Young girls menstruating

miamee

A friend has two daughters aged 8 and 7, they are both in the same primary school. In Seotember both of their teachers told mammy that there would be sanitary bins in the girls toilets this year as there were some girls who apparently needed them last year at that age. Is it me or is this incredibly young to be getting their periods? I think I was 11 when I got mine and even at that it was fleeting and irregular and didn't become regular until I was 12 or 13. I was definitely one of the first in my group of friends to get them too.

I presume that even if it happened to one girl in the school, they need to make provisions in case it happens again but they are so young! They all have to be told now what the bins are for. I think I was 10 or 11 when I was given the good news about periods, though I was a bit innocent for my age, maybe others learned at a younger age.

Is this common place now, are girls really getting them so young?

Contessa Raven

It's called Precocious Puberty and it is becoming more common, apparently.

This is the definition as given by the Mayo Clinic:

Precocious puberty is when a child's body begins changing into that of an adult (puberty) too soon. Puberty that begins before age 8 in girls and before age 9 in boys is considered precocious puberty.

Puberty includes rapid growth of bones and muscles, changes in body shape and size, and development of the body's ability to reproduce.

The cause of precocious puberty often can't be found. Rarely, certain conditions, such as infections, hormone disorders, tumors, brain abnormalities or injuries, may cause precocious puberty. Treatment for precocious puberty typically includes medication to delay further development.

Those girls that the school mentioned are exceptions to the norm and it probably won't be necessary for the sanitary bins in the toilets. But what's the harm? After the initial introduction, they will notice them in public toilets everywhere and realise how common they are.

eviltwin

Its probably not common but common enough for the bins to be needed. I was 12 but my daughter was 11 and a few of her friends had already started by then.

Faith

If I remember my reproductive biology module properly, the first period is triggered by your body reaching a certain weight. Overweight girls are more likely to start having periods early, compared to normal weight girls, so there may be an element of that.

sullivlo

I think I was 12 but I can't be sure.

There were bins in the upstairs toilets of my primary school, but only in I think 5 of the cubicles. I remember one of the girls starting her period, but I can't remember whether that was 4th or 5th class. I remember at the time that it was a MASSIVE deal that there was a woman amongst us. I remember there was always whispered discussions "did you get yours yet?"

But the age range differed hugely - I remember some of my friends were 15! But one of my friends said she was 8 and plagued by them almost immediately.

Is it just me or did girls puke/pass out with blood loss/cry with pain/miss lots of school a lot more than we do now as grown ups. Were they really that bad? Or are they still that bad but we're just used to it now?

I remember getting people to turn on the hand drier in the bathroom so that nobody would hear me change my pad, such was the secrecy. Mind you I am still pretty much the same and try not to advertise the fact that I'm shedding the auld womb lining. Not out of shame or embarrassment or anything, more out of a why do people need to know, kinda way. I can understand that a sexual partner might need to know. Or maybe a doctor or whatever. But how are you supposed to react if someone just says "I got my period" - well done? Unless there's a genuine reason (my insides feel like they're being scraped out of me with a rusty spoon, do you have any paracetamol?) I don't see a reason to mention it.

It's fairly obvious when I get mine though. I cry at stupid things, eat all of the food, and lose my ability to parallel park.

kylith

Well, the youngest recorded pregnancy was a 5 year old (the poor thing) back in the 1930s, so shockingly early menstruation isn't a new thing, but it's far from the norm.

IvyTheTerrible

My mum had her period at 9 years old back in the sixties so it does happen earlier.

Utdfan20titles

kylith wrote: »

Well, the youngest recorded pregnancy was a 5 year old (the poor thing) back in the 1930s, so shockingly early menstruation isn't a new thing, but it's far from the norm.

What had the 5 year old been up to?

Dolbert

Utdfan20titles wrote: »

What had the 5 year old been up to?

Being sexually abused, what other possible explanation is there? Poor child.

Utdfan20titles

Dolbert wrote: »

Being sexually abused, what other possible explanation is there? Poor child.

Never even taught of that, no wonder I was confused

I remember feeling burdened by menstruation at 12 - not delighted at how grown up I was. I wasn't.

I can't imagine it at 7 or 8, thats a short time to be a carefree child. You should be playing with toys, not dealing with pain and bleeding when you're just a little girl. Life can be very hard.

Scarinae

I was 12 when I got my first period, but one of my friends got hers when she was 9. It does feel like 7 would be particularly young to get it, but I suppose having the bins in the cubicles just in case makes sense even if nobody ever needs to use them - otherwise they'd have to take their used pads out to the regular bins which might draw attention to them regarding something they may already be embarrassed about.

RhubarbCrumble

I was 13 when I got mine (early '90s) and most of my friends were around the same age, but I did have one friend who started at 11 and a cousin who was 10. Poor kids though. At 13 I was so bad that I used to pass out practically every month from the pain and had quite heavy periods too. I couldn't imagine trying to cope with that at 8 or 9 when 13 was hard enough.

Spanish Eyes

Early periods....ordinary periods, pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, aren't women lucky all the same.

notsoyoungwan

I was 11 when I started. My mother was quite out of touch and her best advice was they I should carry a pad (those massive dr whites yokes, this was before the days of always ultra) up each sleeve at school, so that when I needed to go to the loo I wouldn't be rooting in my school bag. She didn't seem to consider that I'd be walking around with bulky looking forearms though!

It was a hard age to start them though, as only one other girl in my class started that year.

Stheno

I started in fourth class it was horrid

Penny Tration

I was 8 when I got my first and it was horrendous. I hadn't had the talk about them yet because I was so young.

I was in school, and before the period actually started, I had insane pains in my stomach, sweats and vomited a few times until the school sent me home sick. Got my period about an hour after I got home and was vomiting all night.

Until my mam explained it all to me, i thought I was dying! my best friend was 17 getting hers though, as was my mam.


So i think it's good that they have the bins in younger classes. As the weight of people in ireland rises, precocious puberty will be more and more common.

LynnGrace

Candie wrote: »

I remember feeling burdened by menstruation at 12 - not delighted at how grown up I was. I wasn't.

I can't imagine it at 7 or 8, thats a short time to be a carefree child. You should be playing with toys, not dealing with pain and bleeding when you're just a little girl. Life can be very hard.

Same here, just exactly 12 years old. I think I was the first of my friends. Not that I wanted that accolade.

I have read mostly on uk websites about it becoming common for periods to arrive at much younger ages. Poor little girls. I have little nieces around 7, 8, 9. I would hate for then to have to deal with all of that so young.

mahamageehad

I was 12 and in 6th class. In my primary school only the 6th class bathrooms had bins. Age group of 11-13 I guess. My sister is two years younger than me and shortly after I left school they also added bins in the upstairs bathroom (used for 4th and 5th class so from about 9 up I'd guess). I think my ma and a few others actually had a hand in that as my sister was younger than me getting em and she was terrified about not having a bin or having to sneak into the "older girls" bathroom to dispose of them.

About a year or so after that they put bins in all the downstairs bathrooms used by the kids up to 3rd class. I remember that one specifically because the youngest sister was still about that age and my parents had to sign a form acknowledging that the bins would be put there.

To be fair, I don't see a problem with younger girls seeing the bins, if it helps even one kid it's worth it. Must be tough enough to start your periods at 7 or 8 without needing the additional stress of worrying about bins etc. As someone said earlier, they are in most public toilets in the cinema, restaurants etc so it shouldn't really be earth-shattering for the kids.

Victoria.

I'm all for putting bins in any bathroom where there would potentially be a need for them. Their presence won't even register for girls that don't have a need for them.

I started having periods at 12 and a half and that was around average for my group of friends. This was in the early 00s. Girls are hitting puberty earlier and earlier and a lot of that is down to nutritional reasons and hitting that body mass target (incl. about 17% body fat) that the body has pre-programmed for starting puberty. We in turn, down to better nutrition reached puberty earlier than women in Victorian times where the first period was a few years later. There's actually a good few factors that dictate when menarche will occur.

Anyway back to the bins, I went away with my class when I was in 6th year to the gaeltacht and they had no bins in the bathroom at the school. None, like not even any bins outside the stalls or anything. This meant for that the week I was there I had to keep used sanitary items in my schoolbag and dispose of them discreetly elsewhere at the school. Young girls are even weird about unwrapping pads in the bathroom in case someone hears a noise and then someone 'knows' they have their period so you can imagine that I wasn't very chilled out having to look for alternative bin! So I say put bins in any bathroom where there's a chance someone may need one!

IvyTheTerrible

There is also some suggestion that chemicals in cosmetics and other toiletries can be causing early puberty.

Penny Tration

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

There is also some suggestion that chemicals in cosmetics and other toiletries can be causing early puberty.

