Irregular Periods

 Most girls get their first period between the ages of 10 and 15, but a few get it previous and some later. The first period is known as menarche (pronounced: meh-nar-kee).Doctors frequently talk about a girl's monthly cycle the number of days from the start of her period to the start of the next one in terms of a 28 day cycle. But 28 is just an standard numeral that doctors use. Women's cycle lengths vary some have a 24-day cycle; some have a 34-day cycle. And a girl may notice that her cycles are dissimilar lengths each month particularly for the few years after she first starts getting her period.

 The first day a girl's period comes is Day 1 of her cycle. early on in her cycle her pituitary gland tells her ovaries to start preparing one of the eggs they contain for release. One egg will mature completely. At the same time the coating of the uterus becomes thick to prepare a nesting place for a fertilized egg in the event that the girl becomes pregnant.

On or about Day 14 of a 28 day cycle the egg breaks loose (this is called ovulation). The egg makes its way through the fallopian tube into the uterus. If the egg is not fertilized by sperm it starts to fall apart. About 2 weeks later the facing and egg leave a girl's body as her period and the whole thing starts all over again that's why we use the word "cycle."

All this sounds very neat and arranged. But a girl's body may not follow this agenda precisely. It's not unusual especially in the first 2 years after menarche to skip periods or to have an irregular menstrual cycle. Illness rapid weight change or stress can also make things more unpredictable because the part of the brain that regulates periods is influenced by events like these.