Remember that day when you went to the washroom as you had the urge to pee but realized it was different? You ran to your mother as she had taught you about menstruation and realized that you had got your first period.
More often now than ever, some girls do not know about periods and are acquainted with blood during urination. It might come as a shock or fear to most of them as they are too young – young enough for their mothers to feel that education related to menstruation can be shared a year or two later.
Why is this happening, and how do we prepare?
The transition period of puberty evolves humans from childhood to adulthood. The first menstruation, known as menarche, is a milestone that indicates the onset of reproductive capacity.
Mothers equip themselves to share period education as children hit puberty. But what happens when young females aged 10 or younger have menarche?
Females are supposed to have their first period 2 to 2.5 years post hitting puberty. As per reports(1), the average age for menarche during the 1840s was 17 years. It dropped to 12 years of age during the 2000s in Western developed nations. While the age of menarche has remained stable for the past few decades, it is continuously moving towards a declining number.
How age at menarche differs from one country to another?
There is no specific age that determines the perfect for menarche, as there are several factors that lead to this. Fascinatingly, the average age for menarche differs in women depending on their geographic location, race, and ancestry. For example, the Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey stated that the mean age for menarche in Korean girls went down from 16.9 years in 1925 to 13.79 in the 1980s.
The Western population has seen a steep decrease in the mean age of menarche in the past 150 years. The constant developmental force to improve urban societies indirectly matures young adults faster than in non-Western societies. The average age of menarche in the US is 12.4, while in the UK, it is 12.
The impact can be seen in a developing country like India as well. The adolescent population in India comprise 1/5th of the total population. Girls between 9 and 15 are most likely to have their menarche in India. The average age, as per studies, is 12.77 years.
A mother and a daughter are likely to have menarche during similar timelines in their life due to genetics. However, aspects like nutrition, endocrine-disruptor chemicals, and body fat percentage are other aspects that can drastically change the age of menarche.
What happens when girls have early menarche?
When our bodies go through unnatural changes, it triggers negative implications regarding physical and mental conditions. Here are the top reasons why families need to prevent early menarche in their daughters:
Health conditions
Studies(2) suggest 34% of females experience breast development and find pubic hair post-menarche. As the age declines, girls experience puberty at an unusual time against the normal period of adolescence. Having the first period at an early age, like 9 or 10, can lead to several gynaecological disorders later in life.
Conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis are common for women who face early menarche. They are also 23% more likely to develop breast cancer than women who first menstruate at 15. Insulin resistance, obesity, and hypercholesterolemia are related conditions that trigger cardiovascular diseases like coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and stroke.
Stunted height due to an early fusion of epiphyseal growth plates is another condition many women may face. As per Korean case studies, women who hit puberty earlier than usual had more tendency to type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome by middle age or younger.
Mental condition
Puberty is a sensitive time, and every parent needs to prepare their children (irrespective of gender) to welcome adolescents. Education related to the menstrual cycle must begin for all genders during the onset of puberty to mentally prepare for physiological changes.
Parents must prevent finding their daughters in shock or dismay when they experience their first menarche. As the average age of menarche is declining, parents must reconsider the education age depending on a child’s maturity level.
Reports suggest cases where girls went through psychosocial problems like anxiety and depression when facing early menarche. There have also been cases suggesting suicidal behaviours and turning to substance use.
While these are rare and extreme conditions (that must be prevented at all costs), the sense of fear and change in a young child can be hard for them to cope with. Education and compassion are key to helping them deal with adolescence.
Educational impact
During the age of 9 or 10, a child is supposedly in their 3rd or 4th standard in class. This age is too early for them to understand and cope with their biological change. It often leads to absenteeism from school and reduced participation in physical activities. It might also impact academic performance and mental health issues.
In India, several rural villages still make their girl child drop out of school when they experience periods. While lack of sanitation facilities and societal thinking plays a major role, not having access to period education are also factors that provoke such actions.
Education and awareness among parents are the only way to eradicate such conditions from their daughters’ lives. But first, we must take measures to prevent early menarche among them.
How to delay the onset of menstruation?
Practically, we cannot fight hereditary factors that lead to early menarche. But we can make lifestyle changes to reverse early menarche as a community:
Reduce body fat percentage
Studies(3) suggest childhood obesity causes metabolic abnormalities and influence pubertal development. Interestingly, obesity makes puberty faster in female children and delays puberty in male children. Along with early menarche, the risk of adolescent PCOS and hyperandrogenaemia is also high.
Fat tissues produce leptin hormone in our body, which, when produced excessively, influences the hypothalamus gland to release gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). This leads to the release of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), which forces early menarche.
Insulin sensitivity
Pretty much hand-in-hand with childhood obesity, insulin resistance and compensatory hyperinsulinemia leads to changes in the process of puberty. Serving refined carbs and sugary food to kids can gradually weaken their insulin sensitivity and disrupt their natural hormonal cycle.
Increase physical activities
Our childhood included a lot of outdoor playtimes that have been reduced to screen time today. With one weekly PT class in school and no evening cardio time, more and more children are becoming obese.
Making your child sign up for an extracurricular activity like sports, dance, and swimming is necessary now more than ever. Ensuring they have 1-2 hours of intense daily activity is the only way to keep their body fat level in check.
Reduce processed food consumption
Our fast lives have made us shift from completely cooked meals to ready-to-fry and ready-to-cook recipes. While such indulgences occasionally cause little harm, a repetitive pattern of unhealthy food consumption is the leading cause of rapid health deterioration. Many foods we consume today include preservatives and emulsifiers that destroy our gut health and promote obesity. As a family, it is important to ensure that everyone consumes home-cooked healthy meals that are low in carbs and high in protein.
Have a daily dose of natural vitamin D
The time between 8 am and 9 am is perfect to soak under the morning sun to regulate hormones. It gives us the right dose of vitamin D and produces melatonin that aids digestion and promotes better sleep. Looking directly into the sun in the morning can also promote eye health and reduce short-sightedness.
Final thoughts
If you become a part of the Half Life to Health community, you will be one of the incredible members of a tribe constantly promoting women’s wellness. Putting female health and well-being as a top priority helps us eradicate lifestyle disorders by fighting bad habits.
When we educate young adults, they further spread the awareness that children and adolescents must have during the sensitive growth period. Join our community today to choose good health for yourself, your family, and society. Let us fight hereditary problems like early menarche by switching to healthier lifestyles and food habits.
References
- Lee, H.S. (2021) Why should we be concerned about early menarche?, Clinical and experimental pediatrics. (Accessed: 26 June 2023) Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7806408/.Â
- Deshpande, P. (no date) Increasing percentage of ‘early menarche’ in Indian adolescent girls and it’s prevention, Journal of Preventive Medicine and Holistic Health. (Accessed: 26 June 2023) Available at: https://www.jpmhh.org/html-article/11858.Â
- Burt Solorzano, C.M. and McCartney, C.R. (2010) Obesity and the pubertal transition in girls and boys, Reproduction (Cambridge, England). (Accessed: 26 June 2023) Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2931339/.