How do you know your period is coming?
Common signs your period is coming include mild cramps or a heavy feeling low in your tummy, bloating, sore breasts, spots, cravings, tiredness, lower back ache, changes in discharge, and mood changes like irritability or feeling teary. Most start 2 to 7 days before bleeding. Light brown spotting a day or two before is common too.
10 signs, roughly in the order they show up
| Sign | When it usually starts | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Mood changes (irritable, teary, anxious) | 5 to 10 days before | Progesterone and estrogen begin to fall |
| Sore or swollen breasts | About a week before | Hormones act on breast tissue |
| Cravings and hunger | About a week before | Energy needs rise slightly; serotonin dips |
| Bloating | 3 to 7 days before | Fluid retention |
| Spots on chin or jaw | 3 to 7 days before | Skin reacts to the hormone shift |
| Tiredness, poor sleep | A few days before | Hormone drop and higher body temperature |
| Headache | 1 to 3 days before | Falling estrogen |
| Changes in discharge | A few days before | Often thicker or creamier, then less |
| Cramps, lower back ache | 1 to 2 days before | Prostaglandins rising |
| Brown spotting | Hours to 2 days before | The lining starting to shed |
Most people get a handful of these, not all ten, and the mix can change from month to month.
Is it your period, or something else?
Many period signs overlap with early pregnancy, because both are driven by progesterone. If your period is late, or your usual signs feel different, see PMS vs pregnancy symptoms. Light spotting a week before your period could also be implantation bleeding.
Learn your own early-warning signs
Your body usually follows a personal script. For some people it's always a breakout on day 24 and irritability on day 26. For others, the first sign is feeling unusually flat or anxious. Logging a few cycles shows your script, and once you know it, you can predict your period better than a calendar alone.
- Use the period calculator for a date estimate.
- Check what phase you're in today.
- Keep pads, a heat pack and painkillers ready when your signs start.
Lulu learns how you usually feel in the days before your period and can nudge you before they arrive, so a teary day doesn't catch you off guard.
When to see a doctor
See a doctor if pre-period symptoms disrupt your daily life, if pain is severe, if you often spot for several days before your period, or if you bleed between periods or after sex. If low mood before your period brings thoughts of self-harm, call your local emergency number, or in the US call or text 988.
Frequently asked questions
How many days before your period do you get symptoms?
Usually 2 to 7 days, sometimes up to two weeks for mood changes. See when does PMS start.
What does discharge look like before a period?
Often white or creamy and thicker, sometimes a little brown right before. See discharge before your period.
Can you feel your period coming but it doesn't come?
Yes. If ovulation was late, PMS can start but the period takes longer. If you could be pregnant, take a test.
What are the signs of a first period coming?
Discharge in the months before, breast growth and growth spurts are clues. See signs your first period is coming.
Sources
- NHS: PMS (premenstrual syndrome)
- Office on Women's Health: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
- Cleveland Clinic: Luteal phase
This page is for information only and isn鈥檛 medical advice. If something worries you, please talk to a doctor.
Keep reading
Period calculator: when is my next period?Free period calculator: enter the first day of your last period and your cycle length to see your next 6 periods. Private, instant, nothing is stored.
What are the most common PMS symptoms?PMS symptoms: the full list of emotional and physical signs, from irritability and crying to bloating and cravings, when they start, and when to get help.
PMS or pregnancy? How to tell the differencePMS vs pregnancy symptoms look almost the same: sore breasts, cramps, tiredness, mood swings. The few clues that differ, and when a test is reliable.
What phase of my cycle am I in? Free phase finderWhat phase of my cycle am I in? Enter your last period to see your cycle day, today's phase and how people often feel in it. Private and instant.
Luteal phase: why feelings get louderWhat the luteal phase is, how long it lasts, why progesterone rises and falls, and the common symptoms: PMS, cravings, low energy and mood changes.