Many Irish teenagers feel unprepared or confused about their first period, a new survey has found.

Over 750 females took part and the survey revealed that almost one in three teenagers aged between 15 and 17 were ‘confused when they got their first period', while almost half felt that they were ‘not well equipped with educational resources'.

Seven in 10 respondents turned to their mothers when they got their first period, while only one in nine spoke to their best friend.

Worryingly, one in nine also believed the myth that ‘they could lose their virginity if they used a tampon'.

The survey also revealed that almost half of mothers did not talk about their own periods with their daughters and many still tried to avoid using the term ‘period', referring to it instead as things like ‘time of the month'.

Furthermore, just over half of women admitted that even in an emergency, they would not ask a stranger for a tampon.

The survey was contained in a report by Lil-Lets, which has recently launched the Lil-Lets School Programme. This aims to educate 10,000 girls in over 300 schools about periods and the changes their bodies may be going through.

All the resources for this programme, which are available free of charge to teachers, have been created in line with the Department of Education's current SPHE curriculum.

For more information for teenagers on puberty and periods, click here