It is a sad condition――this closed womb――and should not be allowed to sicken a girl for one hour――IF SHE KNOWS.
Alas! she has not been allowed to know these things――just allowed to suffer and be blamed.
If you have reached the age of fifteen years or thereabouts and for a year or so have had all the nervous and mental symptoms of a period occurring every month and no blood comes, then go at once to a reputable physician. Be certain you go to one in good standing. Never go to one who advertises “women’s troubles,” or to one whom you do not know by the best of repute. Remember that honest and true physicians do not advertise in the papers. So whenever you see an advertisement of a doctor who says he can cure you of THAT trouble, keep away from him. Never mind what the other girls tell you about a doctor or some medicine that cured them, probably the cause for their trouble was an entirely different one.
Naturally, your mother is the first one to consult, but I fear that if you have a mother who has allowed you to suffer month after month, and constantly said, “Oh, don’t bother about such matters; it will come out all right when you get older;” such a mother will not exactly be the one to go to――go to a RELIABLE physician.
Never, under any circumstances, take medicines for this trouble. Let “regulating pills” alone as you would a rattlesnake. Now that you know the cause, common-sense will tell you that pills, or any and all things of the kind, are not only useless, but harmful.
“But, Doctor, how about the girl who has had several good periods and then stops for several months, or even skips a month and only flows every other month? There can be no closing of the mouth of the womb under these circumstances?”
No, in such cases the cause is entirely different, or rather the causes, for there are many. Most of you can find out for yourself just what YOUR cause is for being irregular, after I point out to you some facts.
Many times it is only Nature’s way of preserving your health. For instance, if you have not sufficient blood in your system to allow you to lose a certain amount every month, Nature will prevent it going to the womb to be thrown away. Some girls will have “nose bleeds” once or twice a month and this takes the place of the monthly flow. This is not a sign of good health, just a sign that something is wrong――see a good doctor, he will know and tell you what to do. If you are troubled with headaches (especially in the back of the head and neck), if your appetite is poor, if you lost too great an amount during your last flow, or if your nervousness increases, it means that you are in poor condition. Perhaps you have danced too much and lost too much sleep, been unduly excited or had some great grief; any of these things will affect in some way your menses. Anything, in fact, which lowers the tone of your general health will affect the menses.