The onset of menstruation signals that a girl has hit her puberty. Of course, it is not an easy cycle - the whole process of menstruation, but every woman must go through it. While it makes a woman capable of giving birth to a child, on the other hand, it also brings along with it various hormonal changes which causes mood swings, abdominal pain, back ache, muscle pull, so on and so forth. There are various home remedies women can turn to for some relief, as well as resort to medication. According to traditional customs, it is considered a good thing when a girl hits her puberty, even if it is at an earlier age. Medically, menstruation occurs normally between the age of 12 to 15 years. There are also cases when some get it earlier and some later than 15, which are considered normal. But according to a new study done by the Tohoku University in Japan, girls who start their periods at the age of 13 or younger may be nearly 1.8 times more likely to suffer a stroke than those who start at the age of 15.

The study further goes on to add that these women are also more at risk for cerebral infarction, in which a section of brain tissue dies due to reduced blood flow and oxygen.

"Early menarche might predict the incidence of stroke rather than the mortality caused by stroke," said Takayoshi Ohkubo, Professor at Tohoku University.

Menopause and Stroke Risks

In addition to their research, they also found that women who stopped menstruating at 45 or younger are also more likely to get cerebral infarction, but not stroke, compared to women who began menopause at the age of 50.

For the study, published in the journal Neuroepidemiology, the team followed a group of 1,412 postmenopausal women in Japan. Through initial questionnaires and follow-up surveys, the researchers tracked the women's ages of menarche and menopause, if and when they had a stroke, and other factors such as height, weight, heart disease and hypertension. After taking confounding factors into account, the researchers still found a statistically significant association between stroke risk and early menarche.



Menstruation onset is influenced by genetic, behavioural and socioeconomic factors, among others. Trying to delay menarche to help prevent stroke is a particularly interesting concept given that girls in developed nations are starting their periods earlier, the researchers said. However, further research is required to conclude that delaying menarche would be an effective stroke prevention measure, they noted.

We all know the diabetes is a disease, which arises due to the body's inability to regulate blood sugar levels. Insulin, the hormone responsible for converting blood sugar into energy, is unable to carry out its function and as such the patient's blood sugar levels spike up causing various health issues. Now there are various factors that can cause diabetes - unhealthy diets, no physical activity, genetics, so on and so forth. Sometimes, women who are not diabetic can show signs of the disease while undergoing pregnancy. This condition is commonly known as gestational diabetes, which is dangerous, with risks of complications. Though experts pinpoint obesity or being overweight as one of the major causes, a recent study states that early periods could also play a role.

The normal age for onset of periods is considered to be 13 and above, However, there are many cases when girls get what is known as 'first periods' as early as 11 years or lesser. According to a research done by University of Queensland, girls who start their first period at age 11 or younger are 50 per cent more likely to develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy than those who experienced it at the age of 13.

"Early puberty in girls had now been shown to be a significant marker for several adverse health outcomes, including gestational diabetes," said Gita Mishra, professor at University of Queensland. Gestational diabetes is an increasingly common pregnancy complication and can have long-lasting health consequences for mothers and their children. "Research into this topic is of particular public health importance due to global trends of girls starting their menstrual cycles at a younger age," said Mishra.

The significant association with gestational diabetes risk remained even after researchers took into account body mass index and childhood, reproductive and lifestyle factors.

For the study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, the team analysed data from more than 4,700 women and found a higher number of women who reported having their first period at a younger age had later developed gestational diabetes.

"The finding could mean that health professionals will start asking women when they had their first period to identify those at higher risk of gestational diabnetes," said Danielle Schoenaker, researcher at University of Queensland.

A large number of women who develop diabetes during pregnancy are overweight or obese. Encouraging those who have early puberty to control their weight before pregnancy may help to lower their risk of gestational diabetes, said Schoenaker.

While every woman responds differently to the monthly cycle of menstruation, most will agree on the fact that it isn't quite a pleasant experience. Some women are able breeze through those otherwise dreadful 5 days, while others may feel their life coming to a standstill. Dysmenorrhea, or sever menstrual pain interferes with a woman's regular routine and can also make her feel excessively ill. It may come accompanied with cramping, bloating, lower back pain, heavy bleeding, fatigue, and of course, intolerable pain. Research explains that for some women the pain can be as worse as getting a heart attack!
There is no dearth of research exploring ways to mitigate the pain. A recent study conducted by a team of experts at King's College London, links practicing yoga with reduced menstrual pain in women. For the study, the researchers carried out a systematic review of the published literature on yoga practice and common menstrual disorders.

