When "adolescence" meets unreliable "aunt"

Puberty is an important transition period for every girl. Physical changes and menstruation are often accompanied by surprise, confusion, bewilderment, shyness and even fear. Girls not only have to face increasingly intense academic work, but also begin to care about the eyes and comments of others.

We often hear people around us say: "It's normal for girls to have irregular menstruation, it will get better when they grow up!"

This is both right and wrong.

In the first two or three years after menarche, the body's "precision instrument" responsible for regulating "menstruation" is still in the running-in stage, and ovulation cannot be regular. Menstrual irregularities often occur, and parents at this stage often show two extremes:

"Don't be too particular, just let it go" -

Due to the high focus on learning and the lack of physiological knowledge, they completely ignore menstrual abnormalities, thus delaying the opportunity for disease intervention and treatment;

"Every tree and grass looks like an enemy, panic-stricken" -

"Too much emphasis" on menstruation will cause anxiety if there is even a little abnormality. This excessive tension will bring unnecessary psychological impact to the child.

In recent years, the society has been advocating distorted aesthetic standards such as "a good woman should not be over 100 pounds" and "A4 waist". The temptations of delicious foods such as milk tea and desserts are also endless. However, few people know that the problems hidden behind them, such as blind weight loss and high-calorie diet, may inadvertently damage the girls' ovaries and endocrine functions.

What Dr. Gu often says in the clinic is: "We allow girls to have irregular menstruation, but we cannot accept her being 'obviously' abnormal!" So, we have to understand where is the "bottom line" for irregular menstruation during adolescence?

First of all, we have to divide people and situations——

The first year after menarche: Menstrual irregularities are normal and part of the transition to puberty. As long as they are not life-threatening and do not significantly affect your life, they can generally be left alone.

1 to 3 years after menarche: The acceptable menstrual cycle (the interval between the first days of two menstrual periods) is 21 to 45 days. If it repeatedly exceeds this range, it is recommended to see a doctor;

3 years after menarche: In the eyes of doctors, you are already a grown-up girl, and your endocrine level has stabilized. If your menstrual cycle is shorter than 21 days or longer than 35 days, or you have less than 8 menstruations per year, it is recommended to see a doctor.

One year after menarche, if you do not have menstruation for more than 3 months, you are advised to see a doctor.

If your breasts have not started to develop at the age of 14, or if you have not had your period for 3 years after your breasts started to develop, it is recommended that you see a doctor.

So what is the most common cause of menstrual irregularities among teenage girls? Adolescent polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) must be on the list!

PCOS is one of the most common female endocrine diseases. It often begins in adolescence and is commonly manifested by irregular menstruation, excessive androgen levels (acne, oily skin, hair loss, and hirsutism), and obesity. It affects women's health throughout their lives and includes a series of issues such as fertility, endocrine (obesity, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, etc.), and psychological (anxiety, depression, etc.). It is far more than just menstrual disorders and should not be ignored.

However, in clinical practice, the rate of missed diagnosis of adolescent PCOS is quite high because it is too "cunning". Its onset signals are often hidden in those seemingly normal symptoms, and even doctors are often fooled:

Irregular menstruation? — It’s normal for a girl to have irregular menstruation. Even the doctor says so!

Acne and oily skin? — Acne, acne, pimples are common during adolescence, is this considered a disease?

Obese? ——Nowadays, living conditions are so good and there are so many things to do. Nutrition must be kept up. It is normal to be a little fat!

Psychological problems? - With so much stress in studying and so much internal competition, plus the rebellious period, which kid doesn't have some psychological problems? Don't make a mountain out of a molehill!

…

PCOS during adolescence lurks in the numb idea that "it's normal", harming children's health unknowingly every day.

Therefore, we urge all girls who are suffering from menstrual disorders, gaining weight even when drinking water, or acne to go to the hospital for evaluation in time. Even if you are diagnosed with adolescent PCOS, there is no need to be nervous. You can completely minimize the harm caused by the disease through scientific lifestyle management and reasonable medication.

It’s not scary when “adolescence” encounters the unreliable “period”, what’s scary is that you treat it unreliably.

Content from : Gu Zhuowei Shanghai Renji Hospital Medical Service Number