My name is Aisha. I am 16 years, I live with my father and brother. My mum passed away when I was young.

When I was 11, I found blood in my underpants. I was confused. I didn’t know where it came from or what was happening to me. I used rags to to prevent the blood from leaking.

I learnt from some girls at school that I had started my period. I had so many questions but I didn’t know who to talk to!

But then I read a story on Springster, which talks about how to talk to your dad about periods. So I plucked up the courage to ask my dad. At first he didn’t want to talk, he thought that I was too young. But after explaining to him that I had already started my period, he was happy to talk.

He explained all of the details to me! Girls are born with thousands of eggs, two fallopian tubes and one uterus. The uterus has powerful muscles that can accommodate a growing baby.

When a girl starts puberty, a tiny egg leaves one of the ovaries to the uterus. The uterus builds up its lining with extra blood and tissue, making the walls of the uterus thick and cushioned, to prepare the uterus for pregnancy. If the egg is fertilized by a sperm cell, it develops into a baby.

If the egg isn't fertilized, the uterus sheds the extra tissue lining, blood, tissue, and unfertilized egg, and leaves the uterus. This process is our menstrual period. The cycle usually continues every month – except for when a woman is pregnant, or for some other reasons, like diet issues or stress.

A few months later we had menstruation as a topic in class. The boys wanted to know more. I confidently explained to them. Some girls felt shy, but I told them they shouldn’t feel embarrassed to talk about menstruation – it’s normal and a sign that you are growing into a woman.