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| When will my periods start? You asked Google – here’s the answer | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| It would be a whisper that travelled. “She’s started, she’s started.” We didn’t need to say the word “period” at my school, the message was clear. We whispered that a lot over the years, because the age of the girl we were talking about varied. | It would be a whisper that travelled. “She’s started, she’s started.” We didn’t need to say the word “period” at my school, the message was clear. We whispered that a lot over the years, because the age of the girl we were talking about varied. |
| I think I started at a socially acceptable age, around 12 or 13. I can’t remember much about it, except for the mortification of standing outside the secretary’s office, because that’s where the cotton bricks that passed for sanitary protection were dispensed from. Mortification, but probably also pride, because I was normal. Some girls thought they weren’t, because they were 10 or 14. Too early, or too late. | I think I started at a socially acceptable age, around 12 or 13. I can’t remember much about it, except for the mortification of standing outside the secretary’s office, because that’s where the cotton bricks that passed for sanitary protection were dispensed from. Mortification, but probably also pride, because I was normal. Some girls thought they weren’t, because they were 10 or 14. Too early, or too late. |
| But what is “normal”? The average age of girls starting their periods in western countries is now about 12. At the end of the 19th century, it was 15-16. Why the drop? Because the onset of puberty can be related to body fat, and we now have better nutrition and a healthier body weight. | But what is “normal”? The average age of girls starting their periods in western countries is now about 12. At the end of the 19th century, it was 15-16. Why the drop? Because the onset of puberty can be related to body fat, and we now have better nutrition and a healthier body weight. |
| To understand why you haven’t started yet, you’ll need the right vocabulary. | To understand why you haven’t started yet, you’ll need the right vocabulary. |
| First up: puberty, which is when the body releases hormones that tell it to grow up. In girls, breast-budding, crotch and underarm hair and, later, periods are the major signs of puberty. In boys, the voice drops and they start looking enviously at dad’s razor. | First up: puberty, which is when the body releases hormones that tell it to grow up. In girls, breast-budding, crotch and underarm hair and, later, periods are the major signs of puberty. In boys, the voice drops and they start looking enviously at dad’s razor. |
| Menarche is a word that only scientists use, because they like Greek and because it’s one word, and simpler than “when your periods start”. They also like “precocious pubarche”, which means early puberty, or in plain language, hair growing under arms and in the crotch area, around the time you decide you need your first bra (and your mother says you don’t). Then there’s premature thelarche, which is the appearance of breasts in young girls long before they reach proper puberty. In the US, this “breast budding” has been seen in girls as young as two. An influential 1997 study of 17,000 American girls aged three to 12 found that 8% of white and 25% of African-American girls showed sexual precocity - evidence of crotch hair or breast budding – before the age of eight. The age of menarche has also fallen in recent decades though not as dramatically, dropping from 12.8 in the US to 12.5. | Menarche is a word that only scientists use, because they like Greek and because it’s one word, and simpler than “when your periods start”. They also like “precocious pubarche”, which means early puberty, or in plain language, hair growing under arms and in the crotch area, around the time you decide you need your first bra (and your mother says you don’t). Then there’s premature thelarche, which is the appearance of breasts in young girls long before they reach proper puberty. In the US, this “breast budding” has been seen in girls as young as two. An influential 1997 study of 17,000 American girls aged three to 12 found that 8% of white and 25% of African-American girls showed sexual precocity - evidence of crotch hair or breast budding – before the age of eight. The age of menarche has also fallen in recent decades though not as dramatically, dropping from 12.8 in the US to 12.5. |
| What has changed? Our world, and us. Puberty and periods are governed by our body chemicals, including hormones. When puberty is due, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is released from the hypothalamus in the brain, unleashing reactions that cause hair to grow, breasts to bud, voices to drop. But GnRH is in turn relegated by many chemical triggers, including leptin, produced by fat. | What has changed? Our world, and us. Puberty and periods are governed by our body chemicals, including hormones. When puberty is due, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is released from the hypothalamus in the brain, unleashing reactions that cause hair to grow, breasts to bud, voices to drop. But GnRH is in turn relegated by many chemical triggers, including leptin, produced by fat. |
