I'm 12 years old, but I'm so freaked out about this! It's been almost 2 months and I still haven't had my period yet! I do not have a boyfriend yet. Why didn't I get my period? If it'll be late how long can it be late? Please answer, I'm so worried and freaked out.

First off, take a deep breath and try to relax. Freaking out isn't going to help at all, nor is it really necessary. As long as you have not had a pregnancy risk here (which it does not sound as if you have), you likely have nothing to worry about.

So let's get a couple of things straightened out here, first of all remember that your body is not a machine. It doesn't always behave exactly the same way in every single situation. Just like you, it's only human! Sometimes unexpected things are going to happen. It's not unusual at all for a woman of ANY age to have the occasional cycle that is a bit off-kilter, where a period is late (or even skipped entirely occasionally), or where something else unexpected happens. Bodies are just like that.

The next thing to remember here is that you're also still very young! It's not unusual to have some extra cycle weirdness during the first 5-years or so of menstruation. Your body is still very much growing, developing, and regulating. At 12, you're nowhere near being done maturing! Puberty doesn't generally start for girls until around ages 8-11, and it probably won't be over until you're through your teens or early 20s. So with all of the work your body is doing to help you grow and mature, it shouldn't be surprising that your menstrual cycle is not ready to be like clock-work just yet.

Beyond that, there are also some women who will never have particularly regular menstrual cycles. You're still quite young to know whether you'll be really regular, really irregular, or somewhere in-between. But just know that even if you're never a "perfect" 28-days or 30-days or whatever, you still may have absolutely nothing to worry about. Sometimes it's "normal" to be somewhat irregular. If after you have been having periods for at least 5-years you are having a lot of irregularity, then it might be worthwhile to see your doctor and explore exactly why you are irregular. (Note that all women should be getting regular gynecological checks once they start menstruating regularly. So starting those check-ups somewhere in your early teens is a good idea anyway so that your health care provider can get a good total picture of your health and keep an eye on your development.) There still may be nothing wrong, but at that point it's wise to know what exactly is going on in there and make sure that everything really is working correctly. If you start having any other problematic symptoms, like severe cramping, heavy bleeding, or periods that are MIA for really long periods of time (like if you have been having regular periods for a year or so and then one doesn't show up for 6 months all of a sudden), then you should head to your doctor sooner and get it checked out. It's hard to say what will happen with your period this time around. You might be a few days late, you might be a week late, you might skip this particular period. It's just really hard to tell what might happen. But at this point, you really don't have anything to worry about because it's likely just a natural part of what's going on with your body and your growth process.

You may also want to check out the following pages:

• Not Everything You Wanted To Know About Puberty (But Pretty Darn Close)
• M.I.A or, Dude, Where's My Period?
• Pink Parts - Female Sexual Anatomy
• Your First Gynecologist Visit