A school day is mostly a logistics problem: getting to a toilet, having something with you, and knowing what to say. None of it is complicated once you have done it a couple of times. This page is health information for learning, and a doctor or a trusted adult can help with anything that worries you.

What to keep in your bag

Two pads or tampons, a spare pair of underwear, and a folded bag to put things in. That is the whole kit and it fits in a pencil case.

Keep it somewhere it is always with you rather than in a locker you might not get to between lessons. If you would rather it was not obvious, a plain zip pouch looks like a pencil case because it is one.

If you cannot get products at home, the school almost certainly has some. Ask at the office, the school nurse, or a teacher you like. In several countries they are free in schools by law. It is an ordinary request and staff are used to it.

Asking to leave a lesson

You are allowed to go to the toilet. You do not have to explain why.

"Can I go to the toilet, please" is enough. If a teacher pushes back, "it's a medical thing, please" works and does not require you to say more in front of the class. If a particular teacher makes it hard every time, tell your form tutor or the school nurse — that is a thing they can fix, and it is not you making a fuss.

Some schools will give you a card or a pass that lets you leave without asking each time. It is worth asking whether yours does, especially if your periods are heavy or painful.

If you leak

It happens to lots of people and it is far less visible than it feels.

Tie a jumper, hoodie or cardigan round your waist. If you do not have one, ask a friend — most people will hand one over without a second thought. Then go to the toilet, change your pad or tampon, and change your underwear if you have a spare.

Blood comes out of fabric with cold water. Hot water sets the stain, so rinse in cold at school and deal with it properly at home.

If you have nothing at all, folded toilet paper in your underwear will hold for a lesson or two until you can get a proper product. Then get one — the office, the nurse, or a friend.

PE and sport

You can do PE on your period. Nothing about a period makes exercise unsafe, and gentle movement often makes cramps feel better [NHS].

For swimming you need a tampon, a cup or period swimwear, because a pad soaks up water. Period products, and how to choose goes through the options.

If you are in pale PE shorts and worried, wearing dark cycling shorts underneath, using period underwear as a backup, or using a longer pad all work. If you genuinely cannot take part because of pain, that is a real reason and a note from home or the school nurse is a normal thing to have.

Cramps during the day

Heat helps, and a warm drink or a hand pressed on the spot is often the only heat available at school. Moving between lessons rather than staying folded up in a chair helps some people.

If you need pain relief during the school day, ask at the school office or the nurse — most schools have rules about who can give you anything, so going through them is the route that works. A pharmacist or a doctor can advise on what suits you generally. Period pain in teens has the fuller picture.

Telling friends

You do not have to. Plenty of people find it easier once one or two friends know, because then borrowing a pad or a jumper is a two-word conversation.

Nobody is entitled to know, and anyone who makes a thing of it is the problem rather than you.

When to see a doctor

Getting through a school day does not need a doctor. You or a trusted adult can arrange an appointment if:

• you are missing school because of pain or bleeding
• bleeding soaks through a pad or tampon every hour or two, or you have to change during every lesson
• you feel dizzy, breathless or very tired around your period
• you are worried about how much school you are missing

If home is not the easiest place to raise this, there are adults at school and elsewhere who can help, and a school nurse can often arrange things for you. Being organised in advance makes most of this easier — see getting ready for your first period.