How old were you when you got your flow? Getting your first period definitely came with a little bit of street cred back in the day: You could finally complain about PMS and cramps! But now tons of research shows that getting your period before age 12 might actually be linked with health issues down the road – and all of a sudden your days of trading tampons in middle school probably seem a little less cute. Obviously, though, it’s too late to turn back the clock on your hormones, says Dr Lauren Streicher, associate professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Northwestern University. That’s why, if your period did come early (show of hands?), it’s even more important to know and stay on top of any conditions linked with your early-to-arrive womanhood. Here are seven health issues linked with early periods:

1. B.reast cancer Your period is accompanied by extreme hormonal changes, especially in oestrogen, which is known to influence virtually every tissue in the body, says Dr Steicher. And that includes your B00bs: Women who had their first bleed before age 12 were 50% more likely to develop B.reast cancer compared to those who got their period at age 16, according to a report from the B.reast Cancer Fund. The study explains that early puberty is associated with increased exposure to the B.reast-cancer-promoting hormone oestrogen. 2. Early menopause Research published in the journal Human Reproduction in 2017 found that women who had their first period at age 11 or younger had an 80% higher risk of entering menopause before age 40 (premature menopause) and a 30% higher risk of menopause between the ages of 40 and 44 (early menopause), compared with women who got their first period between 12 and 13. This risk is greatest in women who also have never had children, says Suzanne Steinbaum, director of the Heart and Vascular Institute at Lenox Hill Hospital in NYC. 3. Heart disease Seriously, what doesn’t increase

Read more at: https://www.khorgist.com/2018/06/7-shocking-things-your-first-period-can.html