Menarche. This is a word that has been lost in present day. It is the formal name for when a girl comes of age and gets her first menstrual period.

Women spend approximately 6.25 years of their lives menstruating by the time they finish menopause. Learning how to care for the red blood days as well as what to do in between them is paramount to a woman’s success. It helps her to get pregnant when she chooses, avoiding pregnancy and not live with adverse side effects like cramps, bloating, PMS/PMDD and more.

If girls start steaming at age 12, they learn to care for their body before the blood ever comes. Here are some reasons why steaming is so beneficial for girls to practice before they start cycling:

1. Hygiene

Every girl needs to be taught how to care for their body and prevent infection. This kind of education is more than just “be sure you wipe from front to back when you go to the bathroom.”

If she starts steaming with the full moon at the age of 12 she learns the practice of steaming and why it is important for the care of her body. It will prevent irregular discharge,  It will teach her to build good habits from the start. We teach our kids to eat their veggies and brush their teeth – why not steam? It is just another healthy habit to start while they are young to set them up for a healthy future.

Healthy periods arrive with the full moon or new moon as a general rule. Teaching her this rhythm and moon cycle awareness from the beginning will be easier for her to identify if there are warning signs to address in her menstrual cycle as she ages.

2. Body Awareness  

This leads us nicely into the second reason why girls should steam in preparation of menarche and that is body awareness.

How many of us really were out of touch with that part of our anatomy until our period started? I’m raising my hand over here because I certainly was.

The start of our period brought an awareness and connection to our body that made many of us feel uncomfortable. For some of us, it was totally unexpected and we were unsure of what was happening.

Starting a steaming practice gives girls an opportunity to feel this part of their body before the shock of the red blood of menarche arrives. Steam touches all the internal and external structures so she will have that sensory experience in a warm and non-threatening way.

Working with a peristeam hydrotherapist, she will have a chance for education about the changes her body is going through.  She will learn what to expect in this changing body as well.

Learning what the body is doing, how to read the signs it is giving her and preparing for what to expect can make the first period less overwhelming and even a positive experience.

3. Teaches Self Care

We as women generally struggle with strong self care practices. Seeing a steaming practice and starting one at an early age builds good habits for self care.

Taking the time to prioritize steaming for their health not only prevents imbalances from appearing right from the beginning, but also serves as prevention before it becomes an issue.

It’s hard to imagine our young girls who are just starting to menstruate having imbalances already. Our world is stressful. With environmental, chemical, social stress and more, imbalances happen.

There are genetic predispositions for women in a family to show similar patterns. If you had cramps and endometriosis, there is a high likelihood your daughter might as well. What if she didn’t have to? I know I don’t want my daughter to experience what I did. Girls who start their periods before the age of 12 are a product of an imbalance. Girls who start their periods 14 or later are showing an imbalance. This doesn’t have to be the reality they grow to “live with” like so many of us have.

Modeling good self care is important. Our girls need to know how to take care of themselves. They need to be taught a different narrative than we were. There are so many women who feel guilty to sit down and stop moving. Guilty to take a quiet few minutes for themselves and meditate. Our culture values being constantly in motion. Steaming is one of many self care practices that are good for the physical body AND force us to slow down and relax. These are skills every woman needs in their journey into adulthood.

Starting to steam at age 12 and on sets our girls up for a healthier future. Wouldn’t it be amazing if our daughters never knew what cramps were?

To learn more about getting your daughter started with steaming, contact certified practitioner Adrienne Irizarry to schedule an appointment.