The younger generation of girls in any case is faced with such concepts as menarche, "critical days", menstruation. What it is, 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. During menstruation, it is necessary to ensure that the genitals are clean, washing them thoroughly 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 penetrate the vagina and uterus through the blood.
When your period starts
Menarche usually begins at puberty around age 12 to 15. And so that this does not come as a surprise to your child, you must patiently prepare him in advance, telling in detail about menstruation, what it is, how long the discomfort associated with them will last.
Explain that the cycle may be irregular at first but should eventually stabilize. The length of each periodit is considered from the first day of one menstruation to the beginning of the next, but on average it is 28 days. It all starts when the hypothalamus gland releases gonadotropin-releasing hormone (LH), which is delivered to the pituitary gland in the brain. Further, gonadoliberin gives a signal to the pituitary gland, and the development of cells in the follicles begins. The estrogen released at this time leads to the growth of the endometrial layer in the uterus. Around day 14, LH levels rise and trigger ovulation when a mature egg is released from the follicular sphere, which is the corpus luteum that is capable of producing progesterone. It, in turn, causes swelling of the glands and blood vessels in the endometrial layer. Many note that these days the volume of the abdomen may increase slightly. If the female cell does not connect 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 it - an egg?" - puts an adult in a dead end. To avoid this problem, describe the basic concepts and stages of this process. It is very easy to explain that the cell goes through two phases: follicular and luteal. The first is when the egg develops in the follicle. As soon as ovulation occurs, it enters the second, in which it remains until the next cycle. The phases of the uterus are a little more complicated. The period of bleeding (usually 1-6 days) is called the menstrual period. As soon as it ends, and the endometrium begins to increase again, the uterus enters the proliferative stage. Towards her endsecretory 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, resulting in the ischemic phase, when the accumulated layer of the mucosa breaks down. This may seem complicated, but if any of the stages fails, the cycle gets lost. Knowing the order described is useful in order to understand the main stages that your body must go through on a monthly basis. In addition, by keeping track of "critical days" in the calendar, it is easy to understand when something is going wrong. It is worth paying attention to the fact that the period of menstruation may be disrupted due to failures in the body associated with previous diseases (mental, nervous, chronic or acute), living conditions, nutrition and other things. This can be avoided by contacting a doctor in time.
When is menarche considered early?
Early menstruation - what is it? This category includes puberty, which begins in girls between the ages of 8 and 12.
Although over the past two centuries there has been a progressive downward trend in the age of onset of menarche from 17 to 13 years (similar observations were made 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: Childhood obesity is on the rise, girls are reaching body size targets earlier than expected. The secret lies in leptin, the hormone that speeds up puberty.
- Impact onpsyche: it's no secret that the Internet and other media are quite accessible to the advanced young generation, which provokes earlier sexual development.
- Some genetically transmitted diseases, diseases of the endocrine system.
What to do if this happens to your child? Be sure to see a doctor. Also, take simple precautions to control what children see, hear, and interact with!
