Listen to what the experts say——
Talk to girls about menstruation
CCTV International February 23, 2005 15:37
1. Professor Xu Ling, a doctoral tutor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, has been working in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology for more than 30 years, mainly focusing on clinical, scientific research and teaching work on female reproductive endocrinology. He has published dozens of papers, edited and edited more than ten monographs, which were awarded by the Ministry of Health. Three scientific and technological achievement awards were awarded to young and middle-aged experts with outstanding contributions.
2. Associate Professor Yang Jiaxin graduated from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital of China Union Medical College, with a PhD in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She specializes in the protection of reproductive function of gynecological tumor patients and adolescent gynecology. In 2001, she was the first to open an adolescent gynecology clinic and published dozens of papers. Several monographs.
Host: Hello, audience friends! This is CCTV's "Road to Health" live program. Today we are going to talk about menstruation.
Narration: After experiencing menarche, little girls enter the period of puberty and development. They transform from little girls into young girls. This change makes them excited and nervous. This change makes the girls There were a lot more whispers, and this change also brought them a lot of trouble.
Girl: It’s not good anywhere, so I don’t want to have this (menstruation).
Girl: I get annoyed easily and am not in a particularly good mood. The feeling of restlessness is quite uncomfortable.
Girl: This is quite normal. Girls all have to be like this. It is a normal physiological phenomenon.
Girl: If you eat popsicles before menstruation, it will feel quite painful. It’s quite uncomfortable and it delays my studies.
Girl: I don’t wear much clothing in summer, and I’m always afraid of it sticking to my clothes.
Girl: Changing sanitary napkins is very troublesome, and the smell of blood is quite disgusting.
Narration: "Unlucky" has become a unique name for girls for menstruation. Most of them have not yet adapted to the initial changes in their bodies. So how should we face these growing pains?
Xu Ling: As one of the girls in the short film said, menstruation is indeed a "patent" given to girls by nature. For women, menstruation can be said to be a symbol and a symbol of women. It is a sign of growing up and also provides conditions for becoming a mother in the future.
Yang Jiaxin: Since menstruation is a normal physiological phenomenon, there is no need to worry and panic. A normal mentality is very important.
Host: What kind of mentality should we use to face this physiological phenomenon?
Xu Ling: Not all natural physiological phenomena are very beautiful and comfortable. For example, everyone has the physiological phenomenon of urination and defecation, but this is not a "beautiful" thing. Since menstruation is something that women must face, we should treat it well and face it positively.
Host: Let’s take a look at what doubts girls have about menstruation:
Girl: My menstruation ends in two or three days, and there is very little blood. I don’t know if the lack of blood will cause it. What impact will it have on the body and what are the solutions?
Girl: My stomach always hurts before and after menstruation. It hurts intermittently and is quite uncomfortable.
Girl: Some girls stop menstruating in three days, but for me it only takes six or seven days, and sometimes the time is different.
Girl: If you don’t have your period for a long time, does it mean you are sick?
Host: How is menstruation formed?
Xu Ling: Many people know that women have menstruation every month, but not everyone knows what menstruation is. As shown in the picture, menstrual blood comes from a woman’s uterus. The other picture shows a menstrual cycle. The endometrium actually prepares for pregnancy. It changes every month due to the influence of hormones. If there is no During pregnancy, the endometrium will atrophy, then become necrotic and fall off. Menstruation is caused by the shedding of this layer of endometrium. After the endometrium falls off, the blood vessels inside will be exposed and bleeding will occur. After a few days, new intima will grow and cover the damaged blood vessels, and the bleeding will stop.
Host: Why does menstruation come once a month?
Yang Jiaxin: This should be related to the reaction of the entire human body. The female reproductive system ovulates an egg once a month, and the approximate time is about twenty or thirty days.
Moderator: Many young girls have irregular menstruation. Why is this phenomenon more common in adolescence?
Xu Ling: Adolescent girls have a gradual growth process. Although adolescent girls can already menstruate, the coordination of the entire body is not particularly good, which results in irregular menstruation.
