At what age do girls normally start menstruating?

During the growth process of life, women will experience their first menstruation at around the age of 14 or 15. The first menstruation means that you are slowly changing from a little girl to a woman. But some little girls still don't get their first period after they are 18 years old. What is going on here? There are many reasons for this situation. Today I will give you a brief introduction on the normal age for girls to have their first period.

Starting from puberty, the eggs in the ovaries gradually develop, mature and are released. At the same time, the ovaries secrete estrogen and progesterone, which promote the thickening of the endometrium and the proliferation of blood vessels, creating conditions for the fertilized egg to develop, mature and implant in the uterus. If the released egg is not fertilized, the secretion of estrogen and progesterone in the ovaries will decrease rapidly, causing necrosis and shedding of endometrial tissue and rupture and bleeding of blood vessels. The discharge of shed endometrial fragments along with blood from the vagina is called menstruation.

Under normal circumstances, it is not possible to generalize the age at which girls start menstruating. The time of women's menarche is constantly changing with the progress of the times. Nowadays, most girls have their first menstruation around the age of 12. If a girl over 16 years old does not have her period and her secondary sexual characteristics such as breasts, pubic hair and armpit hair are not developed, she should go to the hospital for a check-up as soon as possible.

If you are over 14 years old and have developed secondary sexual characteristics but have not had your period, you should also see a doctor. If a girl is over 18 and has not had her first menstrual period, it is called amenorrhea. One is primary amenorrhea, and the latter is called secondary amenorrhea.

Primary amenorrhea refers to women who are over 18 years old or whose secondary sexual characteristics have matured for more than 2 years but still have no menstruation. It is seen in congenital reproductive tract abnormalities such as incomplete or absent uterus, congenital ovarian hypoplasia or absence, primary pituitary hypogonadotropism and congenital adrenal hyperplasia. In a few cases, pseudo-amenorrhea caused by lower reproductive tract atresia should be excluded.

For girls who have not had their periods after the age of 15, parents should take them to the hospital for a detailed and scientific examination in time to find out the reasons for the delay in their periods. If primary amenorrhea occurs, it should be treated promptly to avoid delaying treatment and causing irreversible consequences.