By DeAnna L’am

One of my mentors said to me many years ago:

“It’s great to work on cleaning the barn, but don’t forget to RIDE THE PONIES!”

When I heard myself sounding like an old tape-recorder reminding my daughter Ellah (9) of simple things she needs to do every day, I decided to start taking walks with her.

Are you so busy reminding your girl of her homework/chores/the need to get-out-of-the-door, that you don’t have time to enjoy her anymore??? If you wonder where did all the joy go, now that your girl is approaching puberty, read on…

We bundle up every morning before school, and go for our special time together. We pause as we enter the walking trail, and thank Mother Earth for her beauty. While Ellah skips, hops, and jumps around me, I take my “power walk.” We invent little songs and pacing-rhymes; we open our eyes to see the skies, our ears to listen to birds, and our hearts to take in the beauty. I enjoy my daughter’s company immensely on these walks, as well as get my exercise!

How can you implement this with your girl (or children)?

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When I first got my period, I was 13 years old. I was sitting on my front porch with a close girl friend of mine and we were listening to music together, just hanging out. To be honest, I didn’t actually feel my period come. I noticed that it had arrived when I went to the washroom and yes, it had soaked right through my fashionable skin tight jean shorts that were light denim in color with pink roses painted on them. I felt completely humiliated and embarrassed and I READ MORE… »

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Your daughter will soon be entering (or recently has entered) an exciting stage in her life. Essentially she is crossing the threshold between the girl she has been and the woman she will become. Thanks to hormones, everything will be changing: physically, emotionally, cognitively and even socially. You can be assured that with a little knowledge, open and frequent communication, and lots of love, you and your daughter will grow closer and closer as you navigate this new stage of life together.

Being prepared is the best way to ensure that your daughter has a positive experience whenever her first period begins.

What’s Happening in Her Body?
Menstruation is a cycle in the female body that allows fertilization or pregnancy to happen. Your daughter’s first menstrual cycle begins when her ovaries release hormones, which signal the lining of the womb to thicken, preparing a place for a fertilized egg to grow. The pituitary gland also sends a hormonal signal to the ovaries, who then release an egg or ovum. This is called ovulation and happens in the middle of the cycle. The egg floats down the fallopian tube on a path to the uterus.

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Symptoms: Not every woman experiences every symptom, thank goodness, but the most common ones that will sneak up on you are irregular periods, hot flashes, headaches, night sweats, and loss of sex drive. There are natural and hormonal therapies to help you manage – see your doctor. What’s the positive? You save money on sanitary products, you can take that Alaskan cruise now and stay warm and your husband will become more attentive, helpful and romantic as he tries to woo you.

Changes: Your sleep patterns will change, your weight will go up and your hair will find new places to grow and not to grow. Your nails will get brittle, your body odor will change and your memory . . . um, I forgot. The upside? You can spend more time at the beauty parlor or spa and not feel guilty or indulgent. The memory thing is a great excuse for missing Stan’s slideshow presentation. A magnifying mirror and a good tweezers will take care of the chin hairs. And as for the weight gain . . . oh, shoot, I forgot again.

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 By Suzan Hutchinson

 

Amy Elifritz was age 20, menstruating and using tampons, when she came down with what appeared to be the flu.  She died four days later from Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS).  After Amy’s death, her mother, Lisa, founded You ARE Loved, a nonprofit that raises awareness about tampon related Toxic Shock Syndrome and provides factual menstrual information.

Since launching the You ARE Loved website, we have received and posted several stories of girls and young women who developed tampon related TSS in recent years: Sarah and Brittany, both age 15 – Alex, age 16 – Katelyn, 17 – Amanda, 19 – Lauren, 20 – Nikki, who died of TSS at 21 – Shenikwa, a college student – Heather, a new mom….

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By Arielle Denise Dance, MA in Women’s Health

What is endometriosis?Endometriosis…such a big word that can be very confusing. If you were to search the word, there would be information about painful periods, possible infertility and treatment options of surgery and birth control. You may find pictures of damaged reproductive organs from years of scarring or women doubled over in pain. If you were to ask me to simply explain this big word, endometriosis, I’d tell you that it is a disease of women’s reproductive organs that causes intense pain especially during their periods. Endometriosis can keep some women from doing daily activities like going to school or work and even from having children.

A woman with endometriosis may feel pain even when it is not time for her period. The pain may be cramping, sharp, dull, achy or stabbing. Some women feel pain on one side of their belly or in many places. Endometriosis may also cause pain in the legs and back along with headaches, pain with bowel movements or urination. Bloating, constipation and diarrhea are also possible.  All of these symptoms can seem unbearable and can cause extreme exhaustion.

“What causes endometriosis?” READ MORE… »

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Every woman has a story or two about a menstrual accident. Leaking through white shorts – mortifying. Asking a male teacher for an emergency pass to the restroom – humiliating. A little white string hanging out the crotch of your swimsuit – really, really embarrassing. But hearing about these stories is helpful because you can prepare and hopefully avoid having your own accident story. Cramps are another thing. Knowing that someone else had cramps so bad she sweated through her shirt in chemistry class (that was me) or had to lie down while her date, her friend’s date and her friend sat in the living room (me again) can’t help you prepare. Either you’re going to be someone who gets unbearably painful cramps or you’re not. READ MORE… »

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By Arielle Denise Dance, M. A. in Women’s Health

In life we, as women, take many journeys: the journey through education, career decisions, through relationships and family transitions. Throughout all these journeys there has been someone (or more than one person) who has supported us, encouraged us and held our hand through the process. Some of these journeys presented obstacles and hurdles we did not expArielle Danceect and made us grateful for people within our support systems.

 

For millions of women living with endometriosis, the incurable and painful disease that occurs when tissue from the uterus is found in other places of the body, a new journey is required of them and their support system. This journey is unexpected for most and can cause a shift in many of their relationships, and friendships.

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Are you screaming inside, “PLEASE…SOMEONE…help me with my teenager!” Do you ever get the feeling that your daughter hates you?  Or that once a month, you have no idea how to deal with her.  One minute the two of you are laughing and the next – your kindhearted jab about her clothes sends her reeling to her room in tears.

Help-me-with-my-teenager-PMSIf your daughter’s mood swings can sometimes give you whiplash, you might be experiencing what is called PMS: pre-menstrual syndrome.  And if you think its bad for you – you only know the half of how bad it is for your daughter.

Truth is, that PMS is real.

Due to hormonal surges before a female gets her period, she can suffer from a calamity of symptoms.  Often times, PMS comes in the form of physical symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, bloatedness, sore breasts, muscle aches, and food cravings.  And even more often, PMS serves up some pretty severe emotional reactions which can range from sadness and anxiety to anger, frustration, and difficulty focusing.

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