"The first moon diary is an innovative idea that recognises the need for adolescent girls to start to take control of their lives. The first moon diary provides girls with an excellent start to understanding the importance of feminine health issues for the rest of their lives."

Susan Cookson
Headmistress
St Mary's Convent School, Worcester

Have you just started your periods or think you may be about to? Do you suffer from irregular painful periods, heavy bleeding, mood swings or tearfulness? Do you wonder what is happening to your body and whether there is anything that you can do to help yourself?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then the first moon diary will help you!

• Start at any time of year
• See clearly and easily the severity and patterns of your key symptoms
• Understand whether stress or lifestyle factors are making your symptoms worse
• Monitor the effect of any treatments or interventions
• Simple to use - highly effective - stylishly discreet

If you suffer from heavy or irregular bleeding, painful periods, or mood swings, it can be difficult to tell if you have a minor problem that will settle with time or something that may need treatment. This is why health experts recommend that you keep a daily record of your symptoms, and the factors that may influence them, in a diary. But this is easier said than done. What symptoms do you record? And more importantly, how do you record symptoms in a way that makes sense when it comes to reviewing them later?

The first moon diary has been specially designed to make the recording and monitoring of your symptoms easy! It will help you sort out many simple period problems yourself, and if you are having more troublesome period problems, using the diary will help your parents, your doctor or nurse to help you too.

The diary has an easy to use chart, which will help you to track your periods and all your important symptoms, and allow you to see at a glance how you are progressing. The chart can be completely removed from the diary for viewing so that if you need to show it to your parents or doctor, you can be sure that what you write in your weekly journal pages remains private! 

What you eat, your level of exercise, stressful events, and your emotions can all affect your periods. The first moon diary allows you to monitor these factors so that if you decide to make any changes you can actually see if they are really helping you or not.

The diary also contains sensible advice about the most common period problems; including an explanation of why heavy and irregular bleeding can be quite normal during the first few years after you start your menstrual cycles. It also has some fascinating facts and great tips on how to look after yourself.

There are over one and a half million girls in the UK alone who are just starting their periods, but the first moon diary is about you - it's about helping you to understand your symptoms so that you can take control and sort them out.

"Girls who use these self monitoring diaries should be able to develop a greater sense of mastery and control not only of their symptoms but also their lives."

Dr Christopher Bass
Department of Psychological Medicine
The John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford