This artcile has been written primarily for parents and carers of young women with Down’s syndrome. Some of the information here may be appropriate to readwith your daughter, whereas other sections are to help you find ways to approach the subject.

Why produce an article on menstruation?
We know, form what parents and carers have tols us, that the onset of menstruation in young women with learning difficulties can be a stressful time. This article aims to help prepare for menstruation by explaining how, with careful planning and some practical steps, much of the potential stress surrounding this time can be reduced.

What is menstruation?
Girls are born with thousands of eggs inside their ovaries. These eggs are so small you cannot see them without a microscope. When a young woman reaches puberty one egg is released every month from her ovaries. (This is called ovulation.) The egg travels to the womb. If that egg were fertilised by sperm from a man, a baby would start to grow in the womb. Every month, a lining builds up in the womb, in order to prepare for a possible pregnancy. When the body knows that no baby is growing, then this lining breaks down and the egg and blood seep through the vagina and out of the body

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