Puberty: A Girl's Guide 1

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1 Puberty: A Girl's Guide 1 Girl Talk By the time you celebrate your first double digit birthday, puberty is probably a word that most of you would have heard many times. You could think of puberty as the bridge that all children have to cross over in order to become adults. A lot of changes happen in your life as you cross this bridge: the way you look, the way you feel, the way you think all change, and it is all normal. But all these changes can be frightening if you do not know or understand what is happening to you. Ignorance is not only scary it can be downright dangerous. Accurate, useful information is very valuable as you make the trip across the bridge. This booklet is meant to be one source of such information. You will also probably get many talks on growing up as you make your way through puberty. All you need to know cannot be covered in one talk. Today we are going to have a conversation about one aspect of growing up. It is a conversation, not a talk, because we each get a turn to talk and to listen. I would like you to continue the conversation we start today with other women in your life because that is one way to make it across the bridge without falling off. The Girl Parts One of the things that happens as you start puberty is that your reproductive system starts to mature. As a result, a major event for girls is the first period. Before we can talk about the period though, we need to look at what makes up your reproductive system. There are parts you can see on the outside, and parts that are tucked away inside your body. The correct name for the external parts, which are found between your thighs, is the vulva and this includes the vaginal opening. This opening is the entrance to a muscular tube called the vagina which essentially connects the outside organs to the inside organs. You will not be able to see or feel the internal organs, but you can check out your vulva for yourself, using a mirror in the privacy of your bathroom or bedroom. See if you can identify on yourself the different parts shown in the diagram on page 7. The parts of your reproductive system on the inside are the ovaries, the uterine (Fallopian) tubes and the uterus (womb). These structure are found inside the lower part of your abdomen, below your navel. You cannot see them from the outside, but they are responsible for producing your female hormones, your eggs, and if you get pregnant, a place for the baby to grow until it can manage outside of the mother's body. The changes that occur in your body during puberty are started and controlled by special chemical messengers called hormones. Your brain produces a set of hormones which signal your ovaries to start maturing. The ovaries as they mature produce another set of hormones that have many effects including causing physical changes (like growth of breasts, hips, and hair in the armpits and the vulva), as well as emotional and mental changes. You may find that you start to feel a little (or a lot) differently about boys. Some girls may now start to spend more time on their hair, nails, and clothes, and most girls will feel the need for a little more privacy as they try to get the hang of managing a body that is suddenly changing in so many ways. One of the most exciting changes in puberty is the onset of the first period or menstruation. This is an important milestone in the journey because it indicates that the ovaries are now awake and functioning. So let's talk a little about how this amazing event comes about

2 Puberty: A Girl's Guide 2 The Tale of the Egg and the Womb It's a girl! When a baby is born in the hospital in Jamaica, the first thing the doctor or the midwife who delivers the baby does is to show the mummy the baby's private parts or genitals and ask the mother to identify the baby as a boy or a girl. You have a vulva which is visible at birth and identifies you as female. But did you know that you were also born with a pair of ovaries that already contains about 2 million immature eggs? These are not the kind of eggs that you make cakes and scrambled eggs with though. These eggs carry half the instructions for making your future children and you are born with a large supply. By the time you reach puberty you have about 3-4 hundred thousand immature or sleeping eggs...so you see that all 2 million did not quite make it to puberty. What happens to the eggs that make it to puberty is the tale of the egg. What the developing eggs do to the womb or uterus is the tale of the womb. In big words, this tale is also known as ovulation and menstruation. It is illustrated in the diagram on page 8. At the right time for you (and the time is not exactly the same for everybody), your brain sends messengers called hormones to the ovaries. These hormones wake up a bunch of sleeping eggs which then start to grow and mature. Each egg has around it a shell (called a follicle), and these shells also grow and produce other hormones which cause your breasts and womb to develop and grow. After a while, one egg in the bunch becomes the leader and its shell produces enough hormones to stop further growth of the other eggs in that bunch. As the leader egg continues to mature, its shell also grows and gets bigger, and moves closer to the surface of the ovary. At the right time the shell bursts and releases the egg from the ovary. This is called ovulation. The shell that is left behind continues to produce hormones. The hormones produced by the egg shell or follicle have a very important job. They tell the womb to grow a nice thick lining on its inside. The more of this hormone that is produced, the thicker the lining gets. Why do you think the womb is growing this lining? The womb is where a fertilised egg settles down to grow into a baby. You could think of the womb like a cradle that holds a growing baby. So while the egg is developing in the ovary, the lining (or endometrium) of the womb is also getting thicker thanks to the hormones produced by the egg shell. All of this is in preparation for a baby. Let's get back to the egg that was released from the ovary. This egg then finds it way into the uterine tube, and floats down the tube towards the womb. In its journey through the tube if the egg meets sperm to combine with, a baby can be made. This is called fertilization. Sperm contain the other half of the instructions for making a baby, and are produced by boys and men. Under normal conditions sperm will find its way into your uterine tubes only if you have sex. Since we do not expect girls your age to be having sex, there will be no sperm lurking around in your uterine tubes. Without sperm the egg cannot develop any further, so it makes its lonely way down the tube into the womb and dies about 24 hours after it is released from the ovary. The egg shell left behind in the ovary continues to produce hormones for another week or two but in decreasing amounts. Without a fertilised egg, the shell in the ovary eventually shrivels up and stops producing hormones. Then the lining of the womb detaches from the wall of the womb and is shed through the vagina. This is called a period or menstruation. It lasts about 3-7 days, and once the lining has been shed, the processes in the ovary and vagina repeat themselves every month. So the repeated tale of the egg and the womb each month is called the menstrual cycle.

3 Puberty: A Girl's Guide 3 Your first period actually marks the end of the first tale of the egg and the womb for you, and ought to be an event that is celebrated in some way. It is a significant milestone in the puberty journey. Make a plan with your mother or grandmother, sister, best friend or aunt to celebrate this event that marks your entry into the world of women. If your first period has already come and you did not do anything to mark the event, you should have a belated celebration. Do something special in recognition of this important event in your life. Managing the Girl Stuf So what about the practical details? How does a girl deal with what sounds like a pretty messy process of blood and stuff coming from the vagina? First of all it is important to know that the first sign of a period may be just a brown stain, a spot of dark red or bright red blood seen when you wipe with toilet paper, or on your underwear. The period usually does not start as a gush of blood. The first period may last only 1-2 days or it may last as long as 10 days. You may have crampy lower abdominal (belly) pain or not. Sanitary napkins or pads are what most girls use for their first periods. These are absorbent cotton pads that are worn on the outside of the vagina, attached to the underwear by a sticky strip. They absorb the blood that leaves the vagina. Alternatively, tampons which are inserted into the vagina can be used to absorb the blood. Ultimately the decision on what to use depends on what you feel comfortable with. When you first start seeing your period, it may not be regular, that is, you may not have a period every month. That is normal. Once your body gets the hang of it, a period will usually come every days. The first day of bleeding is Day 1 of your cycle and should be marked on a calendar. Count days forward from this day and that should give you an idea of when to expect the next one. After you have had a few regular periods, you will have a better idea of whether your cycle is closer to 21 days, 28 days or 35 days. It is important to have an idea when your next period is coming so that you can be prepared with supplies, and not have an accident. It is important that you learn how to look after your reproductive organs and keep them healthy. As you enter puberty, developing good habits of diet, personal hygiene and avoiding harmful practices will ensure that you reach adulthood with a reproductive system that is in good working order. Remember that your ovaries hold the precious cargo of your future children. Your womb and uterine tubes are the structures that will help to care for those future children until they can survive outside their mother. Care of the inside parts Eat a healthy diet: include lots of fruits, vegetables, leafy vegetables, peas, ground provisions, small amounts of meat, fish, milk, cheese, and nuts. The nutrients in these foods help to ensure that your ovaries produce healthy eggs and the right amount of female hormones Drink enough water every day to help your body remove any harmful substances which can damage your ovaries.

