Which Female Atlas tool fits your stage?
The Female Atlas has six tools, and each one belongs to a stage: the starting solids chart is for parents of babies at about 6 months, the first period quiz for girls and parents in the puberty years, the cycle and hormone chart for the reproductive years, and the waist to height and protein calculators for adult women. If you're not sure where you sit, the stage finder places you anywhere from childhood through postmenopause.
Each card below says what the tool gives you: a stage, a chart to follow, or a number to check. Each one stands alone, so it's fine to open only the ones that match your life right now and leave the rest for later.
- Stage finder (perimenopause symptom checker): Answer a few questions to see which life stage you are in, from childhood through postmenopause.
- Waist to height: Enter two measurements to see your waist to height ratio, a simple check you can do at home.
- Protein target: Get a daily protein range and a per-meal split based on your body weight.
- First period quiz: A short quiz that helps girls and parents see what early signs of puberty usually point to.
- Starting solids chart (weaning chart): A simple chart for parents planning first foods, including iron-rich foods and common allergens.
- Cycle and hormone chart: A visual guide to how hormones move through the cycle, with space to note your own pattern.
Facts
Common questions
How do I know my baby is ready for solid foods?
The WHO gives about 6 months as the age to start, and around then the signs to look for are a baby who can sit up, hold their head steady and pick up food. Iron-rich foods and vegetables make a good first offering. The starting solids chart, known as a weaning chart in the UK, sets out first foods step by step, and a pediatrician or health visitor can help if you're unsure.
How long should I track my cycle before I can see a pattern?
Logging for 2–3 months is a good place to start, with cycle, energy, sleep and training noted side by side. Responses differ a lot from one woman to the next, so your own pattern is a better guide than a fixed plan. The menstrual cycle hormone chart shows how hormones move through the cycle and has space for these notes. Pain that stops you training isn't normal, and it's worth raising with a doctor.
Is a late first period something to worry about?
Often it comes down to timing: the first period usually comes 2–3 years after breasts start to develop, and cycles are often irregular for the first 1–2 years. Beyond the age markers, two other signs are worth a doctor's visit: no period 3 years after breasts started developing, and periods that stop for 3 months or more. A pediatrician (paediatrician in the UK) or GP is a good place to start.
Do formula-fed babies need vitamin D too?
Yes, for a while. In the US, the AAP advises that formula-fed babies have the same daily vitamin D as breastfed babies until they drink about 32 oz (1 liter) of formula a day. UK guidance differs for formula-fed babies and goes on to advise vitamin D for all children aged 1–4, so a health visitor is the person to confirm the UK amounts; in the US, a pediatrician can.
Why check your waist as well as your weight?
Because a tape measure tells you something the scale can't: waist size is a better guide to health risk than weight alone. The ratio is your waist divided by your height, and the aim is a waist under half your height; under 31.5 in (80 cm) is the ideal. The waist to height ratio calculator needs only those two measurements, and checking every few months at home is enough.
How should I spread protein across the day?
A sensible pattern is 3–4 meals of 25–40 g each, with 20–40 g falling within about 2 hours of lifting; yogurt and fruit before a session, or a shake afterward, both count. The protein calculator turns your body weight into a daily range and a per-meal split, so you can see what that looks like across your own meals.
Next steps
Open whichever tool matches the question on your mind today, and come back for the others as your stage changes. If the first period quiz or the solids chart leaves you with a question about your child, a pediatrician, or a GP or health visitor in the UK, is a good person to ask; for your own cycle, waist or protein result, many women find an ob-gyn or GP helpful to talk it through with. A tool gives you a chart or a number, and what you do with it is yours to decide, because these are not one size fits all.
Sources
The guidelines and studies this page draws on.
- Infant and young child feeding fact sheet, WHO (2023)
- Menopause, NHS (2026)
- NHS Start for Life and Healthy Start: vitamins, weaning and feeding guidance, NHS (2026)
- Bright Futures guidelines for adolescent well visits, American Academy of Pediatrics (2017)
- McNulty et al.: menstrual cycle phase and exercise performance (meta-analysis), Sports Medicine (2020)
- Bauer et al. (PROT-AGE) and ISSN position stands on protein and creatine, PROT-AGE Study Group; International Society of Sports Nutrition (2013)