Growing up as a child is very difficult. His body is changing, his ideas about life, about the world, about himself are changing... A million questions arise, including intimate, sensitive topics. Girls' first periods are a prime example of this theme.

The answer to this question should be sought in the medical encyclopedia and it is directly related to the timing of puberty in a teenager. Most likely, a young girl will begin her first period no earlier than 12 years old, however, she needs to be prepared for this moment in advance, perhaps as early as 10-11 years old. This age is very good for such a conversation about changes in the growing female body and about the first menstruation.

Of course, you shouldn’t dismiss children’s curiosity at an earlier age. If a child notices blood on women's clothing or a pack of hygiene items and asks why, answer briefly that it is related to menstruation.

Is it really worth doing this?

Even if it seems to the mother that her daughter is still just a baby, she should not neglect this topic - otherwise menstruation may take her by surprise and puzzle, or even frighten her. Talking to your daughter about menstruation is a difficult test for the mother’s psyche, however, this conversation is necessary. But in order for it to take place, there must be spiritual closeness and mutual understanding between mother and daughter. Do you know what your baby is reading or listening to? Who does she like and who does she dislike? If you are aware of her thoughts, problems, daily life, telling a girl about her period will not be so difficult. If you are late with your explanation, then telling your mother about it will not be easy.

How exactly should you tell a girl about menstruation?

No one knows the characteristics of a girl better than her parents, especially her mother. Think about it, is she shy or brave? Curious or not? And based on this, think about what and how you will say. You can explain to a child at different levels and in completely different ways.

Most likely, the conversation should start with a description of the woman’s reproductive system - what are its main parts called? What is their purpose? Speak confidently - your embarrassment and shame can lead to the emergence of fears and complexes that can poison the life of your growing daughter. Tell us about menstruation from a physiological point of view - why is this process needed? why is it important?

Be prepared for both an abundance of questions and a complete absence of them. Both are completely normal. Try to measure the information, do not overload your speech with unnecessary details.

Who should do this?

Of course, ideally, a woman should tell a child what menstruation is - a mother, an aunt, an older sister. The one whom the girl trusts and with whom she has developed a spiritual closeness. Sometimes girls don’t even realize that men are also aware that women menstruate and therefore it doesn’t occur to them to ask their dad or brothers about this issue. Therefore, if for some reason there are no authoritative women in the family, then dads need to tell the girl about menstruation especially delicately. As a last resort, you can rely on anatomy lessons at school, but this is not serious at all! Teen periods can be painful and embarrassing, it's stressful, and it's a serious problem—don't belittle or ignore it.

You can and should tell a girl about menstruation in parallel with a conversation about sex life and contraception. Draw her attention to the fact that after the onset of menstruation a young girl is able to get pregnant, tell her about how to avoid unwanted pregnancy. Another important aspect is PMS; this issue should also be touched upon in the conversation. What happens to a woman’s psyche before menstruation can also be quite unexpected for a girl, and issues of “mental hygiene” during PMS also need to be discussed.

When you tell your child what periods are, don’t forget to clarify the time frame. The girl must understand that this process will occur in her body every month until she is about 50 years old.

It’s stupid to hush up the issue of pain, but there’s no point in scaring the girl ahead of time, in case she’s lucky and her menstruation will be painless. Warn her that possible discomfort is completely normal, tell her what medicine she can take and how exactly to alleviate her condition.

Educational program

You need to tell your child what menstruation is in the correct terms. Every month, one of the follicles contained in the ovaries becomes the leader, it grows and at some point ruptures. The egg contained in it is picked up by the villi of the corresponding fallopian tube- right or left - and gradually enters the uterine cavity. The mucous membrane inside the uterus grows, becomes soft, and is penetrated by blood vessels designed to nourish the unborn baby. If within a month the egg does not meet the sperm and fertilization does not occur, then this overgrown layer of epithelium is gradually rejected and comes out along with the unused egg. This process is called menstruation.