4 Puberty: A Girl's Guide 4 Get enough sleep (8-10 hours per night) so that your body gets a chance to rest and repair damage that occurs during the day. Get regular exercise (at least 30mins a day) to keep your ovaries producing the right amount of female hormones. Get in the habit of checking the ingredients list of snacks so you can avoid foods that have lots of chemicals (preservatives, artificial flavours and colours) added to them. These chemical can interfere with your reproductive system, as well as other important systems in your body. Avoid sodas, donuts, pastries, cake sweets and candy unless it is a special occassion. The large amounts of sugar/sweeteners in these foods interfere with the amounts of female hormones that your ovaries produce. Check ingredients in the lotions, creams, perfumes that you may start using at this age, and avoid the ones that contain mineral oil/petroleum/petrolatum, and chemicals called pthalates and parabens. These chemicals can pass through your skin and get into your body through the bloodstream, and mess up a number of hormones systems in your body, including the reproductive ones. Care of the outside parts Your vulva is a sensitive area and should be treated gently. So use your hands and water only, when you are bathing, to clean this area. There is no need for scrubbing with a rag and/or soap. Cotton underwear is best because it allows air to circulate through this area, which helps to keep it dry. When you are seeing your period, change pads or tampons regularly (at least every 6 hours), and cleanse the vulva with water, or unscented wipes intended for cleaning the vulva. Perfumes and soapy cleansers can irritate this sensitive area resulting in itching, burning and discomfort. The vagina is a self cleaning structure and there is no need for you to insert a finger or rag in the vagina to clean it. Using soap in the vagina can disturb its natural ability to keep itself clean and healthy. All you need to do is wash the away the secretions that are deposited at the entrance to the vagina, and on the vulva.

5 Puberty: A Girl's Guide 5 Completing the Journey It is normal to have lots of questions about all these growing up issues. Your parents, relatives, teachers and other responsible adults may be able to answer your questions. Keep in mind that many adults feel awkward and uncomfortable when talking to children about some aspects of growing up. If your parents or guardians fall into that category, there are many books on the subject that they can get for you to read. I have listed a few good ones at the end of the booklet. Remember that it is always best to get your information from an independent source and not from someone giving you information in order to get you to buy their products. Ignorance can be scary, and can make it easy for irresponsible people to lead you into danger. Even if you are one of the lucky kids who can talk comfortably with a responsible adult about these things, you may still find the books useful to read, as they may answer questions you may not have thought to ask. So as you travel across the bridge of puberty into adulthood, keep the growing up conversations going and get accurate reliable information guide you safely over to the other side. Questions and Answers Below are some questions that Grade 5 and Grade 6 girls have asked in the past. As I have said before, asking questions is a great way to get information, provided you get the answers from a reliable source. What happens if your period comes and it is not blood but a brown substance? When you see your first period, it is often a brownish fluid that comes from the vagina, not bright red or dark blood. This is actually normal for the first few times that you see your period, because your ovaries and uterus are just getting started. After a while everything settles down, and you should be seeing blood each time the period comes. How does having a period affect your breasts? For some girls and women, the breasts may become heavy, swollen and/or tender just before or at the start of the period. Normally once the period is in full swing, the pain and swelling usually go away. If you have severe breast pains during your period, bad enough that you have to take a pain killer, then you should see a doctor. Pads are very uncomfortable. They feel like a towel between your legs. Is there anything you can do to reduce this uncomfortable feeling? These days, there are a wide variety of pads available, so you could look for a brand that makes thinner more flexible pads. Although it feels uncomfortable when you just start, after a while you do get used to it, and it becomes less of a bother. An alternative to pads would be tampons. These are absorbent cylinders of cotton that can be inserted into the vagina. Once the tampon is properly placed you feel nothing. However since a tampon is a little more complicated to use than a pad, it is something you should discuss with your parent or

6 Puberty: A Girl's Guide 6 guardian first before making the decision to use them. Do you have to wear a tampon? No you don't. It is a personal choice what you choose to wear, depending on what you (and your parent/guardian) feel most comfortable with. Can you urinate with a tampon in place? Yes you can. The tampon fits in the vagina, which is a separate structure from the urethra which carries urine out of the bladder. What happens if the string on a tampon breaks? The string on the tampon makes it easier for you to remove the tampon from the vagina. If the string breaks, and you cannot remove the tampon, you will need to go to the doctor and have it removed. Good books to read If you have more questions by Lynda Madaras: The What's happening to my body? book for girls My Body, My Self for Girls By Valorie Lee Schaefer: The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Girls

7 Puberty: A Girl's Guide 7 Diagrams and Drawings

8 Puberty: A Girl's Guide 8 Diagrams and Drawings