How Does It Start
The first period typically occurs after a female first ovulates. This happens when the ovaries release an egg into the fallopian tube.
When this happens, the womb lining thickens in preparation for the egg to be fertilized. If fertilization does not occur, the lining sheds, as the body no longer needs it. This is where period blood comes from.
In most females, this cycle continues regularly from the age of the first period until menopause, which is when periods end.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , the average age at which females began menstruating in the United States in 20132017 was
What Role Do Genetics Play In Height
Your height has a lot to do with how tall or short your parents are. Growth patterns tend to run in families.
When looking at the growth of children, pediatricians often ask parents about their own height, family height history, and growth patterns.
There are a couple of different ways to predict how tall a girl may grow. One of these methods is called the mid-parental method.
To use this method, add the height in inches of the mother and father, then divide that by two. Then, subtract 2 1/2 inches from that number. To determine the predicted height for a boy, youd add 2 1/2 inches to the number.
For example, if a girl has a father whos 72 inches tall and a mother whos 66 inches tall, the predicted height for the girl would be found with the following calculations:
So the predicted height for the girl is 66.5 inches or 5 foot 6.5 inches.
This number is a rough estimate, however. You may see a margin of error of up to 4 inches in either direction.
In general, the taller the parents are, the taller the child will be, and vice versa.
Can A Girl Get Pregnant As Soon As Her Period Starts
Yes, a girl can get pregnant as soon as her period starts. A girl can even get pregnant right before her very first period. This is because a girl’s hormones might already be active. The hormones may have led to and the building of the uterine wall. If a girl has sex, she can get pregnant, even though she has never had a period.
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What Should I Know About Menstruation What Is The Medical Definition It*
*Medical section written by: Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD
Everyone who is about to enter puberty should be taught or know the basic medical definition of menstruation and that it is a normal process that females go through as their bodies prepare themselves for potential pregnancy. It is a part of the monthly menstrual cycle that occur in the female reproductive system that makes pregnancy possible.
Medically, menstruation is the process in a woman of discharging blood and other materials from the lining of the uterus at about one monthly interval from puberty until menopause , except during pregnancy. This discharging process lasts about 3-5 days.
What are the signs and symptoms of menstruation?
Beside the bleeding, other signs and symptoms of menstruation may include headache, acne, bloating, pains in the low abdomen, tiredness, mood changes, food cravings, breast soreness, and diarrhea.
Whan does menstruation begin? When does it end?
The menstrual cycle is the hormonal driven cycle Day 1 is the first day of your period while day 14 is the approximate day you ovulate and if an egg is not fertilized, hormone levels eventually drop and at about day 25 the egg begins to dissolve and the cycle begins again with the period at about day 30. Menstruation begins day 1 and normally ends days 3-5 of the menstrual cycle.
At what age do girls go through puberty and begin and start their period ?
How long does a period last?
What is toxic shock syndrome? Is it life threatening?
What Is A Normal Menstrual Cycle
The menstrual cycle is a term used to describe the sequence of events that occur within a womans body as it prepares for the possibility of pregnancy each month. A menstrual cycle is considered to begin on the first day of a period. The average cycle is 28 days long however, a cycle can range in length from 21 days to about 35 days.
The steps in the menstrual cycle are triggered by the rise and fall of chemicals in the body called hormones. The pituitary gland in the brain and the ovaries in the female reproductive tract manufacture and release certain hormones at certain times during the menstrual cycle that cause the organs of the reproductive tract to respond in certain ways. The specific events that occur during the menstrual cycle can be described as follows:
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What Causes Growth Delays
There are many factors that affect growth, ranging from malnutrition to medications.
Some girls may see a delay in growth due to certain health conditions, such as growth hormone issues, severe arthritis, or cancer.
Genetic conditions play a role as well. For example, girls with Down syndrome, Noonan syndrome, or Turner syndrome may be shorter than their family members.
Girls with may grow taller than their family members.
