You might think that your body and reproductive system has finished developing once you start your period and can match with your elder sister or mum! But then you notice the irregular periods, the easy rashes and the constant irritation which they aren’t experiencing just as much. This is because your body is still in its developmental mode, which is not only normal, but expected. Adult anatomy is said to reach at the age of 16, but that doesn’t mean that your reproductive system is fully mature, just like how reaching full height doesn’t mean full development of your internal organs. Our system still has to regulate and establish its response to different hormones, the same way as an adult body does. 

During the 1st couple years after the onset of your period, the cycles remain very irregular. One month they might be 20 days apart and the next cycle may show up after 45 days! One month the flow is super light, the next month it is raining heavily. There’s nothing wrong with you during this period, your body is just trying to adapt to the newer changes in your body. By the 3rd year, your body is very likely to have less of these irregularities. Still there, just considerably less. These irregularities are mostly because 55% of the cycles in the 1st year are anovulatory, meaning no ovulation occurs. This can be a result of your ovaries not being fully developed and hence not responding properly to hormonal signals that tell them to release an egg.

Research has shown that teen ovaries do ovulate, but they do not produce required levels of hormones afterwards that may lead to the periods being heavier than predicted. All the hormones that play a role in your menstrual cycle go through multiple fluctuations before reaching a stable point and these fluctuations continue for those 1st couple years. Your body is experimenting, trying to find the right balance! Ovaries also work together with certain parts of your brain that sync ovulation and make periods predictable. The signal from estrogen is missed by those parts of your brain at an early age since the communication is still being set up. 

Other than this, teen outer body parts, like the vulvar region, are also more sensitive than adult women. There is a difference in the vaginal pH, there is a lack of developed and strong cells in the vulvar region, there is unpredictable pain and flow, all leading to making teens more vulnerable to catching infections, developing rashes and feeling irritation. And this can only get worse if you use the overly-plasticized pads in the market that provide little-to-no softness, support or breathability to that region. 

Almost all of these irregularities vanish once you develop into an adult woman. Most things that adult women are comfortable with, might not suit you. So none of it is abnormal or something to feel alienated with, it’s just a part of the normal teenage development journey that every woman goes through. You are still maturing and growing, so be gentle with your genital area and be easy on yourself because that is what matters at the end! ;)