Julie's Story

what [Music] up with the leg up with your leg up [Music] up arch your back up arch your back Julie arch your back that's better but it's not good enough let's watch number two out and we'll try it all again and then we'll put everybody together okay let's try it again from the top Miss Thomas yeah Julie may I excuse M Class why Julie what's the matter aren't you feeling well no well it's just that can we talk about it later oh sure but if you're not not feeling well you should see the school nurse I'm all right really okay you'll have to spend the rest of class time up in the library though and we'll talk later thanks Miss Thomas oh don't forget your script so you can work on it for [Music] tomorrow guess what Mom that's still kind for you to sleep over Friday night and we can have the television all to ourselves my sister's going on a date with Mar what's up Miss Thomas is still going to let you have a lead in the musical isn't she that's not it it doesn't have to do with try out well what is it then I got it my period I got it I have it right now what are you going to do dud we've got to get you out of here didn't just get it I got it during trious you're kidding did it show how'd you know what' you do does it hurt did anybody else know Julie I can't believe you got it a try out come on I don't want the whole world to know don't make such a big deal but how' you know well I don't know I was dancing around and it felt like like my leotard was uncomfortable so I went to the bathroom and there were some spots on my underwear did anyone else know I didn't even know till I looked so I put some tissues in my panties and I went to call my mom to pick me up Why didn't you get a pad from the school nurse well I really should have too excited I guess hi Julie you feeling any better I'm okay Miss Thomas she got her period for the first time today does that mean that she won't be able to finish try out Tracy you mean you didn't tell her girls Julie there's nothing to worry about and I'm not going to lose one of my best dancers either this just means that you're becoming a young woman how long will this m why haven't I gotten mine Julie's only 11 and I'm 12 come over here girls I think we have a booklet that will answer most of your questions Miss Phillip can I please have one of those booklets that just came in thank you Julie is just going through a very natural phase of growing up called puberty having her period is just one of the most visible signs of what's happening to her what else is going to happen well there Comes A Time somewhere between the ages of 9 and 16 when your body begins to change your hips begin to to take shape your breasts become more full and hair will begin to appear on parts of your body like under the arms and between the legs and the pubic area but what does that have to do with having your period well at the same time that these changes are happening on the outside of the body things are also happening inside you see there are two areas here in the brain the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland they produce the hormones that control the development of your body in our early years they con concentrate on our body's growth and as I'm sure you've noticed growth is different among each of us right some of us grow tall some short some Thin some heavy at some point in a young girl's life these areas send out messages to the reproductive system to begin to mature it is not always the same time for each girl but it will usually happen sometime between the ages of 9 and 16 here this diagram will show you what happens then all girls are born with a place for babies to grow in this diagram you can see that place called the uterus located here in the lower part of the abdomen the ovaries are two small glands located here close to the Fallopian tubes which are connected to the uterus when a young girl reaches puberty the ovaries begin to release eggs or OVA as they are called which have been stored in them since birth each month one egg is released by an ovary you usually can't feel it happen but after it's released it will travel along the fallopian tube into the uterus this takes about 3 days and as the egg travels along the tube the lining of the uterus grows thicker why so that if the egg gets fertilized which is the first step that happens when a woman is going to have a baby it will have a nice soft place to live while it grows how big are the eggs oh very small so small in fact that they can only be seen with powerful microscopes but look they're enlarged here so that we can see them but what does that have to do with my getting my period I'm not going to have a baby am I of course not honey you see when the egg isn't fertilized it dissolves and then the lining of the uterus is not needed so along with blood and fluids it is passed out of the body through the vagina that's called menstration I know you girls call it your period but the medical term is menstruation this flow usually lasts from 3 to 7 days and then the whole menstrual cycle begins over again the what the menstrual cycle all of life is made up of cycles and menstruation or the time when there is a flow of menstrual fluid is just a part of the complete cycle which allows women to have babies each time you have a period