Menarche, or first blood, is a pivotal time in the life of every girl. The word derives from men (month) and arche (beginning). Many girls have too little information or have trouble relating that information to the changes going on in their own bodies. Informed and sensitive health professionals can be a lifesaver and help make this transition from girl to young woman one of ease, welcoming and celebration.
Girls worry terribly if they don't start their first period around the time their friends do, and can even bear lasting psychological scars as a result ("My body's not normal", "I can't trust my body", "I'm wierd, unacceptable, etc.") A competent health professional can find the causes at the root of these problems, inform the girl as to what's been going on, and help her rebalance her body, and save her from what could become a lifetime of anguish.
The pharmaceutical industry has now decided that these biologically programmed monthly periods are unnecessary. They have created a variety of products that prevent such periods for months to even years. Marketed as "putting women in charge of when they want to have a period", this advertising approach on the surface appeals to young women's desire to break away from the bounds of adolescence and the family and strike out on their own. Yet look a little deeper, and discover that this is actually a massive experiment on the bodies of young girls in the name of pharmaceutical profit.
What is the effect of using such products? Will they, like hormone replacement and birth control pills, increase the risk of stroke, heart attacks, clots, breast cancer, uterine cancer?
Please post your comments, experiences here so we can all learn from each other and provide the effective support these young girls need during this incredible and natural beginning of The Female Hormone Journey.