If you have concerns about your childs growth, contact their pediatrician. Once a girl reaches puberty, growth will typically stop a couple of years after her first period. A teen who has delayed growth will have less time to grow before the end of her spurt.
What Controls The Menstrual Cycle
Your hormones control your menstrual cycle. During each cycle, your brain’s hypothalamus and pituitary gland send hormone signals back and forth with your ovaries. These signals get the ovaries and uterus ready for a pregnancy.
The hormones estrogen and progesterone play the biggest roles in how the uterus changes during each cycle.
- Estrogen builds up the lining of the uterus.
- Progesterone increases after an ovary releases an egg at the middle of the cycle. This helps the estrogen keep the lining thick and ready for a fertilized egg.
- A drop in progesterone causes the lining to break down. This is when your period starts.
A change in hormone levels can affect your cycle or fertility. For example, teens tend to have low or changing progesterone levels. This is also true for women close to menopause. That is why teens and women in their 40s may have heavy menstrual bleeding and cycles that change in length.
Other things can change your cycle. They include birth control pills, low body fat, losing a lot of weight, or being overweight. Stress or very hard exercise also can change your cycle. Pregnancy is the most common cause of a missed period.
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We Inspire And Help Young Women In Africa
GirlStuff.Period provides 2,500 girls, every semester, with underwear and re-usable menstrual pads, so they can stay in school, be present when opportunities are presented and become employed after completing school.
There are 8 women employed full time in the business.
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reusable menstrual kits sold in Africa.
How Long And How Much
The amount of time that a girl has her period also can vary. Some girls have periods that last just 2 or 3 days. Other girls may have periods that last 7 days. The menstrual flow meaning how much blood comes out of the vagina can vary from girl to girl, too.
Some girls may worry that theyre losing too much blood. It can be a shock to see all that blood, but its unlikely that a girl will lose too much, unless she has a medical condition like von Willebrand disease. Though it may look like a lot, the average amount of blood is only about 2 tablespoons for an entire period. Most girls change pads 3 to 6 times a day. Theyll probably change pads more often when their period is heaviest, usually at the start of the period.
You may be worried about whether your period is normal in other ways. This is normal when a girl first gets her period and isnt sure what to expect. Your doctor or nurse can answer any questions about your period. Here are some times its especially important to talk to a doctor or nurse if:
- your period lasts longer than a week
- your blood soaks thorough more than one pad every 1-2 hours
- you go longer than 3 months between periods
- you have bleeding in between periods
- you have an unusual amount of pain before or during your period
- your periods were regular then became irregular
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Should I Use A Pad Tampon Or Menstrual Cup
You have many choices about how to deal with period blood. You may need to experiment a bit to find which works best for you. Some girls use only one method and others switch between different methods.
- Most girls use pads when they first get their period. Pads are made of cotton and come in lots of different sizes and shapes. They have sticky strips that attach to the underwear.
- Many girls find tampons more convenient than pads, especially when playing sports or swimming. A tampon is a cotton plug that a girl puts into her vagina. Most tampons come with an applicator that guides the tampon into place. The tampon absorbs the blood. Don’t leave a tampon in for more than 8 hours because this can increase your risk of a serious infection called toxic shock syndrome.
- Some girls prefer a menstrual cup. Most menstrual cups are made of silicone. To use a menstrual cup, a girl inserts it into her vagina. It holds the blood until she empties it.
Myth: Girls Are Starting Puberty Earlier
The reality is that this may be partially true: although the average age at menarche has not fallen much in the past 60 years, more recent data suggest that the lower age limit for normal thelarche or pubertal onset is below the threshold of 8 years that is cited in many texts., Recently published guidelines suggest that extensive evaluation is not routinely needed in healthy girls with thelarche or puberty occurring as early as age 7 in white girls or 6 in African American girls. However, there is disagreement over whether thelarche or puberty occurring in 6 and 7 year olds is normal, and most pediatric endocrinologists still recommend close evaluation and follow up of girls who start thelarche and the progression of puberty at this age. For boys, the lack of new clinical data and the greater chance of disease lead to a continuing recommendation that boys younger than 9 years who have penile enlargement, scrotal thinning, and accelerated growth should be formally evaluated.