Really? Wow. Any links? I'm not trying to discredit you at all, just genuinely interested in reading about this. I read a bit about the weight correlation, which IME seems accurate based on the girls I know who hit puberty so young, including myself, but hadn't heard about a chemical correlation.

IvyTheTerrible

Penny Tration wrote: »

Really? Wow. Any links? I'm not trying to discredit you at all, just genuinely interested in reading about this. I read a bit about the weight correlation, which IME seems accurate based on the girls I know who hit puberty so young, including myself, but hadn't heard about a chemical correlation.

A possible link to plastics: http://chej.org/2012/04/02/early-puberty-in-girls-is-there-a-connection-to-plastics-3/
And to common chemicals: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100405122309.htm

Penny Tration

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

A possible link to plastics: http://chej.org/2012/04/02/early-puberty-in-girls-is-there-a-connection-to-plastics-3/
And to common chemicals: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100405122309.htm

Wow. That's quite scary, if eventually proven. It could lead to much higher numbers of women developing breast cancer in future generations.


Not a pleasant thought.

DM addict

I am in favour of bins being available whenever they're needed - and for some girls, that means primary school.

I am also in favour of not stigmatising periods, and having children being aware that this is something that happens to women.

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

When I was in secondary school, about 16, some of us were staying in for some after school thing and one of my male friends decided to take the opportunity to go into the girls' bathrooms. Completely baffled by the bins, and for some reason a bit personally affronted "That's not fair, how come ye get bins in the stalls and we don't! What do ye even need bins for?"

Cue very red-faced, staring-at-the-floor explanation from us and very-red-faced, changing-of-the-subject reaction from him. It's funny looking back because at that age it was an excruciating situation whereas now it'd be nothing or a bit of a laugh. And yeah that was at 16, navigating the whole thing at 8 or 9 must be terrible!

And it like what, an extra fifty periods during your life?! Although I suppose the first while they probably wouldn't be regular. Still, dose. I do have one friend who got hers at 9 and I remember we were all gobsmacked when she told us that, nobody else had gotten it before 12. If it's a weight thing that's pretty terrible, are there actually that many children who are that overweight that early? That's a shocking reflection on a society and its parents.

Sunny Dayz

I think it's a great idea to have the bins in the toilets for girls that young. I do think kids are developing earlier, which is sad to see, they really are young only for a short while. For primary school age, I think it is important to have sanitary bins in the girls toilets. I was lucky I didn't start my periods until the summer just after I left national school but I don't remember there being any sanitary bins in the girls toilets for 5th/6th class.
Speaking as someone whose child is an early developer (boy), it's a confusing and difficult time for them to be more physically advanced than their peers. BTW my fella is not overweight, he was always tall for his age, started developing age 10 and we just thought he was an early starter until he was diagnosed with a genetic condition earlier this year and one of the side effects can be precocious puberty. A small thing like sanitary bins for girls would make things even a tiny bit easier for them at that age when they become so aware of themselves and other around them.

woodchuck

Gunner Curved Trucker wrote: »

When I was in secondary school, about 16, some of us were staying in for some after school thing and one of my male friends decided to take the opportunity to go into the girls' bathrooms. Completely baffled by the bins, and for some reason a bit personally affronted "That's not fair, how come ye get bins in the stalls and we don't! What do ye even need bins for?"

Cue very red-faced, staring-at-the-floor explanation from us and very-red-faced, changing-of-the-subject reaction from him. It's funny looking back because at that age it was an excruciating situation whereas now it'd be nothing or a bit of a laugh. And yeah that was at 16, navigating the whole thing at 8 or 9 must be terrible!

And it like what, an extra fifty periods during your life?! Although I suppose the first while they probably wouldn't be regular. Still, dose. I do have one friend who got hers at 9 and I remember we were all gobsmacked when she told us that, nobody else had gotten it before 12. If it's a weight thing that's pretty terrible, are there actually that many children who are that overweight that early? That's a shocking reflection on a society and its parents.

That's hilarious!

On the "fifty extra periods" thing though... would they? Would you not just start menopause earlier? I thought we were all born with a finite number of eggs. So if you start releasing them say 5 years early, surely we stop releasing them 5 years early?

miamee

woodchuck wrote: »

That's hilarious!

On the "fifty extra periods" thing though... would they? Would you not just start menopause earlier? I thought we were all born with a finite number of eggs. So if you start releasing them say 5 years early, surely we stop releasing them 5 years early?

I have no idea but we can only hope.

