Women who menstruate early tend to begin intercourse early
When a girl reaches puberty, she begins to ovulate. On average, the first menstrual period or menarche occurs between the ages of 12 and 14. Usually two years after the breasts start developing and in most cases shortly after the appearance of the public and underarm hair. Several factors influence the late or early start of menarche.
- The climate: The menarche occurs earlier in warmer climates. It can occur as early as 10 to 11 years in hotter geographical zones and in the tropics. Conversely, it can be delayed until 17 or 18 years in Arctic zones.
- Inheritance and the environment: There is a co-relation between the age at which the menarche occurs in the mother and the age at which it occurs in the daughter.
- An urban environment make the menarche occur earlier.
- Stress, exercise and even diet can affect the start of menstruation.
Now let us study adolescent sexuality a bit. Sexuality in adolescence is experienced by curiosity and anxiety about one’s body and the sudden increase in sexual hormones, sexual feelings and sexual instinct. This results in masturbation, which is biological. Though some girls do begin to have sex early, early menarche is not the only reason. The main reasons are:
- Lack of accurate information: More than 70% of teens are sexually illiterate. Their minds are filled with myths. This leads them to experiment.
- Lack of social skills or self-control: The idea that it is normal for young people to have sexual relationships, is very widespread. It is developed by peer pressure or TV programs that show teens to be sexually active.
- Eagerness for risk & low self-esteem: An eagerness for risk and low self-esteem often make a girl have early sex.
So, if a girl is provided basic sex education, helped in developing her social skills and counselled to develop her self-esteem, her chances of having intercourse are greatly reduced.