When a girl starts her period, it is a sign that her reproductive system is kicking into action. She may have started to ovulate, and this is great news for her future wellness and wellbeing. It can be a worry for some parents, however, as they fear that their daughter’s sexual health is now an issue, and that she may be more inclined to proceed with a physical relationship. This can be even more of a worry when girls start menstruating earlier than their peers, as some fear it is a sign of early sexual maturity.
They will be reassured, then, by a newly published study that shows that girls who start menstruating earlier than average do not have sex any earlier than their peers.
This study was carried out in Australia, looking at data from 554 girls who were followed throughout their childhoods. Those that started having their periods before they got to age 12 did not start having sex any earlier than the average age for the group.
Around 25 percent of the group who started their periods earlier had had sexual intercourse by the time they turned 15 years old, which was actually slightly lower than the 29 percent of girls from the group that had started their periods at an average time. Most girls start their periods when they are 12 or 13, but the span of what is normal can vary quite significantly.
The study confirms that physically maturing earlier does not in any way indicate that a girl is likely to start initiating sexual behaviour. This is contrary to previous studies, which had appeared to link early menstruation to earlier sexual encounters, but those studies all focused on women who were recalling their experiences as opposed to date from girls who were actually going through menstruation and early sexual encounters in the course of the study.