Yang Jiaxin: This situation can be understood as being in a running-in period, because there was no such function (menstruation) before. Now that we have this reproductive function, if any factor affects the regular cycle of eggs, discharge, can cause irregular menstruation.
Moderator: Let’s take a look at some common questions: 1. I am a 14-year-old girl. I see that girls of the same age are all menstruating, but I have not yet. Is this normal? ? Is there something wrong with me?
Xu Ling: Generally speaking, the age of menarche for girls is 11-13 years old. This is an average age. Generally speaking, menstruation after the age of 10 is considered normal. Menstruation before the age of 10 is called menstruation. Precocious puberty, the maximum age for menstruation should not exceed 18 years old. If you are over 18 years old and have not menstruated, it is called primary amenorrhea in our obstetrics and gynecology terminology.
Yang Jiaxin: Nowadays, menstruation is generally early. This is mainly related to nutritional status. Nutritional status is relatively good, and the intake of protein and fat is relatively high, which will also affect menstruation. , generally within the medically normal range, and basically no child will have menstruation before the age of 10. If a 14-year-old girl does not have her period, there is no need to worry.
Moderator: Question 2. I am a junior high school student. My classmate said that she always comes a few days earlier, while I always come five or six days later than last time. Is this normal?
Yang Jiaxin: This is a question about the menstrual cycle. The menstrual cycle is not as accurate as a clock. It also has a normal range. Some girls may have a slightly shorter cycle. Generally, it should not be shorter than 20 days, some girls may have a slightly longer cycle, generally it should not exceed 35 days. Generally, it is okay within this range. Some people may have it earlier and some may have it later, but regularity is very important, and regular menstruation is even more important.
Moderator: Question 3: I heard that taking medicine can delay menstruation. In order to not be affected by menstruation during the two days of college entrance examination, I want to try it too, is it okay? Will taking medicine have any impact on the future?
Xu Ling: Every time when the college entrance examination comes, many parents will ask us this question with their children. Theoretically, menstruation can be delayed by taking medicine. Menstruation requires several hormones, including estrogen and progesterone. , as long as these two hormones are adjusted, the time of menstruation can be artificially changed. However, in principle, we do not advocate artificially changing the menstrual cycle, because this will disrupt the endocrine regulation process at least during this month. If there are some special circumstances, such as severe menstrual pain and the need to adjust the menstrual period, it can also be considered. Generally, adjusting the menstrual cycle by adjusting estrogen and progesterone will affect this month, and it will recover after stopping the adjustment. . If you want to make adjustments, you must make adjustments under the guidance of a doctor. Do not go to the pharmacy to buy medicine by yourself.
Host: Question 4. Every time I get my period, it lasts for three or four days, while some of my classmates get it for seven or eight days. Why is it that we are about the same age, but everyone’s period is different?
Yang Jiaxin: There are great individual differences in how long menstrual bleeding lasts. Generally, we think that 3-7 days is normal. If it exceeds this range, it is best to go to the hospital for examination.
Moderator: Question 5. When I was in the first year of high school, I had very heavy menstrual flow, and sometimes there were some blood clots. This became a concern for me. Is this normal?
Xu Ling: The most important thing is whether a girl’s menstruation is regular, then the length of time, and then the amount of bleeding during a menstrual period. There are also individual differences in this. Generally, the difference is not big. If If your menstrual flow is particularly heavy, you should also go to the hospital to see if there may be blood problems, endocrine problems, etc.
Moderator: Question 6: Sometimes when I have my period, my nose bleeds. Why is this? Is it related to menstruation?
Xu Ling: I have already mentioned the origin of menstrual bleeding and it has nothing to do with nosebleeds.
Moderator: Question 7. I am a junior high school student. My stomach hurts every time I have my period. It is extremely painful and my lower back is sore. Is this a disease?
