How old are girls' periods?

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

The female body is constantly subject to fluctuations and changes in hormonal levels. An urgent question in adolescence: at how old does the period start in girls? There is an average rate and signs of their occurrence.

Why is it important to track the first signs of growing up

In modern medicine, there is the concept of an average rate, which gives an answer to the question of how old girls start their periods. However, the scope of the reference norm is too wide - the boundaries from 8 to 16 years are called. Neither the lower nor the upper age values go beyond the normal category and are not recognized by gynecologists as pathology.

It's just that the structure of each human body is deeply individual, starting from the heart and arteries and ending with the reproductive system. Its formation is influenced by many factors inherent in intrauterine development and after birth into the world.

In different cultures and religious beliefs, the timing of the appearance of menarche is equated to the timing of the onset of the opportunity to bear fetuses and have sex. Limited medical knowledge forces us to associate the early and late periods, at how many years the girl's period begins, with diseases that seem pathological both at a too early start, and in his prolonged anticipation.

The timing of the onset of monthly discharge depends on many factors that have a cumulative effect:

• from race and nationality;
• from geographical location (climatic conditions in the region of residence);
• on physical development (depends on the state in which the fetus was born, and on the type of nutrition, and even on the intensity of sports);
• on the sufficiency of consumption of all components necessary for the life support of the body;
• from heredity (it is appropriate to pay attention to the onset of menstruation in mom and grandmother);
• from the living and social conditions of residence;
• from somatic diseases transferred in childhood.

Gynecologists consider the period from 11 to 14 years old to be the norm for the onset of menarche. However, hereditary factors are certainly clarified. If women of previous generations have an early or late start of natural secretions, the indicator refers to the norm.

Determining the optimal timing, at how many years the menstruation begins in girls, can vary in time. For example, some one and a half centuries ago, in the 19th century, the age period from 17 to 19 years old was considered normal.

It can be assumed that in the century before last, such an age of onset of menarche was a widespread phenomenon (which is why it was considered normal), and after 200 years there is already reason to include 8 and 16 years in the reference frame.

Early menstruation

The onset of the first menstruation before the onset of 11 years of age is not necessarily associated with diseases or abnormalities in the development of the reproductive system. In most cases, there are all the same objective reasons listed earlier for this. However, there may be pathological reasons:

• physical activity, overstrain;
• emotional overload: stress, conflicts, an unfavorable environment in the family or team, leading to disruption of the nervous system;
• disruptions in the development of reproductive organs (trauma, intrauterine, congenital anomalies) or in the production of hormones;
• oncology (brain tumor);
• endocrine disorders (diabetes mellitus).

The best option for an early start of menstruation is examination by a pediatric gynecologist, delivery of the tests prescribed by him. You can diagnose an existing pathology at an early stage, take the necessary steps to treat it, or no longer worry about it.

The consequences of early menarche can be early menopause, disruptions in the activity of the cardiovascular system, disruptions in hormonal activity and in the work of the thyroid gland, and a tumor of the mammary gland. Perhaps it will be enough to correct the diet, fence from stress, or a simple treatment of an endocrine disease will be required to avoid negative consequences.

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Late start

After 15 years, the specialist can already diagnose "primary amenorrhea". The reasons are the same or more serious: malfunctioning of the hypothalamus or pituitary gland, complications after childhood illnesses (most often rubella, measles or mumps), the consequences of exhausting diets, abnormalities in the structure or development of the reproductive organs.

The main factors influencing the appearance of the first menstruation

There are many of them. Difficult adolescence requires special attention of parents to the child. It is believed that the timing of the onset of menarche can be influenced by:

• unhealthy diet, deficiency of vitamins and minerals;
• taking certain types of medicines;
• physical and emotional overload;
• the state of the immune, nervous, endocrine and reproductive systems;
• physique and genetics.

Changing some factors of influence is quite within the power of an attentive mother. There are those that cannot be changed, for example, when living in a hot climate, menarche is considered the norm until the age of 11, and nothing can be done about it.

How to determine the approach of the period: signs and harbingers

The girl's body takes on rounded shapes, the hips are transformed, the chest is indicated. Hair on the armpits and groin begins, the hair on the head quickly turns oily. Some people develop acne and acne not only on the face, but also on the chest and back.

A characteristic feature is changes in the emotional state: aggressiveness and tearfulness, irritability, mood swings. Soreness in the mammary glands, diarrhea and lack of appetite, pain in the lower back and lower abdomen become precursors, allowing to determine in advance how many years the period begins in girls. Sometimes, before the start of the process, there is a depression and even a slight temperature.

Summarize

1. Different periods of the onset of the first menstruation are considered normal.
2. The concept of a norm depends on various factors: from place of residence to heredity.
3. There are external reasons for the acceleration of the onset of menstrual function.
4. It is not always possible to delay an early start; if it is late, a diagnosis of "primary amenorrhea" can be made.
5. If the causes are physiological, they can be corrected with care and nutrition. Pathological - in need of treatment.
6. Signs and precursors can be identified based on the child's complaints.