Mothers, be aware of your teen daughter’s physical issues
In This Article I Highlight Only A Few Health Issues
One of the biggest physical changes your daughter will undergo is menstruation.
There are so many rituals around menstruation as there are languages and cultures.
For example, there are cultures where big parties are held, the girl would be spoiled with presents, and it is a public event to announce that she is now a woman. This is one end of the spectrum, but in most cultures, menstruation is a taboo topic.
We live in a time wherein the west, information is freely available, but I would love to see that menstruation is handled with more positivity. The idea of sickness, pest and burden is unfortunately usually a part of the reference to it in lay language.
Menstruation is normal.
It is amazing if you understand how God made us and how it works.
It means that you are healthy and that you have a God-given potential to one day have a family of your own – if you would like.
Normally a cycle is:
21 days- 45 days wherein 2-7 days of vaginal bleeding is experienced.
In the first 2-3 years after the first bleeding, it can change.
Cycles should however fall into a pattern after 2-3 years.
There shouldn’t be big clots in the bleeding.
It does sometimes look like a lot, but normal total blood loss is around 2 tablespoons.
Cramps are caused by prostaglandins, which cause the uterus to contract and excrete menstrual material. Not everyone experiences cramps, but for some, it is very intense.
Fatigue, breast tenderness and headaches are common symptoms just before and during menstruation and may form part of a premenstrual symptom complex.
I find that it helps when a girl takes iron supplements, vitamin B complex, vitamin D and zinc during this phase of the month to help her immunity and stamina and to supplement iron loss.
There IS medical help for any symptom that is so intense that she, for example, cannot complete normal, daily functions during the time that she has her menstrual flow.
Parents should not hesitate to take their girls for a medical evaluation. There seems to be the misconception that THE PILL is prescribed for any and every menstrual-related concern. It is simply not true.
I receive a lot of queries about Cervarix.
It is vaccination girls receive from schools to protect against cervical cancer. Cervarix targets the human papillomavirus and gives 70% immunity against the variants that cause cancer and 90% against the variants that causes warts. It is proven that HPV is a cause of virtually all cervical cancers.
The immune reaction between the ages of 9 and 14, is of such a nature that only 2 vaccines are needed for immunity. Thereafter, 3 vaccines will be needed for the same effect. It is mainly for this reason that girls receive it so young.
It is naturally desirable to receive the vaccine before she is sexually active to create the needed protection. It is a misperception that this vaccine encourages promiscuity.
On that note, sexual development is also a sign of the teenager phase. She gets interested in the opposite sex. In another article, the wonderful complexity of female sexuality will be discussed. Studies done with teenagers in South Africa shows that teens who are involved in sexual relationships are:
– More inclined to be exposed to physical and emotional abuse
– More inclined to suffer from depression and anxiety
– Exposed to sexually transmitted diseases that impair their health later in life
– And for girls, the risk and consequences of an unwanted pregnancy can be devastating.
I have also experienced in my own practice, that the effects of a sexual relationship- or relationships on the immature psyche, is carried deep into adulthood and has the ability to adversely impact future relationships.
Religious beliefs aside, for these reasons mentioned, I strongly discourage sexual relationships in this delicate phase of a young female’s life.
The sad reality is that…
there is so much pressure on teenage girls to be sexually active in their relationships.
We must, therefore…
provide necessary guidance to our girls – and boys!
and not just leave it to institutions.