Hygiene and life

Pay the girl’s attention to the abundance of hygiene products, let her choose over time what is best for her. Menstrual flow- a delicacy for microorganisms, their vital activity causes an unpleasant odor and can harm health. Teach your girl to always have a sanitary pad with her - if her cycle is not stable, her periods may begin suddenly. As the girl gets a little older, she will learn to anticipate their onset based on a number of small individual signs. It will also be useful to keep a short diary of menstruation, noting on a calendar the time of its onset, duration and intensity of discharge.

Instead of output

Your girl is growing up and after a while you will smile, remembering how difficult it was to decide. Take care of the young girl, treat her femininity with respect and reciprocal trust will not take long to arrive!

In the life of any girl, the first period is a significant event. Thanks to the great accessibility of the Internet today, almost every representative of the fair sex, even before the onset of menstruation, is well aware of what menstrual periods are and when they begin.

A conversation about menstruation between a mother and her daughter should definitely take place.

But this does not mean that parents are relieved of responsibility for talking about upcoming significant changes in the body. Let's consider several optimal options for how to tell a girl about her period, and what questions should definitely be raised.

Early age

More recently, several decades ago, the beginning of the menstrual cycle in girls coincided with the age range from fifteen to nineteen years. Today this range has shifted and is from eleven to sixteen years. The specific age depends on individual characteristics and phases of puberty.

There are a number of additional factors that can affect the onset of menstruation. These include:

• diseases suffered in childhood;
• heredity;
• living and nutritional conditions;
• physiology;
• place of residence and nationality.

When your period starts at the age of eight or nine, there is no need to worry or sound the alarm. The Internet is replete with photographs of girls at this age who have not only begun their periods, but will even soon become mothers.

Such cases are not very common, but they are not isolated either. To eliminate possible risks and give yourself peace of mind, you can contact a specialist who will thoroughly study everything, conduct the necessary research and give the necessary recommendations.

It is also worth visiting the doctor if there is no menstruation before the age of seventeen, which may be a sign of the presence of certain problems that interfere with normal sexual development. These include disturbances in the functioning of the ovaries, intense physical activity and regular stress.

The girl herself will accept the onset of menstruation calmly if she is previously prepared for changes in her body, thanks to a confidential conversation with her mother, grandmother, sister or aunt. If the child is not equipped with the necessary knowledge, there is a possibility that the girl will be afraid and experience stress.

Getting your period at 8 years old is early but normal.

First signs

It is very important for mothers to closely monitor their girls and the changes that occur in their bodies. After all, it is they who must prepare their daughters for those important things that have not happened to them before. It is important that the reaction is adequate.

The first signs include a change in body composition: the breasts begin to change their shape and increase in size, and the hips become rounded.

Acne often appears on the face and back, which indicates the beginning of important transformations in the teenage body. Pubic and armpit hair also speaks volumes about this. Even for a teenager premenstrual syndrome

• is no exception. It occurs a few days before the start of the first menstruation and is characterized by all known symptoms:
• sudden mood swings and tearfulness;
• attacks of aggression;
• headaches for no apparent reason;

weak nagging pain in the lower abdomen. Another additional sign of the imminent start of the first will indicate the appearance of almost imperceptible discharge on the girl’s underwear. This happens a few months before the present bloody discharge or a little earlier, which is considered quite normal.

Causeless headache may be a symptom of approaching period

Careful planning

In order for the conversation about future menstruation to be successful, it should be carefully planned. It is a conversation plan thought out in advance and drawn up in your head that will allow you to calmly tell and explain everything, without missing a single detail.

The tone in which all information is conveyed is very important. You shouldn't play the role of a teacher. This will only scare the child away and violate the sense of trust. It is best to choose a friendly communication option. It will not only convey information easily and quickly, but will also help the girl to more easily perceive new facts about her body without being embarrassed.

It is also better to choose a place for conversation in advance. Preference should be given to places where no one will disturb you and you can completely relax. Additionally, it is worth considering those points that should be touched upon in the conversation.

The first time you can start such a conversation is at the age of nine. But you shouldn’t immediately lay out all the facts down to the smallest detail. It will be enough to say that soon some changes will occur in the body, and discharge will appear, which you do not need to be afraid of. Eat special means for personal hygiene and so on.

