A Girls First Period
Girls first period may be sometimes a scary or sometimes an exciting experience. Girls first period otherwise called, as menarche is a change of girl to women. A girl first period indicates that she has moved from adolescence to womanhood. Occurrence of girls first period means that she is now capable of producing baby.
It's difficult to predict when a girl is going to have her first period. Girls first period occur normally between the ages 9 to 16. The age of occurrence of girls first period varies from person to person. It depends upon the height, weight and cultural background of a girl. A well-nourished and well-fed girl can get her first period as early as 8 and a under-nourished girl may get her first period very late.
Most of the girls know the fact about periods (menstration [menstruation]). But for the girls who don't know about periods, it's a moral responsibility of their mothers to talk with their daughters about menstration. Your girl has a right to know everything regarding menstration.
Every month woman's ovary releases an egg into the uterus during ovulation. It travels through fallopian tube and attaches with uterus if it gets fertilized. If fertilization doesn't occur the egg breaks out the uterus lining and comes out in form of menstrual flow. This is called menstruation or period. Menstrual flow includes blood and sometimes blood clots that come out through vagina.
The period between the first day of the period to the first day of next period is referred to as menstrual cycle. The length of menstrual cycle also varies from girl to girl. Menstrual cycle may last for 28 to 35 days. The length of menstrual period also varies. Some girls get periods for 3 days and some for 7 days.
Some physical changes take place in a girl before she gets her first period. Fine hair growth will be observed in pubic and underarm area. With the time, these hair become darker and coarser. Along with the hair growth, breast will begin to grow and feel swollen a bit. Hips become wider and waists become narrower.
Pimples can be seen on the face due to increased production of oil and there is also an increase in production of sweat. There is an increase in weight and height. A white vaginal discharge is also observed. These physical changes indicate that a girls first period is going to start within a year or two. Again, that depends upon the health of a girl.
Other pre period symptoms that a girl may experience before girls first period include headaches, abdominal pain, stomach cramps and backache. Bloating may be experienced due to water retention. Due to increase in hormonal levels some emotional changes take place before girls first period. Girl may feel angry, tensed or sad at times.
The girl's period may not be regular for first two years. Don't worry its normal. They become regular automatically after two years. There are many products available that can be used during periods. Girls may use sanitary napkins, pads or tampons to absorb the menstrual flow. Sanitary napkins are held into girl's underwear while the tampons are directly inserted into the vagina. It's up to a girl which product to use.
At the beginning girls often forget their menstruation date. Therefore it's better to mark it on a calendar or make a note of it. This helps a girl to prepare herself before her period.
Remember that, a girl's first period is neither a curse nor anything shameful. Different cultures have different attitudes towards periods. Some consider it as a unclean time while others think it a sacred time. Some cultures have big celebrations for girls first period in order to welcome her into the world of womanhood.