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Showing posts with label Menstruation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Menstruation. Show all posts

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Menstruation during adolescene and effects on health

Menstruation

Menstruation usually begins at 12 to 14 years of age but may start as early as 10 or as late .1<; 18. Maturing early or late often runs in a family, however, if a girl's menstrual periods begin at 10 or earlier, or if they have not started by 17, a doctor should be consulted. A doctor also should be consulted if the characteristic changes of puberty-development of breasts, pubic hair, and so on-occur unusually early or late. This may be due to a glandular disorder that can be corrected, and the child usually needs help with the emotional problems which are apt to arise under such circumstances. In the average woman, menstruation occurs every 28 days, but the cycle varies considerably in different women.

However, each woman has a fairly definite cycle, which should be reasonably well established by the end of the first year after onset of menstruation, or the menarche, as this is called. Although menstruation is a normal physiological event, many people, consciously or unconsciously, regard it as an illness, and instill fears about it into young girls. In other instances, girls reach puberty without knowing there is such a thing, so their first menstrual period is a severe emotional shock. All girls, and boys as well, should be told about menstruation before they and their friends reach the age of puberty-preferably by their mothers. Exactly when children should be told about menstruation is not simple to define. Parents, as we have already indicated, should not give children information they cannot understand nor have no interest in. On the other hand, children should not get the impression that menstruation is, as they often put it, "a dirty secret" which has been kept from them.

The opportunities for privacy, the possibility of a child's learning about menstruation in other ways, and similar factors must help determine the age at which each child should be told. The important thing is the mother's attitude. Mothers should realize that menstruation is not a sickness, not some- thing to be ashamed of, not to be called "the curse" or to be made to seem mysterious or shameful. They should explain to adolescent daughters that some women experience discomfort or "cramps" in the lower abdomen, usually at the onset of a period, and that menstruation may be a "nuisance" for the first day or so, especially if flow is profuse. How- ever, it should cause no real difficulty. Girls should be able to go to school, walk, and dance, play ordinary games and, if the weather is warm and the flow not profuse, go swimming. If a girl tires or chills easily, she should avoid swimming and the more strenuous sports during her menstrual period. She should not be goaded into overdoing things by a mother who is overly anxious to emphasize that menstruation is normal.

Girls should be told that menstrual disorders do occur but are usually of a minor nature, and that a doctor can almost always cure them, or at least help them a great deal. Should a pad or tampon be used? Either is safe from a health stand point. The choice depends on the individual. If flow is profuse, pads may be required to absorb it. Most virgins can use small-size tampons, and certainly no mother should imply that a girl who uses a tampon is not "nice." Abnormalities of menstruation are described later. Feminine Hygiene Aside from ordinary washing and bathing, there is no necessity for "feminine hygiene." Baths or showers may be taken during menstruation, although very hot or very cold ones should be avoided. Women who prefer not to bathe during their periods should wash the outer genital area with warm water and soap at least once a day. If strong odors occur, or if there is a discharge from the vagina between periods, be sure to see a doctor or consult a hospital clinic. These odors and discharges usually stem from an infection, which should be attended to. Douching is seldom necessary. If you believe you need vaginal douches, ask your doctor about it.