show Answer

If you are releasing  brown menstrual fluid and there is only a little you may not need to use anything in the water. However, if the flow gets heavier and is red in colour it would seem sensible to use a tampon or menstrual cup.

WRS171

11/27/2023 10:39:24 PM

Hi Vicki!! Love what you do here!! How do I know is my period is heavy or not? Everyone else seems to know but I have no idea

Show Answer

If you use pads, normal size and find they are fully used after a couple of hours, then this would be a heavy flow and you should switch to a long or night pad on these heavy days. 

QNX405

11/27/2023 10:38:04 PM

How do girls know that their pad is "full" ? Is this something I should be concerned about?

Show Answer

Pads can be worn for up to 8 hours, but most change every 3-5 hours or when most of the pad is red and very little white is showing. But as I have said most change after around 3-5 hours to avoid any odours starting to form, even if the pad is only soiled in the middle.

IYH505

11/27/2023 10:25:25 PM

Do you have any recommendations for self care ideas/grounding excercises for someone who is highly sensitive? I know it's not necessarily a bad thing but even if I'm not due on my period I can cry a lot quite regularly and sometimes not even knowing why I'm upset (I'm almost 25 btw so I would have kind of thought at this age I would have grown out of the classic puberty high emotionalness caused by hormone levels)

Show Answer

Check out the blogs under the Emotions section on the website for tips on how to manage feelings and prepare for PMS. Personally, I like to think of fun things to do during this time to take my mind off it.

SQI213

11/27/2023 9:02:11 PM

Dear Vicki, I'm 13 years old. One day I was at my friend's house. Let's call her M. It rained that day so my clothes were wet. I started changing clothes (in M's bedroom) and M takes a photo of me. I tell her to delete it. She does. Later she recovers the deleted photo and sends it to a boy in our class. Without asking me if she could. The answer would be obviously no. I know the boy and I know he doesn't delete stuff. He has many photos that people asked him to delete just stored in his phone. He also has a bunch of child p*rnography. I find out that M sent him the photo. She thinks it's funny. I'm obviously mad at her and tell her that what she did was really messed up. She gets mad at ME for not finding the awful thing she did funny, and when I tell another friend about it M lies to the friend saying that I gave M consent to share the photo. M later tells me that the boy deleted the photo but I'm sure she just doesn't want me to be mad at her and wants me to laugh at the awful thing she did. I'm sure the boy still has the photo and I'm afraid he'll send it to his friends. Since I'm not naked in the photo it's not child p*rnography so I don't think there's anything I can do.

Show Answer

If you live in the UK and are under the age of 18 it is illegal to send nude or semi-nude images regardless of whether you gave permission or not. So you may want to remind your friend of this, ensure the photo is completely deleted and also ask her to speak to the boy in question and remind him of the law.

Finally, you may also want to question why a 'friend' would send an image of you to someone else without permission, this is not something a friend would do in my opinion.

WWV011

11/27/2023 8:45:46 PM

Hi Vicki! Ive had discharge for more than a year now but I still havent got my period. Pretty Mitch all of my friends have theirs and Im feeling kinda left out and childish. When will my period come?!

Show Answer

For many discharge can last for longer than a year before the arrival of a first period, so please try not to worry, your body will know when the time is right just for you.

Remember too that any brown fluid you notice is your period and not discharge, as very often menstrual fluid is brown in colour.