Everyone knows the teen years can be difficult — for both teens and
parents. All those physical changes during puberty can make adolescents
feel awkward and unsure of themselves. This is particularly true for girls when it comes to menstruation.
For a girl, getting her first period is a physical milestone and a sign
of becoming a woman. But it can also be confusing and scary,
particularly if she encounters certain problems like irregular periods
or premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
Common Menstrual Problems
Most issues teens confront when they start menstruating are
completely normal. In fact, many girls and women have had to deal with
one or more of them at one time or another:
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
PMS includes both physical and emotional symptoms that many females get right before their periods, such as:
- acne
- bloating
- fatigue
- backaches
- sore breasts
- headaches
- constipation
- diarrhea
- food cravings
- depression or feeling blue
- irritability
- difficulty concentrating
- difficulty handling stress
- feeling tense or anxious
Different girls may have some or all of these symptoms in varying
combinations. PMS is usually at its worst during the 7 days before the
period starts and disappears soon after it begins. But girls usually
don't develop symptoms associated with PMS until several years after
menstruation starts — if ever.bAlthough the exact cause of PMS is unknown, it seems to occur because
of changing hormone levels in the body, and changing chemical levels in
the brain. During the second half of the menstrual cycle, the amount of
progesterone in the body increases. Then, about 7 days before the
period starts, levels of both progesterone and estrogen start to drop.
Some girls' bodies seem to be more sensitive to these hormone changes
than others. Talk to your daughter's doctor if her symptoms are severe
or interfere with her normal activities.
Other Conditions
Cramps
Many girls experience abdominal cramps during the first few days of
their periods. They're caused by prostaglandin, a chemical in the body
that makes the smooth muscle in the uterus contract. These involuntary
contractions can be either dull or sharp and intense. The good news is that cramps usually only last a few days. But call
your daughter's doctor if she has severe cramps that keep her home from
school or from doing stuff with her friends. Also let the doctor know if
the cramps do not improve with over-the-counter ibuprofen.
Irregular Periods
It can take 2 to 3 years from a girl's first period for her body to
develop a regular cycle. During that time, the body is essentially
adjusting to the influx of hormones unleashed by puberty. And what's
"regular" varies from person to person. The typical cycle of an adult
female is 28 days, although some are as short as 21 days and others are
as long as 35. Changing hormone levels might make a girl's period last a short time
during one month (just a few days) and a long time the next (up to a
week). She may skip months, get two periods almost right after each
other, or alternate between heavy and light bleeding from one month to
another.
But any girl who's sexually active and skips a period should see a
doctor to make sure she's not pregnant. And if your daughter's period
still hasn't settled into a relatively predictable pattern after 3
years, or if she has four or five regular periods and then skips her
period or becomes irregular, make an appointment with her doctor to
check for possible problems. Also let your daughter's doctor know if her cycle is less than 21
days or more than 45 days, or if she doesn't get a period for 3 months
at any time after first beginning to menstruate.
Delayed Menarche
Girls go through puberty at different rates. Some reach menarche (the
medical term for the first period or the beginning of menstruation) as
early as 9 or 10 years old and others don't have their first periods
until they're well into their teen years. So, if your daughter is a
"late bloomer," it doesn't necessarily mean there's something wrong with
her. When girls get their periods actually depends a lot on genetics.
Girls often start menstruating at approximately the same age their
mothers or grandmothers did. Also, certain ethnic groups, on average, go
through puberty earlier than others. For instance, African-American
girls, on average, start puberty and get their periods before Caucasian
girls do. Let your daughter's doctor know if she hasn't gotten her period by age 15, or by 3 years after starting puberty.
Source: kidshealth
