My Friend Flo....and other thoughts on Menarche

As I read about many of your experiences with menarche, I cannot help but reflect on my own, my research, and my girls (who are approaching this significant rite of passage).

To introduce this topic, I offer you a clip from a brilliant movie called, "Period Piece" by Jay Rosenblatt:







Many years ago, I read an interesting book called, "The Body Project." In this book, the author, Joan Jacobs Brumberg recounts a historical view of young womanhood and the way in which American culture has shaped the way young women think about their bodies. In one chapter, Brumberg explains that during the Victorian times and even into the early part of the 20th Century, young women were witness to childbirth. Going through menarche was a rite of passage that signified that a young woman could now become a mother herself. Although it was not openly discussed, it was given its due respect. Many young women in more agricultural, rural setttings assisted their aunts, mothers, and friends during their labor. Young women seemed to be more connected with their parents, adults, siblings, and mentors. Skip to the onset of the tampon and the "sexual revolution" and suddenly one's period has become a hygiene discussion. Young women are given a box from Tampax to discuss what is often the most important event in a young girls' life. Somehow having a period has been associated with having a "curse," and is discussed in gym class or in a one-shot discussion with elementary school teachers and peers right along with deodarant and training bras. Somehow, the physical, emotional, and sociological meaning behind menarche has been diminished.





Contrast this to differing cultures, such as certain Native American tribes where menarchael blood is considered magical or all-powerful. Young women in these cultures are taught to celebrate this time, as they are coming into their own power.





This reminds me of my own experiences with menarche. I was 12 1/2, walking home from school when it happened. I had already had a chat with my mother, as well as seen the "Walt Disney" version of "the birds and the bees" film in PE class with my peers. But, nothing could prepare me for what this was like. I thought I might be bleeding to death! My mother assured me this was not the case and gave me a pad the side of the Titanic ;-) She seemed strangely excited for me, and hugged me and told me I was " a woman" now! She even called up my 6 other old siblings to tell them their little sister "had now become a woman." (I can so sympathize with Molly Ringwald in the movie, 16 Candles!). We later dug into a cake that my mom made in honor of this memorable day. I got flowers. And I got a mother-daughter talk about responsibility and what it really means to have this "power."Overall, it was an overwhelming but positive, affirming experience. It wasn't until I was much older that I learned that this was a unique experience--most of my friends had negative, "embarrasing" experiences. There was a lot of dread and shame surrounding their stories. It saddened me and made me think: How does this experience impact women's body image development, sexual behaviors, and attitudes about young womanhood?





So, a few years ago, I set out to explore high school females knowledge, experience, and attitudes about menarche. To sum things up, out of the 172 teens ages 14-18 we intereviewed and surveyed, almost 93% never connected menarche to pregnancy. Most did not feel they really understood what was happening in their bodies during menstruation, and almost all of them (90%) had negative experiences with menarche. For many, they were educated by a box, a tampon box, a brochure, a movie, or their friends. Very few really learned much from their parents in terms of actual physiology. One comment I will always remember is a girl saying that her dad said, "Just be sure to keep your legs together."


Can't we do better to educate our young girls? As we look to figure out why teen pregnancy is on the rise in the U.S. (again), perhaps we should take a look at the way we are educating young adults, especially young girls, about their bodies. Sex is a sideline issue here: I'm talking about young women knowing how their own bodies work and the responsibility that comes with the physiological (and emotional) changes taking place. We need to open up dialogues in our homes with parents and children, in churches, in schools, as well as society in general--talking about the truths, not the distortions and misrepresentations the media promotes. We also need to talk to parents about how to talk to their children about these issues.





The young girls in the study we conducted stated that they wished they had spent more time on menstruation as well as learned about menstruation sooner (most learned in 7th or 6th grade). The also advised schools to teach young men about menstruation, too (though at separate times--without the girls). The young women felt that girls in 3rd or 4th grade were especially in need since the average age of menstruation has steadily declined over the years (in the U.S. it is now below 12.5, and in some ethnic groups, as low as 10).

They also suggested teachers use better media than what they had seen in school. Here's an example of what I was shown in 5th grade. This is a film by Disney called, "Menstruation Story." See what you think!

If you're interested in exploring this issue further, please check out Brumberg's book (The Body Project) as well as another one called, "The Lolita Effect: The Oversexualization of Young Girls and What We Can Do about It" by Gigi Durham. Both can be found on the Barnes and Noble website.





I'm interested in learning more about your views as well. What do you think needs to be done to better prepare young women?





Also, for an interesting, historical look at menstruation in America, view the "Mum: Menstruation Museum" Online at http://www.mum.org/





Dr. Early