The second time you should raise the topic is when the time comes for your first menstruation. The girl will already be somewhat prepared, so she will not experience fear or confusion. You should prepare in advance for a series of questions so as not to be embarrassed and answer them honestly. How many and what they will be and whether they will be at all depends on each individual girl.

The main thing is trust between mother and daughter. It is important not only to properly prepare the child for future changes, but also to make sure that after the onset of menstruation the girl can calmly come up and report this.

A confidential conversation should be held before and after the onset of the first menstruation

basic information

1. Tell us about the cycle. Mom must tell her that spotting will appear monthly, which is typical for any woman or girl. The average cycle length is twenty-eight days, but can fluctuate, especially in teenage years when its formation is just beginning.
2. First bleeding. It directly depends on individual physiology and therefore can be not only abundant, but also meager, and its duration can range from three to seven days. On the first day, the volume of discharge is not very large. It will increase on the second day and will gradually decrease in subsequent days.
3. Weakness and discomfort. There is no need to worry about this, since the body is adjusting to a new regime. It is also worth mentioning that similar symptoms also occur in adult women.
4. Maintain personal hygiene. It is worth mentioning that blood is a favorable environment for the growth and reproduction of bacteria, so the importance of hygiene cannot be overestimated. If it is not followed on critical days, then the likelihood of inflammation in the area genitourinary system will increase many times over.
5. Possibility of conception. It is always worth talking openly about unprotected sex and what it leads to. The onset of pregnancy at an early age is fraught with serious consequences, since the fragile body is not yet fully ready for the birth of a baby.

In life, it often happens that a girl does not have a mother. In this case, responsibility for the conversation on all of the above points should fall on the aunt, grandmother or sister. It is better to choose the one with whom the girl has the most trusting relationship.

The girl should be explained how to use personal hygiene products

Conversation option

Before the conversation begins, you should remind yourself that the girl is absolutely unaware of the topic of the future conversation. Therefore, it is best to start with the fact that she is growing up, and with her her body, which is gradually beginning to acquire differences from a man’s. First she will become a girl, and then a woman. The process of transition from girl to girl is called menstruation.

It is definitely worth mentioning that this happens to all representatives of the fair sex, and my mother also went through this period of life. The menstrual cycle must be correctly characterized:

• Normal duration is 28–33 days;
• duration of bleeding – 3–7 days;
• the nature of the discharge is moderate, without clots;
• color – scarlet.

It is worth saying that all girls are different and the first menstruation also occurs differently for everyone. It is necessary to convince the child that there is nothing bad or scary in the discharge. It is not a disease or fatal. There will not be severe pain, but some soreness is possible, which is also normal.

If the mother previously experienced severe pain during her period, there is no need to draw the girl’s attention to this, even if she knows about it. It should be said that everything is individual and it will be different for her. You also need to warn about possible mood swings, weakness and tearfulness.

It is especially important to point out that initially the cycle may fluctuate and be irregular, which is natural during its formation. Overwork, severe stress, excessive physical activity, climate change and other factors can affect regularity. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor your health these days.

The girl should be warned about possible depression and tearfulness

Important points

Many teenagers are very driven and sometimes completely trust other people's opinions, articles from magazines or information from the Internet. Therefore, they often dream of losing weight and bring themselves to real exhaustion. It depends on the parents whether something like this happens to their child or not. It is necessary to monitor not only proper nutrition, but also an adequate attitude towards it.

It is necessary to educate the girl in detail about personal hygiene products: what they are, how to use them correctly and how often to change them. It is also worth remembering to shower frequently to prevent possible infection, but without using too hot water.

It is also necessary to address the issue of the likelihood of conception. This will not be premature, since by postponing it until later, you can simply be late and receive the news about the pregnancy already ready. You should not be shy, because such a conversation can prevent serious consequences.

Sometimes situations happen when a girl has no one except her father. Then a conversation on such an intimate topic as menstruation will become quite difficult. If there are no adult women in the family, then a school nurse or a doctor at the clinic, whom a caring father can turn to, can help.

All children grow rapidly, especially girls. Just yesterday they were ugly ducklings, but today they are already beautiful swans. And at a certain time there comes a time when their body will make drastic changes due to the entry of hormones into their rights.

