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Every girl grows up and goes through a very special moment, that is, her first menstrual period, also known as "menstrual leave".
This point in time marks not only the beginning of puberty physically, but also the psychological beginning of an adult world, which for girls can bring both pride and confusion and anxiety.
However, the timing of menarche is not the same for different girls, and some children will have their periods early, while others may have a little later, and parents often have questions about this:
"Is the right time for my child's first period?"
"Isn't it too early? Will it affect her development? ”
What's more, many parents worry that menstruation too early may hinder their children's growth and development, causing them to grow taller.
The "optimal" age for menstruation is actually a range
There is actually no absolute standard answer to the "best" age for a girl's first menstrual period.
As we know, there are individual differences in the physiological development of each person, and this difference is not only determined by genetic factors, but also affected by multiple factors such as nutritional status, living environment, and psychological state.
In general, most girls have menarche between the ages of 9 and 15, while the average age is around 12 to 13 years.
From a medical point of view, the occurrence of menstruation is related to the close cooperation of several systems in the body. The first is the initiation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, which controls adolescent development in girls through complex neuroendocrine signals.
At the beginning of puberty, the hypothalamus begins to secrete a substance called gonadotropin-releasing hormone, which stimulates the pituitary gland to secrete luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone, which activates ovarian function and prompts the ovaries to start producing estrogen.
Estrogen is not only an important hormone for initiating menstruation, but also plays a key role in many aspects of the body, especially promoting the proliferation of the endometrium and regulating the cyclic ovulation of the ovaries. When the endometrium thickens under the action of estrogen.
If no fertilized egg implants, it falls off with periodic bleeding (known as menstruation). Therefore, the timing of menarche can be seen as a sign that hormone levels in the body have reached a certain threshold.
Studies have shown that the age at which a mother has menarche can often predict the age of menarche in a daughter.
This phenomenon is transmitted through the regulatory mechanism of sex hormones, and weight and body fat are also one of the important factors determining the age of menarche. The fat cells in a girl's body are able to synthesize and store a certain amount of estrogen, so higher body fat levels will increase estrogen levels, which can lead to an earlier menstrual period.
However, early or late menarche can cause concern for parents, and menarche does have a certain relationship with a child's growth and development, but it is not a complete determinant.
From a biological point of view, a girl's height usually continues to grow after menarche, but the rate of growth gradually slows down.
This is because the growth plates begin to gradually close after menarche, and sex hormones, especially estrogen, play an important role in this process. The increase in estrogen promotes the maturation and closure of the epiphysis, ultimately limiting further bone growth.
Therefore, the early and late menarche may indeed affect the final height of the girl.
When a girl has an early menarche, the growth plate closes relatively early, which means that the girl's height growth period is shortened, which may lead to a lower adult height. However, this does not mean that all girls who menstruate early will not grow taller.
In fact, a child's final height is more influenced by genetic factors, and if the parents themselves are taller, even if the child has menstruation earlier, her final height may not be significantly affected.
Factors such as nutritional status and exercise habits will also alleviate the negative impact of menarche to a certain extent.
If your child is well-nourished and maintains a healthy exercise routine, they may still be able to continue to grow taller after menarche.
For example, although bones mature under the influence of estrogen, moderate exercise can promote an increase in bone density and overall physical development, thus helping children continue to achieve a certain amount of height growth after menarche.
Therefore, parents need to look at this issue rationally and not be overly anxious.
For children with early menarche, parents can monitor their child's growth curve and have growth hormone tests or bone age tests if necessary through regular communication with an endocrinologist or pediatrician.
If you find that your child's growth rate is too slow, you can also take some scientific interventions under the advice of your doctor.
Studies have found that women with irregular menstrual cycles may have a higher risk of developing diabetes
The menstrual cycle, which is from the first day of one period to the first day of the next, is usually 21 to 35 days.
Of these, 28 days is considered the most common "standard" cycle, but in reality, many healthy women's menstrual cycles are not so precise that less than 21 days or more than 35 days can be considered abnormal.
The changes in the menstrual cycle are closely related to the fluctuation of multiple hormones in the body, especially folliclepoietin, luteinizing hormone, estrogen, progesterone, etc., which interact with each other to coordinate the follicle development, ovulation, luteal formation, and thickening and shedding of the endometrium.
When a menstrual cycle is too long, it usually means that the ovaries are not functioning well or the follicles are not developing properly, while a short cycle can indicate low hormone levels in the body and the endometrium is not growing adequately.
This condition is more common in prepubertal or perimenopausal women, but it can also be a sign of polycystic ovary syndrome, thyroid dysfunction, or endocrine disorders. In a large study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, the results showed:
Women with irregular menstrual cycles have a significantly increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The medical mechanism of this study lies in the fact that the regularity of the menstrual cycle is closely related to the insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism in the body.
