For You Alone, Madam!

It is a thorny subject, one we have not been accustomed to treating openly, and one we turned away from in the past despite its importance and the necessity of understanding it. Like every modern girl, you accept the sexual changes as natural events and as part of your life, but at times you ask yourself: how do I take care of myself? And what must I do?

Ever since primary school you have looked forward to the day of your diploma; you spend the days and years awaiting this new event. And this is exactly what the organs of your body do: they watch for the hour when you pass out of the life of the "little girl" into the world of the "grown woman." Then your feelings begin to change, and you take to pondering matters you never thought of before; for from now on you are a new woman, and on this basis you will think.

In this study you will find some guidance on how to conduct yourself, on your social relations, and on your understanding of the new things happening around you. Let us study together, frankly, the continuous cycle carried on by glands that secrete the hormones which carry their messages slowly to the other organs of the body: this is the menstrual cycle.

During childhood the pituitary glands secrete the maturing hormones that carry the message of growth to the bones and to the tissues scattered through all parts of the body. From the age of 11 to 17 new hormones come forth and play their part, for the pituitary glands begin to supply the blood vessels with a new kind of hormone that develops your body. The pituitary glands lie at the base of the brain, and they are the mainspring of the action of the important organs gathered in a basin standing at the lower part of the body, where we find the two ovaries. These are two glands the size of an almond, each of which contains thousands of minute egg cells invisible to the naked eye, each one lined with a membrane called the follicle. The ovaries stand at the two sides beneath the two tubes, which open out on either side in the mature girl; they are less than five inches long, the size of a pencil, and through them the egg cells pass on their way to the womb, which is a roughly three-cornered body about three inches in size, its lower end joining the vagina, which serves as an outlet through which the child passes at birth. This passage, then, lies through the two tubes, runs on to the womb, and then to the vagina outside the body.

When the pituitary glands secrete their hormones to the ovary, these organs begin their continuous cyclical motion, and the ovary secretes new hormones that travel to the cells of the womb, where they increase and fill with a fluid of blood and water, so that the lining of the womb grows thick, ready to receive the egg that ripens in the ovary before its companions, splits its membrane, and comes out — a process called "ovulation." Here the "Fallopian tubes," that is, the two tubes, begin their work, for the egg passes through them to the womb. If it is fertilized on its way, it stops where it is and becomes an embryo, feeding in its first stages on the nourishment gathered in the cells of the womb. But many eggs pass on without fertilization, and so their life cycle ends and they are cast out of the vagina, outside the body, one every month.

Menstruation is one aspect of this complete cycle, which has scarcely ended before it begins to form anew. If you look upon it as a natural event — like digestion, for example — you rid yourself of troubles for whose solving many tales have been invented, such as:

"The blood you lose in the menstrual period weakens your body."

"Cold drinks cause cramps."

"Pain between one period and the next means there is a disease."

"If a filling is put in your teeth during menstruation, it will not hold."

"It is dangerous to bathe during this time, or to wash your hair."

"Keep to your bed on the first day."

"Tinting is as harmful as can be."

All these are superstitions that modern medicine does not sanction, and science strips away this threadbare tissue that wraps certain minds. The blood you lose is replaced by other blood; so too with cold drinks and dental repairs; and bathing is what you need most in this period, provided the water is of moderate warmth. As for keeping to your bed, it is a great harm, for you must keep in motion so that the organs of your body stay supple.

Menstruation begins at the age of 13, but it is natural if it comes between the years 11 and 17. After its appearance it sometimes vanishes again for a year or more, and this too is natural. The interval from one period to the next is 28 days, but it may be 21 or 42, and we may not call this contrary to nature. Menstruation lasts 4 days, and there is no cause for alarm if it lasts a longer time or a shorter.

You hate pain, so follow a special regimen to avoid it: guard against the constipation that brings on cramps; set regular rules for taking your food, for moderation in your walking, and for the exercise of your muscles; and then a cheerful spirit, the fighting off of gloom, and quiet sleep will help to rest your wearied nerves.