While some girls go through their periods with no or very little pain, others experience painful periods often accompanied by fatigue and even dizziness. This pain is usually felt in the pelvic area and lower abdomen. Menstrual pain is one of the most frequent causes of absenteeism from school among girls.

As part of the menstrual cycle, the lining of the uterus (womb) grows and thickens in anticipation of holding a fertilized egg. If no egg is fertilized, the thickened lining of the uterus has to be shaded off in form of menstrual blood.
The pain during the period is thought to be due to the forceful contractions of the womb (uterus) to open up the cervix (neck of the uterus) to expel the menstrual blood. These contractions are caused by the prostaglandin hormones. These hormones stimulate the contractions of the uterus during the period. These contractions compress the blood vessels to the uterus cutting off the blood supply and depriving the tissues of blood. Too little blood to the uterine muscle may cause pain. Some girls produce an excess of prostaglandin hormones causing too little blood to the uterus muscle leading to excessive pain. The good news is that the pains become milder as one becomes older.

A hot water bottle wrapped in a towel applied to the abdomen and eating iron-rich foods (eggs, meat, poultry, and fish), fresh fruits and vegetables can give relief.

The menstrual cycle is the process by which eggs are released from a woman’s ovary, ready to be fertilized by the sperm. The bleeding is only part of the menstrual cycle.

The menstrual cycle starts on the very first day of the bleeding. It continues up to the first day of the next period. The average length of the menstrual cycle is 28 days with some women having longer or shorter cycles.

In the first half of the cycle, levels of the “female hormone” (estrogen) start to rise and make the lining of the uterus (womb) grow and thicken. At the same time, some of the eggs start to ripen, though usually only one matures ready for fertilization.. Approximately 14 days from the start of the bleeding, one egg matures and is released from the follicle on the surface of the ovary and then into a fallopian tube. This is called ovulation.
After the egg has left the ovary it travels through the fallopian tube to the uterus. Hormone levels rise and help prepare the uterine lining for pregnancy.

If the egg is fertilized by a man’s sperm cell and attaches to the uterine wall, the woman becomes pregnant.
If the egg is not fertilized, it will break apart. If pregnancy does not occur, hormone levels drop, and the thickened lining of the uterus is shed off as a combination of blood, tissue and mucus. This is called menstruation or menstrual period. This starts the bleeding that  comes from woman’s vagina. Periods can be light, moderate, or heavy, and the length of the period also varies. While most periods last from three to five days, anywhere from two to seven days is normal.

Menstruation happens after the unfertilized egg dies and if indeed this egg is dead, then you may not make the girl pregnant.  However, if this egg is not yet dead, a boy may get the girl pregnant and more so if it is an adolescent or teenager, most of whom whose cycles is not steady. Let us not forget that it is also hard to gauge how or what time exactly menstruation is really expected to start.

The onset and degree of pregnancy symptoms vary within women. Some women experience them within days of conception others take much longer. Some of the pregnancy symptoms include:
(i)  Nausea and vomiting: Many women experience illness in the morning (morning sickness) and others feel nausea throughout the day.
(ii)   Breast tenderness:  Due to the increasing amount of HCG hormone that begins at implantation, the breasts may become very tender and may start to enlarge. The veins in the breasts may become more visible. The nipples may start to darken in colour, become more erect and extremely sensitive.
(iii)  Feeling tired/Sluggish uring pregnancy, the body goes through major hormonal changes. The temperature becomes higher due to the amount of progesterone circulating through the body making the pregnant woman feel sluggish.
(iv)  Frequent urination: Pregnancy causes the uterus to swell and to start enlarging for the growing fetus. The uterus puts pressure on the bladder causing the feel for the need for more frequent urination.
(v)  Missed periods: There is no ovulation during pregnancy therefore a pregnant woman misses her menstrual periods.
(vi) Irritability: Many pregnant women as easily irritated as a result of the hormonal changes and the need to put up with all the pregnancy symptoms.
(vii) Heartburn: Pregnancy hormones will slow down bowel functions to give maximum absorption time of vitamins and nutrients. The stomach may not empty as fast which increases the stomach acid.

Just missing your period for 2 month does not necessarily mean you are pregnant.  It is normal for young   girls not to menstruate regularly as their bodies are still growing. Menstruation is affected by so many factors like stress, emotional ups and downs, sickness, nutrition, fear, anxiety to mention but a few.
However, if you have a number of the above symptoms, you need to go to a health centre for a pregnancy test.

Pains during menstruation are very normal unless if they are too severe. This pain is caused by the contraction of the uterus walls as blood is being shed and squeezed out. Pain-killers can help reduce on the pain and if it gets too unbearable, then you should see a health worker preferably a gynecologist and you will get treatment. A hot water bottle placed on the tummy can also reduce the pain.
Some girls, however, do not get pains at all during their menstruation and this too is normal.

As young girls are growing up, some of them do not menstruate regularly and this is very normal. Menstruation is affected by so many factors like stress, emotional ups and downs, sickness, nutrition, fear, anxiety to mention but a few.
If you have never played sex with anybody, there’s no need to worry because worry will only increase on anxiety which will further affect your cycle. Just relax and wait, it will flow.