Yang Jiaxin: Dysmenorrhea is indeed a big problem that troubles teenage girls. Most girls will experience dysmenorrhea, but the degree varies. If you experience severe pain during menstruation every month, it is medically called primary dysmenorrhea. 50% of children who come to see a doctor for primary dysmenorrhea have a cause, and 50% of children have no clear cause yet. Solutions such as taking painkillers can be used.
Moderator: Question 8. My mood fluctuates greatly half a month before my period. I always want to cry and lose my temper. My appetite is also bad during that period. How should I deal with it?
Xu Ling: This is a common and complex problem. We call it premenstrual syndrome. According to statistics, 90% of women may have this symptom to some extent, but the degree is different. The exact cause of severe symptoms is not clear. It may be a hormonal imbalance or a metabolic problem. Most of them should be considered normal phenomena, and serious cases should go to the hospital for examination.
Moderator: Question 9: Can I use lotion to cleanse during menstruation? How should I keep it clean?
Yang Jiaxin: The reproductive system itself has a certain self-cleaning function. Menstruation is an important part of the self-cleaning system. Therefore, we do not recommend deliberate cleaning during menstruation, but daily hygiene is very important. Only clean the vulva.
Moderator: Question 10. Some people say that exercising during menstruation can increase blood circulation and make menstruation flow smoothly. Others say that exercise is not allowed. Should I exercise?
Xu Ling: From the perspective of menstrual hygiene, we do not advocate strenuous exercise during menstruation. General exercise is still acceptable.
Moderator: Let’s watch a reporter’s investigation:
Narrator: There is a gynecology clinic specifically for teenagers at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. This clinic has been established for two years. They accept patients. Many patients come to see a doctor because of irregular menstruation.
Female: I am seeing a doctor for my niece. She is less than 17 years old this year. The little girl is too fat and seems to have matured in advance. Her menstruation is irregular and intermittent.
Narration: Her niece had irregular menstruation three or four years ago. At first, the family did not take it seriously, thinking that irregular puberty was normal, but as the girl got older, As time goes by, this situation does not improve, and parents begin to worry about whether their children's future will be affected by this. There are many cases where people come to see a doctor because of irregular menstruation. Some have heavy menstruation, and some only have two menstruation in a year. Most of them did not seek medical treatment in time, and some even did not seek medical treatment until they were in very serious cases.
Doctor: Some patients come in time, and we conduct laboratory tests in time, but there are also some patients who do not receive regular treatment in time, and some children even have functional uterine bleeding. Such children Sometimes the lowest hemoglobin can reach 5 to 6 grams, and some require blood transfusion or hospitalization, which has a great impact on the child.
Host: Let’s get to know a girl;
Narrator: Wang Hong is 22 years old this year. She had her first menstruation when she was 13 years old. The first two years were fine. It's normal. My menstruation has become irregular since the third year. It always comes at intervals. Sometimes it doesn't come once for a month or two. It only comes once about half a year after I entered high school.
Wang Hong: My parents took me to see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, but the medicine didn’t work. Keep dragging.
Narration: Wang Hong came to Union Hospital for a gynecological examination and was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome and metabolic diseases. Now Wang Hong has not had a period for more than half a year.
Wang Hong: If I really felt uncomfortable, I would have seen a doctor a long time ago. Because everything else was fine, but my menstruation was abnormal, I didn’t pay much attention to it.
Narration: Since her menstrual irregularities, she has gained serious weight. Now she is overweight and her blood sugar is a little high. Only then did she think of going to the hospital for treatment.
Yang Jiaxin: There is no inevitable causal connection between irregular menstruation and obesity. Irregular menstruation is a symptom, which means there may be certain problems in the body. For example, some patients may have low thyroid function and poor menstruation. Too Being fat or too thin may lead to irregular menstruation. If you have irregular menstruation, you should go to the hospital in time. Don't be shy about seeking medical treatment and delay the treatment of the disease.
Moderator: Clinic hours: Xu Ling, Tuesday and Friday afternoons, and Thursday mornings; Yang Jiaxin, Monday and Friday afternoons.