Gradually, the girl who was just a child begins puberty. Some mothers begin to panic about how to tell their daughter about future menstruation, others are calm, believing that their daughter has already known everything from the Internet and from her friends.

You should never remain on the sidelines in this matter. It is the mother who is obliged to prepare her girl for future changes so that they do not become not only a surprise for her, but also stress. The beginning of menstruation should be a joyful event in the transformation of a girl into a small woman. Only a loved one and a trusting relationship will lead to the child entering a new time calmly and confidently.

Children grow up, and every day parents have to solve new problems in relation to education. At a certain point, mom and dad understand that it’s time to explain to their offspring what menstruation is. Parents may even argue over which of them should initiate a conversation about a sensitive topic. How to explain to a child what menstruation is and at what age should the conversation begin?

While raising a child, parents must plan to discuss sensitive topics.

When to start a conversation?

Sometimes parents delay the conversation, believing that the child has not yet reached sufficient maturity. When to start a conversation? Is there a universal age at which you should definitely talk to your offspring? It turns out that each child can be ready to perceive this or that information in its own time. There are several factors to consider:

• A girl's period can begin at 11 or even 10 years old, so you need to talk to her in advance.
• It is worth taking a closer look at the child and assessing how much interest he or she shows in “forbidden topics.”
• Sometimes the offspring himself begins to ask questions about the physiological characteristics of women and men. If he is over 8 years old, then it is quite possible to start answering his questions in detail.
• If your son’s classmates do not hide their interest in issues of gender and relationships between girls and boys. Such conversations sometimes arise in a group of children; adults can witness jokes on this topic.

Parents themselves can feel the time when they need to delicately tell their daughter about the stages of a girl’s growing up. The boy will also need this information; he should certainly know that girls sometimes feel unwell, and this is one of the reasons why they should not be treated rudely.

A girl's period can start quite early, so she should be prepared for it

Preparing for the conversation

Some parents just need to start a conversation and the words come to mind. Others have difficulty choosing phrases, especially when the question concerns sensitive topics. If you consider yourself to be the second type, it makes sense to prepare for the conversation using the materials at hand:

• Look for special literature that explains in accessible language how menstruation (regula) occurs in women. This could be a children's encyclopedia, a magazine for parents. You can read the material and present it to the girl with your own comments. In addition, she will be able to subsequently read this information herself, look at pictures and photographs if questions arise.
• It would be great if you could find video materials on this topic. You can watch a movie or even a cartoon with your daughter, answering her questions along the way.

If the upcoming conversation seems very difficult to mom, she can find information in a book for parents

Basic Concepts

How to structure a conversation correctly? How to tell a girl about her period without her feeling disgusted or scared? What should you talk about right away, and what should you leave for later? First of all, you need to think about the structure of the conversation in advance, and then the order in which it is best to present the information. We propose to arrange the stages of the conversation in the following sequence:

1. Girls are little women. First, we need to remind you that any girl will grow into a woman who can become a mother in the future. Women have reproductive organs that allow them to bear a fetus - the uterus and ovaries. The girl also has these same organs, but they are still small and grow with her.
2. Preparing for future motherhood. At a certain age (11-14 years), the girl’s body signals that it is entering into new stage– preparation for future motherhood. The girl begins to menstruate. It should be mentioned that almost all women experience bleeding; there is nothing terrible or shameful in this process.
3. Hygiene. Separately, we need to talk about the fact that during critical days you need to maintain hygiene especially carefully. During this period, pathogenic microflora can reach internal organs more easily than usual, which leads to diseases of the genitourinary system. Gaskets should be changed regularly and water procedures should not be neglected.
4. What is PMS? This terrible abbreviation, which almost everyone knows about, stands for “premenstrual syndrome.” It is imperative to warn your daughter that during this period she may have mood swings, she may cry for no apparent reason or feel offended and lonely. The main thing a girl should know is that this condition is temporary, it will certainly pass.

We strive for dialogue

It is not enough to talk in general terms about menstruation; it is important to wait for questions. If a daughter or son does not ask anything after the story, most likely the child is not ready to discuss this issue with his parents. There may be several reasons: the daughter already knows a lot from communicating with her classmates, or she does not trust her parents and is embarrassed to talk about intimate topics.