Insulin resistance is one of the precursors of diabetes, and irregular menstrual cycles are often a sign of reduced insulin sensitivity in the body. Insulin is a key hormone that regulates blood sugar, and when insulin fails, blood sugar cannot be converted into energy properly, causing diabetes.
In addition, obesity is also one of the potential links between irregular menstruation and diabetes, women with irregular menstruation are more likely to experience weight gain, and obesity itself is an important risk factor for diabetes.
Fluctuations in estrogen levels can affect the distribution of fat in the body, which in turn can adversely affect insulin sensitivity.
Judge whether menstruation is normal and pay attention to the "3 looks"
By observing the cycle, volume and pain level of menstruation, women can identify potential health problems early and take steps to deal with them in a timely manner:
1. Look at the cycle
The menstrual cycle refers to the number of days elapsed from the first day of one period to the first day of the next.
As we said earlier, the normal menstrual cycle is generally between 21 and 35 days, and the length of the cycle varies from person to person, so if the menstrual cycle is roughly stable within this range, it can be considered a normal menstrual cycle. If the cycle is too short or too long, it may indicate a problem with hormone regulation in the body.
If the menstrual cycle is too short, this usually indicates a shortened follicular phase (i.e., the period from the onset of menstruation to ovulation), possibly because the secretion of FSH and LH is too early or too much, causing the follicles to develop too quickly and thus ovulate early.
Conversely, a long menstrual cycle (more than 35 days) may result in delayed follicular development, and the ovaries do not respond strongly enough to FSH and LH stimuli, resulting in delayed ovulation. This phenomenon is more common in prepuberty, or perimenopausal women, and may also occur in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.
Long-term abnormal menstrual cycles can also be associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and even early ovarian failure, so if women find that their menstrual cycle is persistently irregular, it is recommended to seek medical attention as soon as possible.
2. Look at the amount of menstrual flow
Menstrual flow is the total amount of blood excreted during a woman's menstrual period, usually between 30 and 80 ml, and if the menstrual flow is significantly above or below this range, it may indicate an underlying health problem in the body. Heavy menstrual flow is called heavy menorrhagia, while too little menstrual flow is called hypomenorrhea.
Normally, estrogen promotes endometrial hyperplasia, while progesterone helps in the secretion and stabilization of the endometrium, and if the level of estrogen in the body is too high or the progesterone is insufficient, the endometrium may overgrow, resulting in heavy menstrual bleeding.
On the other hand, too little menstrual flow can be the result of low ovarian function or inadequate endometrial hyperplasia.
For example, women with premature ovarian failure or insufficient estrogen can also cause abnormal menstrual flow due to insufficient growth of the endometrium, resulting in decreased menstrual flow, and some gynecological conditions such as endometriosis or uterine fibroids.
For example, people with polycystic ovary syndrome often have changes in menstrual flow because their hormone levels fluctuate more and their ovaries are unstable.
3. Look at the level of pain
The level of pain, which is one of the most common symptoms experienced by women during menstruation, is medically known as dysmenorrhea.
Dysmenorrhea can be divided into primary dysmenorrhea (no obvious organic lesions) and secondary dysmenorrhea (caused by a disease or lesion), and while moderate pain is relatively common during menstruation, severe dysmenorrhea often suggests an underlying gynaecological condition.
Prostaglandins, a fatty acid substance secreted by the endometrium, can promote the contraction of uterine smooth muscles in order to help the uterus expel the shed lining, but when prostaglandins are secreted too much, the uterus will contract too strongly, causing women to feel severe pain.
This pain is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, headache and even dizziness.
Secondary dysmenorrhea is often caused by a lesion of the uterus or ovaries.
For example, endometriosis is a common condition that causes secondary dysmenorrhea, which refers to endometrial tissue that grows outside the uterus and is still regulated by hormones, which also sheds and causes pain during menstruation.
Primary dysmenorrhea is uncomfortable and usually does not pose a serious threat to a woman's overall health.
However, secondary dysmenorrhea may be associated with more complex gynaecological conditions, particularly endometriosis, adenomyosis, and pelvic inflammatory disease. Not only can these conditions cause severe menstrual cramps, but they can also have an impact on fertility.
If a woman's pain during menstruation is unusually severe, or progressively worse, it is advisable to seek medical attention as soon as possible to identify the cause and treat it accordingly. #寻找热爱表达的你#
Bibliography:
Influencing factors of pubertal physiological development and menarche in girls[J]. Chinese Journal of Child Health Care, 2018, 26(4): 380-383.
Correlation between menstrual cycle and female metabolic diseases[J]. Chinese Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2020, 55(6): 401-405.
Effects of menstrual irregularities on women's health and preventive measures[J]. Advances in Modern Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2019, 28(10): 761-764.