Story Of Menstruation (1946)

why is nature always called Mother Nature perhaps it's because like any mother she quietly manages so much of our living without our ever realizing there's a woman at work while right from the beginning we breathe and sleep and wake up with no more conscious planning than we used in sprouting teeth Mother Nature controls many of our routine bodily processes through automatic control centers called gland the story of menstruation really begins with one particular gland it's located here at the base of the brain and it's called the pituitary gland in our childhood years this pituitary gland concentrates on producing growth hormones busy little Messengers which circulate through the bloodstream they order the various bones and tissues to get growing and as a girl grows up from blocks to dolls to books that means her body is obeying the orders issued by the pituitary gland of course these orders vary among different girls some girls grow short some tall some heavy and some slight but there Comes A Time somewhere between the ages of 11 and 17 though about 13 is average when the pituitary must turn part of its attention to maturing the body which it has grown so it starts sending out a new type of hormone a maturing hormone and that is when menstration begins when these maturing hormones start coming down through the bloodstream to the ovaries the ovaries themselves are glands about the size of almonds and locked within each ovary are thousands of eggs although these eggs are too small to be seen by the human eye any one of them has the possibility of someday becoming a human being near the ovaries are the Fallopian tubes short canals which lead to the uterus or womb this hollow pearshaped organ opens into the vagina which is part of the birth canal and is the external opening for this whole group of organs so as you see there is a continuous passage from each ovary through the Fallopian tubes uterus and vagina to the outside of the body these organs function in a continuous cycle the pituitary gland starts the process when it sends its maturing hormones down through the bloodstream to the ovaries now one of the ovaries passes on an order of its own to the uterus it tells the cells which make up the lining of the uterus to multiply and fill themselves with watery fluids and blood this begins to build up a thicken lining of somewhat velvety material at the same time an ovary has been maturing an ovam or egg which is magnified here so that we can see it about once a month one of these tiny eggs passes out of the ovary and finds its way into a fallopian tube where it moves along toward the uterus if the egg is impregnated which happens when a woman is going to have a child the egg will stay within the uterus then the thicken lining will provide nourishment for the budding human being through the early days of its development however most eggs pass through the Fallopian tubes without being fertilized when this happens there's no use for that potential nourishment in the built-up lining of the uterus and so in a few days it passes from the body this is the flow which we call menstration so as we see now menstration is just one routine step in a normal and natural cycle that is going on continuously within the body the time between periods is usually about 28 days however it may be shorter for some girls longer for others the flow itself May last anywhere from 3 days to 7 yet each of these different schedules may be normal for just as the pituitary gland orders some girls to grow short some tall some heavy and some slight so its orders about menstration May differ widely among normal women the important thing is that you should be fairly regular within yourself of course A girl may be irregular during the first year or so but after that when her system is settled down into a routine her period should always be about the same number of days apart and last about the same length of time try not to throw yourself off schedule by getting over tired emotionally upset or catching cold and if your timing goes seriously wrong or you're bothered with severe cramps or headaches you should have a talk with your doctor of course you'll want to keep a personal calendar Mark the first day of each period and check to see that there are about the same number of days between periods it's not only a useful record of past performance but it comes in handy when you have to plan ahead this calendar appears in an interesting booklet called very Personally Yours this booklet has been prepared to enlarge upon what you learn from this brief film among other things the booklet explodes that old taboo against bathing during your period not only can you bathe you should bathe because during menstration your perspiration glands are working overtime just be careful to avoid either very hot water or very cold water in fact it's not a good idea at any time to shock your system with extremes any more than to let yourself get chilled or to catch cold and as for the old taboo against exercise that that's nonsense exercise is good for you during menstration just use common sense when you come to think of it most of your daily routine is on the mild side it's going to extremes that's wrong and to be avoided to most girls the menstrual period should bring no severe discomfort some girls have a little less pep a feeling of pressure in the lower part of the body perhaps an occasional twinge or a touch of nerves but don't let it get you down after all no matter how you feel you have to live with people you have to live with yourself too and once you stop feeling sorry for yourself and take those days in your stride you'll find it easier to keep smiling and even tempered you can do practically everything you normally do oh come now we said practically everything provided you take Common Sense care of yourself exercises to relieve cramps are Illustrated in the booklet try them with the guidance of a qualified person you may find they help and do something about that slouch slumpy posture is just as bad inside as it looks outside so stand up straight and let the organs function from the position that nature intended one way to help them function normally is to avoid constipation you see your reproductive organs lie between the rectum and the bladder and their external openings and constipation will disturb the relationship between these organs so you'll find it worth your while to drink plenty of water eat plenty of fruit and to include cereals and eggs and leafy vegetables in your daily diet and incidentally it's smart to keep looking smart that well-groomed feeling will give you new Poise and lift your morale especially when it's backed up with year round fresh air and sunshine and plenty of rest and sleep because the best possible insurance against trouble on those days is Healthy Living every [Music] day and that's the story there's nothing strange nor mysterious about menstration all life is built on cycles and the menstrual cycle is one normal and natural part of Nature's Eternal plan for passing on the gift of life w [Music]