Both options require careful consideration. What to do if the offspring does not make contact? It is worth waiting a couple of days after the conversation - the teenager may need time to comprehend the information, and a little later he will come to his parents with his questions. If the child continues to remain silent and does not return to this topic, then action is needed. Try to talk again, ask what worries him and what he knows about “critical days.”

Maybe someone has already provided the teenager with distorted information and he thinks it’s shameful to talk about it. We need to try to find out what the offspring is afraid of, what exactly he already knows. It is very important to explain to him what is true and what is fiction.

It happens that the conversation doesn’t work out – you shouldn’t give up. Any conversation is better than silence and ignoring the problem.

If the child is not ready to make contact, there is no need to insist; we will be able to talk later

Questions to answer

Since telling your daughter about her period with all the details is quite difficult, it is worth preparing for the conversation in advance and thinking about how to answer questions that may arise during the conversation. Often a teenager is curious about how painful critical days are, how many days they last, and what to do if they start unexpectedly? If a boy is growing up in the family, you also need to talk to him about this topic, but the conversation can be shorter and more general. We will try to answer the most popular questions from children about menstruation.

Do periods hurt?

The girl may worry that the bleeding is accompanied by pain. It is necessary to explain that usually the adjustments are painless, only at the beginning of the cycle discomfort may occur in the lower abdomen. However, each girl experiences her own sensations and some complain of abdominal pain, upset bowel movements, and dizziness. It is also worth talking about the fact that before menstruation, the breasts swell and become painful.

Some women experience painful periods, but this should not initially frighten your daughter.

How much blood flows out?

Often girls feel as if blood is flowing from the vagina; this picture is especially frightening to those who are afraid of the sight of it. The mother must answer this question in order to talk about the regulations based on personal impressions. Bloody discharge is usually heterogeneous, often quite thick. For some women, the discharge may be scanty, while for others it may be copious. In this case, the blood that leaves is already “used” and is not required for the functioning of the body. Everything in the human body is thought out and arranged the best way. New blood is generated to replace lost blood, which is a natural and even beneficial process.

Sometimes a girl is worried about the question of whether it is possible to lose a lot of blood during her critical days. Of course, situations may be different. During this period, you should not subject your body to active physical activity, so as not to cause bleeding, but you should not spend the whole day in bed. You need to lead a normal lifestyle with some restrictions.

Pads or tampons?

If the daughter’s age is approaching the cherished 11 years, she is increasingly looking forward to her first menstruation. It's time to prepare a supply of sanitary pads or tampons with your mother. What is better to use? This issue is controversial today. Some gynecologists are inclined towards sanitary pads, others are not so critical and fully accept the idea that a young girl can use special tampons. We want to emphasize the aspect that tampons are quite difficult to insert, while pads are more comfortable and easy to use.

If we consider different types hygiene products, then pads are the most convenient to use

You should also be prepared for the fact that questions may concern conception, contraception, and intimate relationships between a man and a woman. You should consider in advance how much information you can give to your daughter or son, depending on their maturity.

Warned means everything is in order!

It is not enough to tell your daughter that almost all women have periods; you also need to explain to your daughter how they go in teenagers. It is necessary to warn her that at first the cycle may be disrupted and menstruation will be uneven. On Dr. Komarovsky’s website there is information that in the first year after menarche, the cycle can range from 20 to 90 days. Setting up a cycle may take six months, even a year or two; you should not worry about this. In order to estimate the number of days between regulations, you need to keep a calendar. It is enough to buy the girl a small copy and ask her to mark the dates in it when her period begins.

Sometimes a mother believes that her daughter is just a child and is not interested in the opposite sex - even in this case, it is worth being the first to broach the topic of a possible pregnancy. Explain that menstruation means the opportunity to become pregnant, but does not at all indicate the body’s readiness to bear a child. A girl who has already started her period should take responsibility for her body and her life.

Early pregnancy is rarely desired, so it is better to talk to the girl about this topic in advance

What is not worth talking about?