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Myth: Pubic Hair Signals The Onset Of Puberty
The reality is that without breast or testicular enlargement, pubic hair and body odor indicate increasing adrenal secretion of weak androgens rather than activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal unit . Before 1997, premature adrenarche was defined as pubic hair developing in girls younger than 8 years old and boys younger than 9 years. However, the results of a large, cross-sectional study suggest that the development of pubic hair may be normal in white girls as young as 7 years and in African American girls as young as 6 years.
Although the definition of normal puberty, as compared with premature, remains in flux, unquestionably early pubarche is likely to be benign if it meets the criteria in the box. If these criteria are met, then for most children a diagnostic workup can be limited to continued observation. Some physicians order an x-ray film to check that the skeletal age of the child is no more than 2.5 standard deviations above the chronologic age. An abdominal ultrasound scan or blood tests for dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, and testosterone are rarely needed.
Managing Menstrual Cycle Symptoms And Bleeding
Keep a calendar and mark the day you start your menstrual period each month. If your cycle is regular, it can help you predict when you’ll have your next period.
If you’re trying to figure out whether you have a pattern of premenstrual symptoms, it may be helpful to keep a premenstrual daily symptom diary .
You can improve your body’s ability to handle menstrual changes by getting regular exercise, eating a healthy diet, limiting alcohol and caffeine intake, and reducing stress. Non-prescription pain relievers can also help reduce some symptoms.
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When To Go To The Doctor
Some Medical Terms
A girl’s first menstruation is called menarche. This is pronounced MEN-arc or MEN-arc-y. When a girl passes certain milestones in her development, but does not start having periods, this is called Primary Amenorrhea. This is pronounced A-men-or-rea or Ah-men-or-rea. The word primary is the part that means the girl has never had a period. The amenorrhea part means lack of periods . This is to distinguish it from Secondary Amenorrhea, which is when a woman has had periods and then stops.
The Standards For Going To The Doctor
These standards were developed long ago. Meanwhile the average age of puberty and menarche has dropped. So, Estronaut’s opinion is that checking with a doctor a year or so earlier is not a bad idea. Also, girls of African descent mature sooner than Europeans, by about a year. So, these girls should substract another year.
On age alone: Age 15 1/2 to 16 1/2 for whites, age 14 1/2 to 15 1/2 for blacks.
If no breast or hair development: Age 13 to 14 for whites, age 12 to 13 for blacks.
If there is breast development or hair two years after either of these started.
Kat A Former Clue Intern Shared Her Personal Experience Of Waiting To Get Her First Period Below
“Periods can be frustrating, messy and sometimes downright painful. Nevertheless, I couldnât wait to get mine. When I was nine, my mom taught me about periods, but stressed that I shouldnât expect mine to start any time soon since she had gotten hers later than average. Still, I was determined that that wouldnât be the case for me.
When I was 10, I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, looked down, and finally, a little spot of blood! The wait was over! I was a grownup now, ready to tackle anything! I rushed down the hall to tell my mom who gave me a pad with an unconvinced look on her face. That night I was almost too excited to sleep, knowing what I could tell all my friends in the morning. You can imagine my despair when there was not a hint of red to be seen, only a small cut on my upper thigh. False alarm.
Throughout elementary and middle school I had to sit through various puberty talks and was given countless handfuls of pads and tampons from sex ed teachers âjust in case.â I had to watch all of my friends come into school ready to spill the details of where they were and how they felt now that they were âa real woman.â I wasnât as physically mature as they were but I felt absolutely sure that this milestone would make me fit in again. Days, months and years passed. I watched everyone develop, claim that they had âsynced up,â and relate to each otherâs symptoms. I felt excluded.
Let’s support one another.
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