it is the beginning of a new menstrual cycle the flow of menstrual fluid usually only lasts a few days but the complete cycle takes approxim ly 28 days this will occur regularly until a woman is in her 50s but like all other stages of life it may be different for different women here let's look at this diagram it will give you a better idea of what is happening during each month each menstrual cycle begins with the flow of blood and fluids when they leave the body through the vagina is there a lot of blood and stuff no usually only a few ounces and that flows out very slowly over the period of 3 to 7 days this time is called the menstrual phase when the flow stops the next phase begins that is when the lining of the uterus is thin and one of the ovaries is getting ready to release an egg when the egg is released that's called ovulation now the egg makes its trip through the Fallopian tubes to the uterus and as you've learned if it has not been fertilized it dissolves and the lining of the uterus leaves the body through the vagina and we start the whole cycle over again well I feel like this every any time I get my period probably not some women may have some pressure in the abdomen that feels like stomach cramps but many don't girls who are physically fit seem to have less problems than those who aren't so it is a good idea to get plenty of rest and exercise and eat lots of fruits and vegetables Meats fish eggs cereals you know all those foods that are good for you you mean I can still dance when I have my period of course you sure can I menstruate each month and I don't have any problems you can and you should continue to get normal exercise remember menstruation is a normal thing for a healthy female I won't be able to go swimming though when I get mine oh that's not really true honey some women prefer not to but with the wide variety of feminine products that are available today it is possible to do just about anything that you want to do this isn't any big deal then is it no not in terms of something to worry about no but it is an important stage in your life you are becoming a young woman and that is a big deal thanks Miss Thomas I have to go now cuz I called my mom to come and pick me up here why don't each of you take a booklet and if you need another one they're available in the school nurse's office okay I think it may help answer your questions bye-bye bye I see you at rehearsal tomorrow Julie this is an excellent booklet that Miss Thomas gave you yeah sure explain some things I didn't know I'm sure it does I'm sorry that we didn't have this talk sooner but I just didn't realize you're growing up so fast that's okay Mom miss th has told us it happens at different times for different girls I guess it just happened a little earlier to me well I did stop by the drug store today before I picked you up and I bought samples of several of the products which are available to help you stay clean and comfortable during your period can I use what you use well perhaps you can but you should see what works best for you in fact you may want to use different products at different times during your period for instance I noticed here in this booklet that there's a calendar where you can keep a record of your periods see each month when your period starts you mark the day then you mark off each day that you menstruate although your periods will probably be irregular during the first one or two years you'll eventually be able to see a pattern to how many days you menstruate and how many days there will be between periods then when you know your next period is coming you can wear these thin panty liners for a few days before to help prevent accidents this was would have been good on a day like today when I got my period during tryouts wouldn't it sure now here we have a mini pad it is thinner than regular maxi pads but more absorbent than the panty liner many girls your age have very light periods and many pads are all they need these regular maxi pads are used on days when you have an average flow this mini Pad looks thin enough so that it wouldn't show when I'm wearing leotards or shorts that's true but look even these highly absorbent pads called thin maxi pads are thin enough so that they won't show when you're wearing most of your sports clothes you mean something this thin is as good as this thicker one that's right but you'll probably want to use that super maxi pad on days when you have a particularly heavy flow or for overnight protection that's good news I wouldn't want to have an accident when I stayed overnight at Tracy's Friday night there have been lots of improvements in these products since I was your age we used to have belts to hold pads in place and they were hard to fasten and rather uncomfortable I wish we'd had these adhesive strips when I first started it would have made my life easier how do they work well you simply peel the tape off off and attach the pad to your underwear like this then when you change pads you just pull it off what do you do with the used pad just roll it up like this wrap some tissue around it and put it in the waste basket or in the special containers you see in public restrooms can I just flush it not unless you want to pay the plumber to unstop the plumbing okay I get the message but what about