Monique Rainford - HER HEALTH

When I was about 10 years old, my mother brought home a few paperback books. They were thin, easy to read and, at the time, I found the topics exciting and interesting. She advised me to read them thoroughly and to ask her any questions that might arise. I read the books enthusiastically and I can recall completing them all in the same night. I felt special - the books were on puberty.

Puberty is the name given to the changes that a child's body goes through to become an adult. In girls, it begins from ages eight to 13, but may begin as early as age six or seven. The age that a girl enters puberty is affected by her genes and others factors, including her environment, weight, nutrition, access to health care and socioeconomic conditions.

The growth spurt

For girls, the first sign of puberty is usually the development of breasts (thelarche). This is usually followed by growth of her pubic hair (pubarche), growth of hair underneath her arms, then her first period. Other changes which occur at that developmental stage include her growth spurt and the maturing of her internal and external female organs. There are five stages which can be used to describe her breast and pubic hair development and they are known as Tanner stages.

On average, a girl has her first period (menarche) between 12 and 13 years old, about two and a half years after she begins her breast development. Nevertheless, it is normal for her signs of puberty to occur in a different sequence, and some girls may see signs of puberty even five years before their first period. In the United States, the menarche occurs a few months earlier in black girls as compared to white girls.

Age 16 is too late

A parent will often consult a doctor if certain changes seem outside the norm. For example, if a daughter appears to be starting puberty too early or too late, or if she is having excessive bleeding during menstruation. If a girl begins puberty younger than about seven years old she may have precocious puberty. She should be taken to a physician for the appropriate evaluation.

A physician should also be consulted if a young woman has not had a period by the age of 16. If a girl has started having periods but they are more than three months apart, she should be checked by a doctor. Conversely, if during her menstrual flow, she has to change pads more than every one to two hours and her periods last for more than seven days, she should also be checked by her doctor. Girls should be taught to mark their periods on a calendar so that problems can be more easily identified.

Parents, it is important to prepare your children for puberty. Allow your daughter to feel comfortable to ask any questions that she may have. It is far better that the information comes from you or from someone you trust than from unreliable sources.

Dr Monique Rainford is a consulting obstetrician and gynaecologist; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.