Those women who participated in the study reported feeling relaxed and less pained after practicing yoga. 15 different studies were examined that analysed the effects of yogic practice on premenstrual syndrome, premenstrual dysphoric disorder among many other menstruation linked issues. The study was published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine and concluded that a combination of Pranayama and other yogic relaxation or meditation techniques may have a beneficial effect on menstrual discomfort.

"All included studies reported some change in their outcome measures, suggesting reduced symptoms of menstrual distress following a yoga intervention," the study said.

5 Natural Ways to Beat Menstrual Distress

- Indulge in light physical activity ranging from taking a brisk walk to practicing yoga.

- Take a hot water shower

- Sip on green tea or chamomile tea. Add a dash of ginger and black pepper for better results.

- Soak fenugreek seeds in water, leave overnight, drink the water first thing in the morning.

- Messaging sesame oil onto your lower abdomen will also bring relief.

It is a common believe that when a women is going through her monthly menstrual cycle she may be moody, less motivated to work or incapable of performing multiple tasks at the same time. However, a new study, conducted by researchers from the University Hospital Zurich in Switzerland, has found evidence that this may not be the case and menstruation has no effect on the functions of your brain. The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.

While it is true that women go through certain hormonal changes during periods, it may not have any impact on their cognition or simply put, the brain's ability to think, respond and perform. According to lead researcher Brigitte Leeners, "The hormonal changes that are related to the menstrual cycle do not show any association with cognitive performance. Although there might be individual exceptions, a woman's cognitive performance is, in general, not disturbed by hormonal changes occurring with the menstrual cycle."

For the study, the team recruited 68 women to examine three aspects of cognition across two menstrual cycles. All the study participants were monitored to investigate changes in three selected cognitive processes at different stages in the menstrual cycle. While analysis of the results from the first cycle suggested that cognitive bias and attention were affected, the same results were not replicated in the second cycle. The team looked for differences in performance between individuals and changes in their performance over time, but found none.

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None of the hormones had a consistent or significant effect on the participant's cognition

The findings showed that the levels of oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone in our system do not have an impact on your working memory, cognitive bias or ability to pay attention to two different things at once. Overall, researchers found that none of the hormones had a consistent or significant effect on the participant's cognition.

"Being a specialist in reproductive medicine and also a psychotherapist, I deal with many women who have this impression that their menstrual cycle influences their well-being and cognitive performance," Leeners said. The team hopes to bust this myth through their scientific evidence and spread some clarity on the topic.

As far as, other period problems are concerned such as cramping, mood swings, lower back pain, headache and fatigue, a lot of them can be tackled with natural home remedies. For instance, massaging with sesame oil is a great way to get relief from period pain. Drinking water soaked with fenugreek seeds is another brilliant remedy or you can even sip some herbal tea made with with cumin, black pepper and ginger for its soothing effect. Similarly, when it comes to irregular periods, your diet can play an important role. Drinking turmeric milk or papaya juice can be useful in regulating your menstrual flow. You can even make a herbal tonic by soaking cumin seeds in water overnight or boiling fresh ginger in water. These can help in treating menstrual cramps and also regulating your cycle.

Undeniably, menstruation brings some of the most dreaded days in a woman's routine. While some are lucky to breeze through them with much ease, others may experience severe abdominal pain, cramps, lower back pain, fatigue and weakness, nausea and vomiting among many other symptoms. Most women opt for medication to tackle the pain, others choose to stay in with some comforting food and a hot water bottle tucked in.

Almost every woman must have skipped school or work at some point in her life owing to the excruciating period. While an Indian company's move to offer a day off on a woman's first day of menstruation is a welcome move, we offer a helping hand by sharing easy home remedies and eatables that can help you manage the pain better.

- Green leafy veggies are your best bet. Create a simple stir fry or simply dunk in all your favourite ingredients to arrive at a comforting soup.

- Omega 3 is known to ease menstrual discomfort and promote health in women. Therefore, not only during your menstrual cycle, but otherwise also, make it a habit to load up on fish, nuts and seeds.

omega 6

Add omega 3 to your daily diet

- Ginger and other spices and herbs can be teamed in multiple ways to arrive at potions that will tame your period pain. Sip on ginger tea or experiment with other options like chamomile.

- Soak fenugreek seeds for over 12 hours and simply have the water. You can even boil the water and make herbal tea out of it by adding items like honey and black pepper.

- Cumin seeds are excellent, best is to add it to your diet or put few seeds in your green tea.

- Massage your abdomen with essential oils - sesame oil works the best