Vaginal Discharge

Vaginal discharge is the result of secretions produced from small glands in the lining of the vagina and the cervix. All women have a little discharge starting a year or two before puberty and ending after the menopause. How much discharge a woman notices changes from time to time and it will change quite a lot between periods. Different persons can have different volume of “normal” discharge depending on age, cycle periods, hormonal balance and sexual activities.

What is normal discharge?
The amount of discharge varies from girls to girls and from woman to woman. Different persons have different opinions of what is normal. But if it always involves using panty shields, or changing protection or underwear several times a day, then it is probably heavier than normal.
The amount of discharge is often influenced by hormonal changes in the woman's body. The week before a period, being pregnant or using the oral contraceptive pills are all typically associated with an increase in vaginal discharge. A normal physiological discharge is usually clear and/or transparent, creamy and/or very slightly yellow.

When to be worried?

- If you noticed sudden increase of the amount of discharge;

- If you noticed changes of color of discharge (“unusual color”) - from yellow-whitish to brownish, reddish or greenish;

- If you noticed unusual smell of your discharge.

Read more about different types of discharge and self evaluation.

Acne

Acne is a very common condition of the skin that most young people get in early puberty. It is caused by inflammation of the small oil glands (sebaceous glands) that surround the fine hairs on the face and chest. Acne are appearing because of the hormonal changes that come with puberty. In general, for most people acne disappear almost completely by the time they are out of their teens.

Hormonal changes related to pregnancy (different trimesters) or menstrual periods (follicular or luteal phases) can also cause or contribute to acne. In most cases number of acne is reduced during so called follicular period of the cycle.

Special attention should be paid to the environmental irritants such as pollution, intense heat, humidity or cold.

If you wish to prevent acne – better follow recommendations made by professionals.

When Expect First Period?

In general, the puberty and the menstrual cycle are genetically and hormonally determined and different girls can have different development. In different countries periods are starting at 11 -17 (depending on physical development, hormones, genetics, country location, etc). It is very personal and pre-menstrual "signals" (strange discharges, breast tense, abdomen pain, etc.) can come 1-2 days or 2-3 months or 11-12 months in advance. Some girls don’t have any pre-menstruation "signals". It depends how sensitive are you and how fast your hormones will jump up. Just don't be stressed because stress itself could make a delay. Everything has it’s time. If you would not have your cycle up to 17 – better visit your doctor.

First period usually occurs about two years after your breasts develop and between 4 and 6 months after the growth of your pubic and underarm hair.

Discover when expect your first period.

Puberty Development

There are many variations of puberty and the timing of puberty in girls can vary considerably. Sometimes girls can already feel changes as early as 8 years of age. At the same time other girls of the similar age do not begin their adolescent development until age 13. In average girls usually take 3 to 3 ½ years to complete their pubertal development, but this process could take from 2 to 6 years to complete.

Puberty includes the complex of physical and emotional changes. Mood swings, easy anger and loss of emotional control are common. The emotional turbulence may last longer than the time span of physical development. Puberty is pretty stressful period of the life. It is time of hormonal storms, it is time for body changes and it is time for first love.

In general girls are very sensitive to breast development which is very important for their social life and confidence. Breast development stages for healthy girls were developed by famous Dr Tanner many years ago. Healthy girls usually are passing 5 stages in breast development. Knowledge about breast development is very important for teenagers and their parents.

DUAL CONTRACEPTION

Very often safe sex is advertised by TV, health institutions, different youth associations and international agencies. Why it is so important? Because in XXI century sexually active population need protection not only from unplanned and unwanted pregnancies but also from sexually transmitted infections (especially from HIV). Dual protection can be a solution.

What is dual protection?

It is simultaneous use of modern effective contraception by both partners which could be an ideal way to prevent both pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections and diseases.

Safe dual protection means mutual monogamy between healthy non-infected partners who chose to use modern effective contraception. Read more how insure dual protection.

KNOWLEDGE IS A POWER !

To be able to survive in this world girls and young women need a comprehensive knowledge about their body, sexuality, menstrual cycle, contraception, family planning, counselling, fertility, abortion, safe sex as well as about women rights and reproductive rights.