Raising a teenager has enough challenges without mixing in all the teen health issues for girls. There are so many changes that teenage girls go through during their adolescent years and several different health issues to address as they grow into adulthood. Let’s talk about some of the health issues that girls face during their teenage years.
Puberty
The biggest health issue for teen girls is definitely puberty; they know it and so do we. Puberty is the time when your body begins to change from child into an adult. And with those changes come several other health issues. For most girls puberty usually begins anywhere between the ages of nine and fourteen, although for some it may be as late as sixteen. Going through puberty can cause some girls to feel awkward and different as they usually hit it before most boys.
The Menstrual Cycle
Hormones in a girl’s body can cause physical and emotional changes when puberty begins. One of the first things to happen when a teenage girl hits puberty is the menstrual cycle. Basically what this means is that you have become a woman and pregnancy is now possible when you decide to have sexual intercourse.
Talk to your teen daughter about all aspects of life.
Breast Changes
Boys don’t have to worry about his kind of thing; it’s just a girl thing. As a girl’s body begins to develop and change into a woman she will begin to develop larger breasts. Sometimes during the first stages of development you can feel a painful lump just below the nipple; this is normal. However along with puberty changes in breasts, girls also have to understand and gain knowledge about breast cancer. This is a common thing that happens to older women but the more you know about it now the safer you will be from getting it. Learning how to perform self breast examinations is just another health issue that girls have to deal with.
Sex, Pregnancy, and STDs
As we have already talked about menstrual cycle being one of the biggest health issues girls face during their adolescent years, sex, pregnancy and STDs are probably the second biggest health issue girls need to learn about. Since their bodies have moved into womanhood and they can become pregnant, education is the best form of teen pregnancy prevention. Teaching them about abstinence, or using proper protection to avoid pregnancy and also to avoid STDs (like the AIDS virus) are important tools to have as a teenage girl. If you as a parent don’t talk with them about it someone else will and who knows who that someone else will be?
Body Image
During the teenage years girls especially are extremely concerned with the way their bodies look. They are constantly comparing themselves with peers, friends, and unfortunately Hollywood superstars. The important thing for teen girls to learn during this time is that body image isn’t everything. How they feel about themselves inside makes much more of a difference. Parents can get their teen girls involved with extra curricular activities that they can excel at and gain confidence.
Unfortunately this only scratches the surface on teen health issues for girls. Don’t stress out about having a teenage girl though, if you as a parent are open and communicate with them you can tackle each issue when it comes up.
Parenting viewpoints from parents in the trenches, because parenting doesn’t come with a manual. In addition to