Encyclopedia of Sex and Sexuality: Understanding Biology, Psychology, and Culture [2 Volumes] by Armstrong Heather L.;

Author:Armstrong, Heather L.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ABC-CLIO, LLC
Published: 2021-06-14T16:00:00+00:00

Menarche

Menarche is a person’s first menstrual period, which occurs in the later stages of puberty, usually between the ages of nine and fifteen, with most people who have a uterus having their first menstrual period around the age of twelve or thirteen. The largest determining factors of the age at which most adolescents will experience menarche are heredity, weight, racial background, and other factors.

Many young people have concerns over the timing of menarche. Some worry that they will be the last of their peers to experience this milestone, while others are concerned about being the first of their friends. There is clearly a lot of worry, fear, and uncertainty that comes with menarche—when and where it will happen (in school, at a friend’s house, while swimming at a pool party), what it will be like, and whether anyone will notice or somehow be able to tell.

One factor that appears to have a great impact on how a young person will view their menarche experience is whether, and to what degree, they felt prepared for the experience. This includes knowing what to expect, being informed that menarche is a normal experience that all folks with uteruses go through, and having information about menstrual hygiene, such as using pads, tampons, and menstrual cups. Research has shown that the more prepared a young person is, the more positively they will view their experience with menarche. Many folks in the United States experience their first period without knowing what is happening to them, which can understandably be a very frightening experience. This helps to highlight the importance of reproductive health education both from school and at home.

Along with all this concern, many young people are also very excited and eager about getting their first menstrual period. Some see it as an important milestone, a step toward womanhood and maturity. Others may just be curious to know what all the fuss is about or desire to be like their peers who have already experienced menarche. Some choose to celebrate this milestone with their close family and friends by having a menarche party (also called a first moon party or period party), though this is still fairly uncommon as much of American society, like many other societies, still often view menstruation with great stigma and secrecy and largely consider it to be a very private matter that should be kept hidden from others.

The event of menarche is responded to in a variety of ways in other cultures. In many Indigenous/Native American societies, women are considered powerful life-givers; therefore, a young person’s first menstruation is held in high reverence and celebrated with several days of honored rituals. Conversely, in other cultures, such as in some areas of Nepal, menstruation is viewed with extreme stigma and superstition. In cultures such as these, it is believed that menstruating women are unclean and thought to be so toxic that their touch alone could cause crops to die, spoil their cow’s milk, or cause men to become seriously ill. These girls

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.