IvyTheTerrible

woodchuck wrote: »

That's hilarious!

On the "fifty extra periods" thing though... would they? Would you not just start menopause earlier? I thought we were all born with a finite number of eggs. So if you start releasing them say 5 years early, surely we stop releasing them 5 years early?

Not neccessarily. We are born with a finite number of eggs, it doesn't mean we have the SAME number of eggs to begin with.
As I said, my mum's periods started at 9 years old, and she was still having the odd period at 55/60.

woodchuck

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

Not neccessarily. We are born with a finite number of eggs, it doesn't mean we have the SAME number of eggs to begin with.
As I said, my mum's periods started at 9 years old, and she was still having the odd period at 55/60.

Yeah I get what you mean, but I mean for each individual. So if I started my period at 7 years old instead of 12 years old, would I stop having my periods 5 years earlier than if I started my period at 12 years old?

sullivlo

woodchuck wrote: »

Yeah I get what you mean, but I mean for each individual. So if I started my period at 7 years old instead of 12 years old, would I stop having my periods 5 years earlier than if I started my period at 12 years old?

Not if your egg stock was higher.

So let's say you have 100 eggs. That translates to 100 periods. Regardless of the age that you get your first period, your body will have a period for each egg.

But I only have 90 eggs, so I'll have 10 less periods than you, however if I started my period around the same time that you did, we'll finish around the same time. But if I had 100 eggs we wouldn't.

If that makes sense!

Tasden

Penny Tration wrote: »

Really? Wow. Any links? I'm not trying to discredit you at all, just genuinely interested in reading about this. I read a bit about the weight correlation, which IME seems accurate based on the girls I know who hit puberty so young, including myself, but hadn't heard about a chemical correlation.

I had mine early enough, think like 4th class and remember my mam saying I hadn't even reached the "proper weight", I was super skinny and short. Felt so hard done by that I got it before I was "supposed to" based on age and weight!

Tasden

Tasden wrote: »

I had mine early enough, think like 4th class and remember my mam saying I hadn't even reached the "proper weight", I was super skinny and short. Felt so hard done by that I got it before I was "supposed to" based on age and weight!

Same, I was way off the weight and height even though I was 12.

It's not fair being an anomaly :P

I just turned 13 when I got mine. My Mother and her Mother got theirs when they were 11, so it was expected I would get mine then too. There were no bins in our primary school toilets at all. You would have to go up to the bin in the classroom. In a mixed school this was awful as you can imagine at that age! Turns out most of my friends had theirs since they were 11 or 12. Think they got the bins in a year or two after I left. Not sure how many classes they are in though.

I remember my period was horrific at that age. So heavy and painful. Lasted about 8 days too. Hooray for the pill!

Dial Hard

I got mine at 11 and I honestly can't remember if there were sanitary bins in the toilets at my school.

Like Lia Lia I suffered from horrendously heavy and long periods. Went on the Pill at 16 and haven't looked back since. These days I take my last pill on a Tuesday, start bleeding *very* lightly late on Sunday and it stops like flicking a switch as soon as I take first pill of the next pack on the Wednesday.

I LOVE the Pill.

alroley

A girl in my sisters class got her period when she was 8. It happens and much better for the school to be prepared.

goose2005

I believe it's common for African girls to get their period a few years earlier as well, so that's another reason why the age would go down

beans

I've been reading that absent fathers can contribute to precocious puberty in girls. Does anyone's experience here back that up?

New Home

When I was 15 or 16, in my class there were only 6 girls, and one day we started talking about our periods. One girl kept fainting (she fainted at least three times in front of me); I accidentally dropped a tampon in class without realising it and I was in complete panic when I couldn't find it in my pocket when I went to the loo, only to come back to a classful of guys laughing their face off (that was not a good day!); another girl told us she got her first period when she was 9, which sounded incredibly young to us at the time, and she also told us that it seemed there was a relation between early periods and breast cancer! :eek: I don't know who told her that or whether that's actually true, but it scared the hell out of us and I've never forgotten it.

As for the bins, I agree, it's a good thing - the girls who need them can use them, and for the others it'll just be a bin, no biggie.

Lux23

I can remember conversations that took place in ear shot of me when I started my period at 11. It was along the lines, "oh she is very young" and "I hope my daughter doesn't start so soon". I remember it made me feel dirty and ashamed so I am always wary on discussions like this. Another one that makes me shudder is "she is very advanced for her age". You big creep, stop talking about a child's body like that.