First time Bleeding from Vagina: An event for celebration? For preteens/teens daughters and parents

First time Bleeding from vagina: An event for celebration? For preteens/teens daughters and parents.
During my email counselling many parents do inquire about MENARCHE and how and when to inform the young daughter. Also young girls also worried about their first period and pain and embarrassment and all inquire on email. So, Dear parents and girls, one day, it happens. Some of the symptoms may tell you when it may about to happen. But no one can tell you when it will really happen. It will happen in the morning or during day or during night. It may happen at school or on picnic or in movie hall. It happens to every healthy girl in the world. You might have got cut and seen blood running out of the skin. You apply antiseptic (Dettol) or Bandage to stop the blood flow. you might have sucked the blood oozing out from fingers. If it is worse you go for dressing to the doctor.

One day, for the first time you will begin to bleed from your vagina. This blood is different than what you have seen from cutting the skin. It will be your first period “the MENARCHE’—the first of many (500 or so) you will have in the course of your adult life. It's a sign that you're growing up for reproduction, having healthy and normal body, transformation from child body into an adult body. The changes may begin as early as, when you're nine years or they may not begin until you are twelve, thirteen, or even sixteen. All bodies don't grow at the same rate. You can see some of the changes. Your breasts will get bigger. Your hips will get wider. Hair will begin to grow under your arms and on your pelvic. Pimple come on cheeks, back or neck.

Menarche (men-NAR-key) is the time of first period in daughter’s life. Many families celebrate menarche, as the time when a girl becomes a complete woman. The little daughter is attaining maturity for motherhood. Sometimes parties, gifts, and congratulations celebrate a daughter’s first period. Some families are more private about menarche. But whether or not menarche is celebrated in your family, it is an exciting, sometime even embarrassing and important moment in girl’s life to remember. It is a birthday of woman from girl, and should be remembered and celebrated every year. It is a day of complete woman.

It is not dirty, but it a biological human process for reproduction. Girl is not becoming untouchable. Girl can pray and wash their hairs. Only some social and community do not allow them to pray or go to temple or wash their hairs, or make her untouchable for those 5 days when bleeding from vagina continues. If social norms, community norms and family values are strict, one can follow without any harm instead of opposing them strongly. Some religious places do not allow girls from puberty to menopuse due to this reason.

Girls and boys have different reproductive organs. Only girls have the labia, clitoris, urethra, and the opening of the vagina, which are all parts of vulva. You can use a hand-mirror to look at your own vulva. There are other changes that happen inside your body, which will make it possible for you to get pregnant and have a baby. The parts of your body that can develop a baby, inside your abdomen, are called reproductive organs. These parts are the vagina, cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries. Your vagina connects vulva to the reproductive organs inside your body. All parents are worried about their daughter, once her body becomes capable of reproduction. All restrictions on girls, like parties, staying out, going out on dating, are for the only reason, that she should not unintentionally or forcefully or for experience sake, indulge into sexual intercourse with male and become pregnant. Pre-marriage pregnancy is not accepted in our Indian society.

How does girl’s reproductive system work? :
Girls have two ovaries, which hold hundreds of tiny eggs(Ovum), which you can't see them without a microscope. Girls are born with all the eggs they will ever have. An ovary releases one egg about once a month. Before the egg is let go, the uterus begins building up a lining, made of tissue. The lining is like a soft nest for the egg if pregnancy happens. Ovulation happens when the egg leaves from one of the ovary. Then, the egg moves through a fallopian tube toward the uterus. Most of the time, the egg breaks apart, before it gets to the uterus. But that doesn't always happen. If a sperm from a male penis during sexual intercourse through vagina, meets the egg on its way to the uterus, they may join together, which is called fertilization. Pregnancy begins as a fertilized egg implants itself to the lining of the uterus.

Most of the time the egg breaks apart and the lining of tissue and blood is not needed. It flows out of uterus, through cervix, through vagina, and out of body. This is called menstrual flow. There are usually 14-16 days from ovulation to the beginning of a girl's period. But the time from the beginning of the period to the next ovulation may vary. It may be less than one week. It may be two weeks or more. The time from the first day of one period to the first day of the next is called a menstrual cycle. Menstrual cycles will likely to go on until menopause up to the age of 45 to 55 years.

How long will the menstruation period last? :
Periods usually last from four to seven days. The flow usually starts light, rusty color. It can get heavy for two or three days with dark red color, then get light again until it stops. Everyone’s periods and menstrual cycles will be different. What will be normal for you, may not be normal for your friend. Menstrual cycles as well as periods may not always last the same number of days when they first begin. It may take few months for your body to get adjusted. You may have a light flow or a heavy flow. Your periods may be late or early. You may even skip some months in first year before becoming regular. Your period may be late when you get sick. It may be late when you worry about things. Most likely your periods and cycles will become more regular in a year or two.

How often will I have my period? :
You will have a period about once a month. A normal menstrual cycle can be as short as 21 days or more than 35 days. Changes from month to month are also normal. Most girls and women don't feel ovulation when it happens. They don't know for sure when it actually occurs. But ovulation takes place around the middle of each menstrual cycle. Many girls mark a calendar with an X on the days they bleed. For most teenage girls, their period will happen every 28 days or so. Keeping a calendar will help you predict when you will bleed again, and when you are going to need sanitary pads. Also, you'll be able to know if your period is late or early. If you'll have a record, then you may know the need to see a Gynaecologist about any menstruation problem.

Will I feel weak when I lose blood during my period? :
May not. There are only four to six tablespoonfuls of blood in the whole flow. This is a small amount. The rest is bits of the unused tissue lining and other fluids. By the time your period ends, it will have amounted to between half a cup and a full cup of liquid. Most teenagers use either sanitary napkin or washable cloth pad to absorb the flow. Cloth pads can be made at home from good quality cotton cloth as per your size requirement. Cloth pad can be washed with hot water or antiseptic solution and reused. Sanitary napkins are available in drugstores, which are single use disposable type only. Usually they come in packages of ten, with user instructions in it. They come in different sizes and varieties. You will need to decide which type of pad is most comfortable for you. Most pads stay in place by sticking to the inside of panties. Others are pinned to underwear. Some are held in place by special belts.
A nice video link to celebrate first menstruation of daughter : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVI89uVPqOs

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