a smell I mean will everybody know there is an odor which results when the discharge leaves the body and comes into contact with the air but no one will ever know if you change pads at least three to five times a day maybe more often if the flow is heavy where will I get the pads you can get extra pads from vending machines in public restrooms or at school you can always get one from the school nurse you should also bathe or shower every day you know like you're supposed to anyway what about the flow oh it's usually so light during bathing that it's not that much of a problem that's good I just die if I thought I smelled bad are you sure that's all you're supposed to do that's all I'm sure I've been doing it for years you know Mom what about tampon I've heard about them but I don't know how you use them well tampons are just a different kind of protection they are soft absorbent cylinders that are inserted into the vagina to absorb the flow then they are removed and disposed of in much the same manner as a pad tampons are worn by women during the active daytime hours but shouldn't be worn by anyone overnight I think for now though you'll probably be more comfortable wearing the absorbent pads on the outside of your body maybe I should use both I don't think you'll need to do that although some women do use tampons in combination with panty liners for Extra Protection remember there will only be a few ounces of blood and it will flow out very slowly when you get a little older you can see what suits you best well Mom how did you learn about all this stuff did Grandma tell you no I'm afraid not back then people didn't want to talk openly about things like menstruation why not if everyone says it's so perfectly normal it is normal but it has taken a long time for attitudes to change people used to believe that women were unclean at that time of the month or that they were sick or couldn't do some types of activity but as you've learned that just isn't true well I'm glad things are different I was really kind of scared oh honey if you ever feel that way again let's talk about it okay okay do you think Cindy's had her period yet yeah she told me she told you well she had to i l her my extra gym shorts in gym one day when she got period and stained hers I bet gaya's had hers come on can't we talk about something else for a change hey B home Marty's pulling away you just don't want to talk about it cuz you haven't had yours yet that's not true I know we're all different and it happens at different times doesn't bother me to wait I'll get mine sooner or later I just thought that was a reason okay you two what's the racket I could hear you when I got to my room how is your date with Marty oh be quiet or I'll tell his cute little brother that you have a crush on him you wouldn't do that please you sure to look pretty tonight Beth I hope I is nice when I grow up when Tracy tells me you're well on the way to Growing Up Tracy it's only my sister it's nothing to be ashamed of Julie it happens to Every Woman okay I guess it's all right for you to know but no one else hey kids it's really a wonderful time of your life it's a big step to becoming a woman Beth did you feel any different when it happened to you no at least not at first it's a part of growing up not the end growing up doesn't happen all at once you know I do remember though that I thought everyone would start treating me like an adult when my period started but now that I'm 19 I realize I'm still growing up Beth did having your period mean a lot more problems for you what did having your period mean a lot more problems for you not really you do have to do some extra things because of it but you can still do what you've always done like sports and dancing hey I heard you're in this year's musical at school she's got the lead that's terrific but I heard that after you get your perod your hair gets oily you sweat a lot more get pimples and all that stuff is that true well yes when you reach puberty you probably will perspire more but it's not just because you're having your periods it's all part of growing up women are different from little girls in many ways you have to be more careful about keeping your hair clean bathing using deodorant all that stuff but it's just what it takes to look your best at all times Beth does anyone ever know when you're having your period I mean is there a smell no not if you change pads often and bathe every day it's just a matter of keeping clean what about cramps didn't I see you in bed with the heating pad one day well sometimes girls do have some discomfort but there are a lot of ways to make yourself more comfortable like using a heating pad what a pain not really and after all it's worth it being a woman is something special especially these days we have a lot to look forward to like going to college getting a great job having a family meeting new friends the whole world is open to us and we're free to make the most of it okay you two I've got to get up early so let's call it a night what time you want me to set the alarm for don't set it but what if we over sleep who cares it's Saturday that's true wait a minute maybe I should set the clock I mean okay best let really bugger now what good night good night good night good night [Music] oh [Music]