How to tell your daughter about the characteristics of the female body

Daughters grow not by day, but by hour: it seems that yesterday the first word was said, there was the first exciting trip to kindergarten, the first school exam. But the years passed so quickly that a teenager suddenly formed from a little girl.

For every mother there comes a time when you need to talk to your daughter about the sexual sphere of a woman’s life, intimate hygiene and the first menstruation. Ideally, if the process happens on its own – easily and effortlessly. But if you feel even the slightest awkwardness during intimate conversations with your daughter, be sure to take our advice.



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The onset of menstruation can greatly frighten the child if the daughter is not properly prepared for the new stage of formation. But if the girl is information-savvy and morally ready, she will be able to perceive the beginning of menstruation calmly. "Site" And the teacher Yulia Yarmolenko will tell you how to start a conversation about menstruation and what to pay attention to the daughter was clear, and you – easy.

Psychologists recommend starting conversations and puberty and menstruation no later than 10 years of age, speaking in a language that the child understands. Your story should be positive and encouraging, so that the daughter perceives menstruation as a natural phenomenon, and not a pathology in the female body.

What questions most often arise for girls

1. What is menstruation and why does it happen to women and girls?
   First, you need to tell your daughter about the structure of the female body (external sexual characteristics, signs of growing up, the anatomy of internal organs), and then explain what menstruation is and why it happens in women. The main reason lies in the hormones produced by the female body. The ovaries produce them, and they, in turn, help build up a special layer in the uterus - the endometrium.
   
   This special layer is needed to attach the fertilized egg from which the baby develops. If fertilization does not occur, the layer is renewed and the old one comes out of the uterus along with a small amount of blood. Menstruation is a process that happens to women once a month.
   
   
   
   
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2. When do girls start their periods?
   Of course, after hearing this, the girl will want to know when all this will begin to happen to her body. Mostly. menstruation occurs in the period from 10 to 15 years, but the body of each girl has individual characteristics and its own schedule, so the average age of the onset of menstruation is 12 years.
   
   
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3. Does that happen once a month?
   During the first three years of menstruation, the cycle may be irregular, and this is normal. Of course, it will normalize later and critical days will occur every month. In some girls, menstruation comes every 3 weeks, in others - every 6 weeks. The normal duration of the menstrual cycle is from 21 to 35 days, and it is necessary to count from the first day of the last critical days to the first day of the next.
   
   
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4. How long do critical days last?
   Usually menstruation lasts about 5 days, but someone may last a little less (2 days), others – a few days longer (7 days).
   
   
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5. What should I do if my period starts at school?
   Explain to your daughter that at the very beginning of menstruation, the discharge is not abundant and there are few of them, but it is better to have a pad on hand. If there were no items of intimate hygiene, and menstruation overtook unexpectedly, you can use handkerchiefs, paper towels or, for example, toilet paper. You can ask for a pad from a teacher or a nurse, there is nothing shameful about it.
   
   
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6. What does that look like?
   Usually menstruation begins with scanty bloody discharge, and the end of the day the discharge becomes more abundant and continues to be so for 2 or 3 subsequent days. The last few days there are spotting discharge of brown color, and during the cycle itself about 80 ml of liquid is released. If the girl noticed light discharge on her underwear, explain to her that this is a normal natural process of maintaining the purity and health of the vagina.
   
   
   
   
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7. Can a girl get pregnant only after the start of menstruation?
   A girl can become pregnant even before the first period. It happens that there is no menstruation, but hormones work at full, creating a special layer in the uterus and helping the egg grow to the desired size and release. If sexual intercourse occurs at this time, the girl can easily become pregnant.
   
   
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When to sound the alarm

1. If the girl is 15 years old, but menstruation has not yet begun.
2. If the mammary glands began to develop 3 years ago, and menstruation is still not observed.
3. If the hair of the body began without an increase in the mammary glands.
4. If the breasts began to develop before age 8 or did not begin to develop by age 13
5. If more than two years have passed since the onset of menstruation, and the cycle is still irregular.
6. If PMS interferes with daily life, and menstruation is accompanied by severe spasms that are not stopped by medications.
7. If there is heavy bleeding during critical days (pad or tampon leaks in 2 hours, or even sooner).

If you don’t have the knowledge or courage to talk to your daughter about puberty and menstruation, you can slip her educational books, brochures or an instructive film about it. pubertyIt can and should be seen together. And if the baby has questions, you can answer them clearly and simply.

Try to prepare your daughter for a new and important stage in her life. Keep and maintain a trusting relationship, then conversations on any topic will be given easily and pleasantly. If you find this article useful, don’t forget to share it with your friends!