Teen years can be very troublesome and actually somewhat cruel - not just for teenagers but also for their parents.
Biological changes during the years of puberty can really make teenagers feel unsure and not confident.
And when it comes to teenage girls, add in the fact that they will have to deal with menstruation.
Its a milestone in a young ladies life but at the same time it can cause confusion and even more so if the periods are irregular and/or painful.
Let us look at some common menstruation problems: Amenorrhea is the absence of a menstrual cycle and can be either primary or secondary.
Primary being where the menses has not actually begun to form and secondary is where the menses have began to form but have ceased.
Amenorrhea can be brought about by pregnancy or by lactation or it may be due to a physical ailment such as thyroid problems.
Dysmenhorrhea is very common, particularly among young ladies.
Primary dysmenhorrhea is where a normal menses is painful whereby the womb is squeezed by the muscles which can then affect blood flow to the uterus thus causing cramps and pain.
Often menses pain ceases after child birth.
Secondary dysmenhorrhea is where periodic pain is caused by reproductive problems such as endometriosis.
Dilation and curettage (D&C) is carried out on ladies to scrape the lining of the womb away.
Menstruation can then take place afterwards but often tends to heal fairly soon after.
Late periods can be due to a late menses caused by recent sexual activity.
Its easy to assume this to be the symptoms of pregnancy but often this is not the case.
Late periods can also be common with some ladies for genetic reasons.
Fibroids which are also known as myomas.
These are benign tumours which develop inside the uterus.
Statistics show in the western world that 4 out of 10 women over the age of 40 suffer from fibroids.
The exact reason for fibroids is not known but a common line of thought is disturbance in sexual hormones such as estrogen may be the cause.