What are Periods/MC
The most important physical change that occurs in girls during puberty is the onset of periods. Periods are also known as menstruation, menstrual cycle or MC. Periods are, by the way, a common natural process. But due to lack of information about this, this common process is emerging as a major problem.
“Menstruation is the discharge from the uterus and the internal part due to changes in hormones in the body of women. Menstruation does not occur at the same age.”
Why Do Periods Occur in girls:
The onset of menstruation in girls means the development of their ovaries. This means that their ovaries are now capable of producing eggs. There are three hormones in the body of women called estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. When a girl reaches adolescence, her ovaries start producing hormones called estrogen and progesterone. Due to these hormones, the lining of the uterus begins to thicken once every month. Some other hormones indicate the ovaries to produce and release an undesired ovum. Normally if the girl does not have sex around menstruation, then the layer of the uterus that was getting thick and ready for pregnancy breaks down and passes out in the form of bleeding. This is called menstruation.
Every month a woman’s body prepares itself for conception. The lining of the uterus becomes thick to take the fertilized egg. When the girl has sex around menstruation, the egg mates with the male sperm and then conceives, then it starts to grow by attaching it to the lining of the uterus. Because the egg is now being nourished by that layer, it does not shed and menstruation stops until the delivery (for the entire 9 months).
After delivery, the role of that layer ceases and it comes out of the vagina after shedding and this cycle starts again.
In girls, this activity usually starts at the age of 11 years to 13 years. At what age will the girl start menstruation, it depends on many factors. The composition of a girl’s genes, dietary habits, body weight, and other factors influence the exact age, she will begin with her menstrual cycle. Periods or menstruation occur once a month. This cycle is usually 28 to 35 days. This process occurs every month until the woman becomes pregnant. Means regular menstruation or MC between 28 and 35 days. Some girls or women have menstruation for 3 to 5 days, while some for 2 to 7 days.
And during this time they need to get proper guidance. There is a lot of confusion related to periods in our society which makes it more heinous problem.
Importance of Menstruation:
Menstruation is not a problem, it is a sign of women power. It is a natural process for a girl to move towards motherhood! Because of the menstrual cycle, hormones are produced which keep the body healthy. Every month these hormones make the body ready for conception. The day of the menstrual cycle is counted from the first day of the onset of periods to the first day of the next period.
- Periods cramps such as pain, stomach cramps, nausea, irritability and mood swings may be encountered during menstruation. Some ladies/girls feel leg pain also.
- Back pain during menstruation is now a common problem.
- Changes in hormones: In the early days of the menstrual cycle, hormones called estrogen start increasing. These hormones keep the body healthy, especially the bones. Also, due to this hormone, a velvety layer of blood and tissue is formed on the inner wall of the uterus, so that the fetus can develop fast by getting nutrition there. This layer is made up of blood and tissue.
- Bleeding: At the time of periods, it often comes to mind that how long the bleeding should be and in what quantity should be considered normal. The secretion at the time of period i.e. MC is not just blood but it is . It also contains destroyed tissue. The quantity of blood in it is about 50 ML. It is different from implant bleeding.
What to eat and not during periods:
Hormonal Changes in women have a direct relation with their food and drink. In periods, Stomach Cramps is a common practice, but its pain can be very painful. Women should avoid such food during their days, which does not increase their stomach cramps even more. So below are diet suggestions what should be eaten during periods and what should not be eaten:
1. Consumption of beverages like tea and coffee should also be avoided during the period, as caffeine is found in very high amounts in all of them. This increases the pain occurring during this time and can also cause mood swings. There can be problem in getting good sleep also.
2. During this time, women should also avoid the consumption of such foods, in which excessive amounts of fat are found. An example of this type of eating is fatty meat. Saturated fats are found in very high amounts in them. Its intake can cause bloating in the stomach and can also increase abdominal pain. In lieu of this you can take such food in which the amount of fat is slightly less.
3. Women should avoid eating processed food during their menstrual cycle. Other fast food such as sealed foods and chips are also included in this box. Often, the intake of such food items is likely to cause stomach cramps.
4. Baked foods like cakes and pastries should also not be consumed, because transfeat is found in very high amounts in such food. These foods increase the level of estrogen in the body of women, which can cause pain in the uterus.
5. Fruit consumption is good.
6. Vitamin D: Many symptoms of periods include nausea, cramping, diarrhea, bloating, vomiting, and sleeping problem. Production of prostaglandins during this time is responsible for these symptoms. Vitamin D works to reduce the production of this hormone, so it relieves painful side effects that occur during periods.
One of these problems is irregular periods. Irregular periods are a concern, as a recent survey shows that 55.2 percent of girls are struggling with irregular periods. In fact, many girls are not even aware about periods, due to which different types of problems are coming up in girls regarding periods. With the aim of collecting information about girls’ awareness, it was revealed that most of the girls are suffering from irregular periods. Many of the girls also admitted that they had to wait for a few months to a year for any help in dealing with the problem of irregular periods.