You can talk about regulations in your own words, and you can also build a conversation according to your own ideas. However, you should not scare the child and tell the young girl about any complications that are quite possible:

• You cannot limit the time of the first menstruation (menarche) to strict limits. A girl who hasn't had her period at 13 will think she has some kind of abnormality. It is better to wait a little and consult a pediatric gynecologist.
• You should not prepare your daughter in advance for the fact that periods are painful, otherwise she will increase her fear in anticipation. Also, one should not give them too little importance, saying that menstruation goes unnoticed. This process is physiological, you should prepare for it in advance, but do not give up your habits.
• You can’t talk about periods as if their onset is something shameful that should be kept silent about. On the contrary, monthly menstruation is a normal process that happens to every woman. At the same time, you can only talk about them with close people, without making intimate details public.

Talk openly with your child to prepare him for new circumstances. You shouldn’t put off the conversation, because it’s better if a girl learns about menstruation from her mother than from someone else. Such conversations strengthen relationships and help parents better understand their child. It is very important not to lose contact with him, especially on the threshold of a difficult and interesting teenage period.

Clinical and perinatal psychologist, graduated from the Moscow Institute of Perinatal Psychology and Reproductive Psychology and Volgograd State Medical University with a degree in clinical psychology

Today I will tell you how to explain to your child what menstruation is and why they are needed. It would seem that just recently your girl took her first step and only yesterday she started first grade, but time flies quickly and soon your little girl will become a teenager. Puberty will not be long in coming, and with it the first menstruation. This is a significant period in the life of a teenage girl, and the mother’s task is to prepare her daughter for new physiological processes so that the first spotting does not throw the child into panic and cause shock. The conversation ahead is delicate.

How to explain to a child what menstruation is?

When to start talking about periods

Typically, the level of sex hormones begins to increase from 9-10 years of age. It is at this time that changes begin to occur - body hair begins to grow (armpit and pubic hair grows), breasts grow, the pelvis expands and the child’s figure is formed. At this time we need to start talking about maturation in general and in particular about menstruation in girls. The conversation needs to be structured so that the girl can understand that menstruation is a natural, necessary physiological process that is not dangerous to health, and that bleeding on underwear is not a sign of illness and not a cause for concern.

In modern life, children grow up early due to the availability of information on the Internet, the media and radio, but there is no need to rely on the reliability of the information received by girls on their own; it is better to tell everything yourself, so that the girl learns the information first-hand, from the lips of her beloved mother.

Where to start talking about periods

First of all, talk about the structure of the female body, talk about the mammary glands and female figure. Explain to the girl why she has periods, taking into account her young age, but do not delve into medicine. Tell us that this process is monthly and happens to all women. Since the child's reaction can be unpredictable, you must be prepared to sensitively and competently answer all the child's questions.

The most common questions that arise in conversations

If it bleeds, does it hurt?

Explain that it will not hurt, of course, unpleasant sensations and some discomfort are possible, but nothing more.

How do you know when your period starts?

Due to the surge of hormones, mood swings, drowsiness, poor or, on the contrary, excessive appetite, heaviness in the lower abdomen or discomfort in the lumbar region are possible.

When will this happen?

Tell us that no one knows the exact date; most often this happens for the first time in the cold season (winter) at the age of 10 to 14 years. This depends on many factors - on the characteristics of the body, nutrition, diseases suffered in early childhood, physical development, as well as the conditions in which you live.

How many days does your period last?

A girl's menstruation lasts from 3 to 7 days. Periodic delays of 10-15 days are possible - this is normal. Of course, if the girl is over 14 years old and her period has not started, you and your daughter should probably visit a doctor. It is also necessary to go to the doctor if you have not had your period for more than three months or if your periods are too heavy and prolonged, lasting more than a week.

The importance of hygiene

Be sure to pay attention to the issue of personal hygiene during the period when your period begins. Tell us what:
pads need to be changed every 2-3 hours or as they fill;
Before each change of the gasket, it is necessary to wash your hands;
there is no need to wear thongs, as this is not hygienic, it is better to give preference to ordinary comfortable underwear;
It is not advisable to use scented pads with synthetic fiber;
Do not store pads in the bathroom; moisture is an excellent breeding ground for bacteria;
You cannot take a bath; during menstruation, it is advisable to wash only in the shower;
It is necessary to wash yourself before each change of pad using special gels for intimate hygiene.