| It used to be thought that puberty was triggered by bone mass (that is, when a girl’s pubic bones are mature enough to cope with gestation and birth). A more recent theory, though, is that it’s body fat that is the catalyst (a girl gets to a certain weight, and her body knows it’s time to grow up). One study of adolescent dancers, known for their leanness, found that they started menstruating later than their non-dancing peers. Fatter children equals earlier puberty. Stress can also play a part, as stress releases hormones too. One startling study found that internationally adopted children who moved to Denmark began puberty earlier than their Danish peers, no matter where they had come from. Broken homes, depressed mothers, the presence of a stepfather: all have been linked to early puberty in girls. The evolutionary argument for this is compelling but hard to prove: if life is going to be hard, then maturing earlier ensures earlier procreation and better survival. | It used to be thought that puberty was triggered by bone mass (that is, when a girl’s pubic bones are mature enough to cope with gestation and birth). A more recent theory, though, is that it’s body fat that is the catalyst (a girl gets to a certain weight, and her body knows it’s time to grow up). One study of adolescent dancers, known for their leanness, found that they started menstruating later than their non-dancing peers. Fatter children equals earlier puberty. Stress can also play a part, as stress releases hormones too. One startling study found that internationally adopted children who moved to Denmark began puberty earlier than their Danish peers, no matter where they had come from. Broken homes, depressed mothers, the presence of a stepfather: all have been linked to early puberty in girls. The evolutionary argument for this is compelling but hard to prove: if life is going to be hard, then maturing earlier ensures earlier procreation and better survival. |
| Then there are endocrine, or hormonal, disruptors. Our modern environment is filled with them. BPA, a chemical that can mimic oestrogen in the body, is found in plastics, tin can linings and in till and card receipts. It’s also found in us: 93% of the adult population have BPA in their body tissues, according to Breast Cancer UK. In 2011, its use was banned in baby bottles by the EU. France banned its use in cans and thermal till receipts, but the ban was partly overturned by French courts. There is still loud criticism when the concept that BPA can damage bodies is raised (the argument is that low exposure isn’t harmful, though that is also questioned). But the rise of hormonal linked conditions such as endometriosis, which I have, and which is now found in pre-pubescent girls, is disturbing. And it’s not just BPA: endocrine disruptors such as phthalates and DDA are found everywhere from lipstick to floor polish. In February this year, the European Commission member states decided that BPA should be classed as a category 1B presumed reproductive toxicant. | Then there are endocrine, or hormonal, disruptors. Our modern environment is filled with them. BPA, a chemical that can mimic oestrogen in the body, is found in plastics, tin can linings and in till and card receipts. It’s also found in us: 93% of the adult population have BPA in their body tissues, according to Breast Cancer UK. In 2011, its use was banned in baby bottles by the EU. France banned its use in cans and thermal till receipts, but the ban was partly overturned by French courts. There is still loud criticism when the concept that BPA can damage bodies is raised (the argument is that low exposure isn’t harmful, though that is also questioned). But the rise of hormonal linked conditions such as endometriosis, which I have, and which is now found in pre-pubescent girls, is disturbing. And it’s not just BPA: endocrine disruptors such as phthalates and DDA are found everywhere from lipstick to floor polish. In February this year, the European Commission member states decided that BPA should be classed as a category 1B presumed reproductive toxicant. |
| Girls who mature sooner than average are more vulnerable to depression, emotional stress, and anxiety. Physiologically, their earlier bone growth spurt may stop sooner than their peers, and they may be short in stature. You may be depressed if your periods haven’t started, but studies show your depression won’t last as long as girls who have matured early. And you may be taller, too. However, if you have reached the age of 16 without starting your periods, then you have primary amenorrhoea and should consult a GP, as it may have a medical cause. | Girls who mature sooner than average are more vulnerable to depression, emotional stress, and anxiety. Physiologically, their earlier bone growth spurt may stop sooner than their peers, and they may be short in stature. You may be depressed if your periods haven’t started, but studies show your depression won’t last as long as girls who have matured early. And you may be taller, too. However, if you have reached the age of 16 without starting your periods, then you have primary amenorrhoea and should consult a GP, as it may have a medical cause. |
| But generally, if your periods haven’t arrived yet, and you’re under 16, be patient. It could be due to your biological clock, your body weight, your parentage, whether you have a stepdad, whether you are happy, whether you love Big Macs, which shampoo you use, or all sorts of complicated biological and chemical factors. | But generally, if your periods haven’t arrived yet, and you’re under 16, be patient. It could be due to your biological clock, your body weight, your parentage, whether you have a stepdad, whether you are happy, whether you love Big Macs, which shampoo you use, or all sorts of complicated biological and chemical factors. |
| Anyway what’s the rush? Even though the tampon tax – a 5% levy on women’s sanitary products – is supposedly going to be banished, you’ve still got an average of 40 years of bleeding ahead of you, which you’ll have to pay for, taxed or not. | Anyway what’s the rush? Even though the tampon tax – a 5% levy on women’s sanitary products – is supposedly going to be banished, you’ve still got an average of 40 years of bleeding ahead of you, which you’ll have to pay for, taxed or not. |