MENARCHE

Menarche (me-NAR-kee) is the term used for a girl’s first period. 

In reality, menarche is only one day but the hormonal changes that cause it start a few years before and are not complete for many years after her first period.  These changes are happening not only in her reproductive organs but in her whole body; especially her brain.  She will start this transition as a child but by the end of adolescence, she will have acquired the physical, psychological and emotional adaptations to start her next chapter as an adult. 

These major changes mean that this is also a time of vulnerability and in some girls, these shifts have an impact on their health and wellbeing.