In any case, the younger generation of girls is faced with such concepts as menarche, “critical days”, and periods. What is it, how this complex process proceeds, mothers should explain.
In addition, young girls need to know that the
menstrual cycle prepares their body for a possible pregnancy every month, and a number of hormonal changes occur in the body. With menstruation, it is necessary to ensure that the genitals are clean, washing them with thoroughness at least twice a day. But you can’t take baths. This will increase bleeding and can provoke an inflammatory process, since bacteria can easily enter the vagina and uterus through the blood.
When do menstruation begin
Menarche usually begins at puberty around the age of 12 to 15 years. And so that this does not come as a surprise for your child, you must patiently prepare it in advance, telling in detail about the periods, what it is, how long the discomfort associated with them will last.
Explain that at first the cycle may be irregular, but in the end it must stabilize. The length of each period is considered from the first day of one menstruation to the beginning of the next, but on average is 28 days. It all starts when the gland of the hypothalamus releases gonadotropin-releasing
hormone (LH), which enters the pituitary gland located in the brain. Next, gonadoliberin sends a signal to the pituitary gland, and the development of cells in the follicles begins. Estrogen released at this time leads to the proliferation of the endometrial layer in the uterus. Approximately on the 14th day, the LH level will increase and cause ovulation when a mature egg is released from the follicular sphere, which is the corpus luteum capable of producing progesterone. It, in turn, causes swelling of the glands and blood vessels in the layer of the endometrium. Many note that these days, the volume of the abdomen may increase slightly. If the female cell does not combine with the male cell, then it dies, the levels of estrogen and progesterone fall, and menstruation begins.
Menstrual phases
Sometimes a child’s request: “Mom, tell me about your period! What is an egg?” - Puzzles an adult. To avoid this problem, describe the basic concepts and stages of this process. It is very easy to explain that a cell goes through two phases: follicular and luteal. The first is when an egg develops in the follicle. As soon as ovulation occurs, it enters the second, in which it remains until the next cycle. Uterine phases are a little more complicated. The bleeding period (usually 1-6 days) is called menstrual. As soon as it ends, and the endometrium begins to increase again, the uterus passes into the proliferative stage. To its end, the secretory glands and blood vessels have already grown the required thickness of the endometrium for implantation. If there was no ovulation, the level of progesterone and estrogen falls, as a result of which the ischemic phase occurs when the expanded layer of the mucosa breaks down. This may seem complicated, but if any of the stages fails, the cycle goes wrong. Knowing the procedure described is useful in order to understand the basic steps through which your body must go through monthly. In addition, by tracking the “critical days” in the calendar, it is easy to see when something is going abnormally. It is worth paying attention to the fact that the period of menstruation can be violated due to malfunctions in the body associated with past illnesses (mental, nervous, chronic or acute), with living conditions, nutrition and other things. This can be avoided by contacting a doctor on time.
When is a menarche considered early?
Early menstruation - what is it? This category includes puberty, starting in girls from 8 to 12 years old.
Although over the past two centuries there has been a progressive tendency toward a decrease in the age of the onset of the menarche from 17 to 13 years (similar observations were carried out in Europe during the period from 1850 to 1960). In our century, this bar fluctuates around 12.4 years. Early periods have the following reasons:
- Nutritional change: the percentage of childhood obesity is increasing, the girls' body reaches the required body size earlier than expected. The secret lies in leptin, a hormone that accelerates puberty.
- Impact on the psyche: it is no secret to anyone that the Internet and other media are quite accessible to the advanced young generation, which provokes earlier sexual development.
- Some diseases transmitted by genetic means, diseases of the endocrine system.
What if this happens to your child? Be sure to consult a doctor. In addition, take simple precautions, control what children watch and hear, with whom they communicate!