Miscellaneous

Teach your daughter to mark the days of her period on the calendar from the very beginning, this is necessary to control the body so that malfunctions can be identified in a timely manner. women's health. A conversation about menstruation is the first conversation with your daughter about adult life; the topic of the next conversation may be a conversation about sex life and pregnancy.

Content:

Everyone has long known that girls begin to grow up much earlier than boys. However, not all young people are familiar with the details of puberty. The main thing is to tell the girl in time about the upcoming changes in her body. The correct approach in this matter will help not only maintain the emotional balance of the teenager, but will also prevent irreparable mistakes associated with the first sexual experience.

Preparing a girl for her first period

Sooner or later, every mother with a daughter faces a very difficult and delicate question - how to tell her daughter about her first menstruation. Here it is important to find an approach to the child and correctly construct an adult conversation on a spicy topic. First of all, the parent herself should be well aware of all the details of this issue. Every woman forever remembers the moment the first red spots appeared on her panties.

Previously, talking about the first period was a taboo topic, and when it appeared, girls experienced a storm of mixed emotions. The modern younger generation knows about tampons and pads, as well as their purpose, from an early age. All this happens thanks to various media, but they provide only superficial knowledge. The mother’s task is to fully and correctly cover this issue.

The medical name for the first period is menarche. The period when the first menstruation appears is approximately 12 years of age. Deviations of 2 years in one direction or another are considered normal. The appearance of menarche at 9 or 16 years old is a reason to go to the doctor, as it may be a consequence of any diseases.

The first menstruation is the final stage of puberty for young beauties. Preparation for their appearance lasts about 2 years. The body begins to actively produce female hormones, which leads to changes in the appearance of girls and to emotional imbalance. Besides fast increase growth, hair begins to grow on the body in certain places (on the pubis, under the armpits), and the breasts also noticeably increase. This period of maturation causes discomfort and fear in girls, which leads to stiffness and the development of complexes.

To appear shorter and hide the appearance of breasts, they begin to slouch and walk with their heads down. This bad habit can remain for life if you do not come to the child’s aid in time. Here the mother needs to be patient and try to explain to her daughter that this process happens to every girl as she grows up. Many girls become especially vulnerable, and at times can show aggression for no apparent reason.

The mood of young people is worsened by the appearance of teenage acne, which spoils them a little appearance and promotes self-doubt. Increased sweating and vaginal discharge also cause discomfort. In these cases, the mother needs to teach her daughter how to care for her body, help her choose suitable products for her facial skin, and tell her about the rules of hygiene in intimate areas.

So that the first period does not frighten the girl, you need to see its first symptoms in time.

Signs of the imminent appearance of menstruation:

• short-term pain and heaviness in the lower abdomen about 2 months before the start of the first menstruation;
• an increase in the amount of vaginal discharge, as well as a change in its color;
• frequent headaches, causeless irritability, increased drowsiness and apathy towards everything.

The first period is also considered the best time to talk to your child about the beginning of adulthood. At this time, you just need to tell your daughter about contraception during sexual intercourse, about the possibility of infection with various infectious diseases during it, as well as about the dangers of early sexual intercourse.

The further psychological state of the developing woman depends only on the mother’s actions. Talking about hygiene products, their correct use during menstruation, keeping a calendar - these are the main tasks of every parent raising a daughter.

What does a mother need to know about her daughter’s menstrual cycles?

1. The regularity of menstruation is established in a girl within a year after its first appearance.
2. The duration of menarche is 3–6 days, and the monthly cycle is about 28–33 days. In the future, the normal course of menstruation is considered to be 5 days, and the duration of the cycle is 23–30 days.
3. The delay after menarche should not exceed three months.
4. The discharge during the first menstruation is quite scanty and brown in color.
5. Severe pain in the lower abdomen in the absence of bloody discharge may indicate an overgrown hole in the hymen area. This can further lead to problems with the girl’s health and requires urgent consultation with a gynecologist.

For every noticeable deviation from established standards during the formation reproductive function female body, it is recommended to consult a doctor. By ignoring these violations, in the future the girl risks facing serious and sometimes irreparable health problems.