Image: Praise the inventor of the water bottle. (via iStock)
Some ‘firsts’ in life are difficult to recall – especially when it comes to the nitty-gritty details. First detention, anyone? The first time you wore your hair in a braid? Exactly.
Other milestones, however, are etched into our memories for ever more: those first kisses, first breakups, first job interviews… and of course, the first period. We bet you can remember how you felt and where you where when you officially ‘became a woman’ – not to mention how mortified you were when your mum inevitably told your dad about it.
What really happens to your body when you skip your period.
We’re also certain you can tell us exactly how old you were.
But here’s something you probably don’t know about your first period: according to new research, the age you got it could be a marker for your cardiovascular health. Unfortunately, it seems early and late bloomers drew the short straw here.
An Oxford University study, published in the journal Circulation, examined the health of more than one million women. The findings suggest those women who had their first period before age 10 or after the age of 17 were more likely to be hospitalised for, or die from, heart disease, stroke, or complications related to high blood pressure.
