"Dear, Diary..." – charity project for girls-orphanages in Ukraine and France

Are girls and boys from

different planets?

Dear Diary...

I forgot to tell you something interesting last week. One day, after classes I found a note in my backpack. There was a romantic poem in it saying, to be brief, that I have beautiful eyes and hair. Was I surprised? I was deeply impressed! I guess I know who left this note. It was a boy from our class who has been following me wherever I go for a couple of weeks already. To be honest, I’ve not decided yet whether I should talk to him about it or not. But I started to pay more attention to him. And although he is not the man of my life as I imagine him, I must admit that he is smart and confident in himself. And I like it.

And yesterday, a funny accident took place during the sports class: Zlata from our class had her bra lace unstuck during the exercise, and boys started to giggle, and she was very upset. Just a few girls in our class wear bras. In my opinion, they don’t need it, but they want to look older. Only Alexa needs it because she has big breasts, and she is so shy about it that she hunches all the time. In general, I think that it is better to be a boy, because everything seems easier for them.

Anna-Maria

S

till in early childhood we start to understand that women and men are anatomically different. Little kids usually stare at each other when they start to notice that boys and girls’ genital organs are different. But in teenage period this becomes a top topic for talks and jokes, and due to lack of education and information teens invent things and tell stories that are often far from being true. If you are interested in this at least anatomic difference between genders, it would be better if you ask grownups who will help you to understand everything correctly.

Physical changes

From the Anna-Maria’s notes we see that a girl in her 10 to 12 years observes changes in her body, as well as the body shapes of her classmates, who grow a bit faster than her.

Girls in this age, indeed, are inclined to observe their bodies and watch the changes carefully. To be exact: Stage 1 Near 10 years old, maybe a little earlier, girls’ body shapes start to look different from the boys’. The teens clumsiness starts to disappear, thighs become wider. Some fat appears on the hips, on pelvis, and the whole body looks more feminine. On this stage, girls usually compare themselves with other girls, and often they are not happy with their appearance: «I’m not tall enough», «my nose is too big», «she is more beautiful than I am».

These worries are quite natural and the best way to get rid of them is confidence in your own uniqueness and beauty that girls always comprehend in their final stage of becoming a woman, i.e. in the age 17-18. Етап 2 Your breasts start to grow. Now, girls really look different from boys, she comprehends her separation and that she can be liked by boys not only as a friend, but as a future woman. Етап 3 Your genitals are developing. Let’s look at it in more details.

Anatomy lesson

There are external and internal genital or reproductive organs. The function of the external female reproductive structures (the genitals) is twofold: to enable sperm to enter the body and to protect the internal genital organs from infectious organisms. The main external structures of the female reproductive system include:  Labia majora, which enclose and protect the other external reproductive organs. Literally translated as «large lips,» the labia majora are relatively large and fleshy, and are comparable to the scrotum in males. The labia majora contain sweat and oil-secreting glands. After puberty, the labia majora are covered with hair.  Labia minora, literally translated as «small lips,» can be very small or up to 2 inches wide. They lie just inside the labia majora, and surround the openings to the vagina (the canal that joins the lower part of the uterus to the outside of the body) and urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body).  Bartholin’s glands are located beside the vaginal opening and produce a fluid secretion.  The two labia minora meet at the clitoris, a small, sensitive protrusion that is comparable to the penis in males. The clitoris is covered by a fold of skin, which is similar to the foreskin at the end of the penis.

The internal reproductive organs in the female include:  The vagina, which is also is known as the birth canal.  The uterus is a hollow, pear-shaped organ that is the home to a developing fetus. The uterus is divided into two parts: the cervix, which is the lower part that opens into the vagina, and the main body of the uterus, called the corpus.  The corpus can easily expand to hold a developing baby. A channel through the cervix allows sperm to enter and menstrual blood to exit.  The ovaries are small, oval-shaped glands that are located on either side of the uterus. The ovaries produce eggs and hormones.  Fallopian tubes are narrow tubes that are attached to the upper part of the uterus and serve as tunnels for the ova (egg cells) to travel from the ovaries to the uterus. The fertilization of an egg by a sperm, normally occurs in the fallopian tubes. The fertilized egg then moves to the uterus, where it implants into the lining of the uterine wall.

Your gynecologist can answer any questions you have about the many changes that may be happening to your body.

Intimate hygiene

R

A girl, a woman always represents the concept of purity. She is the one who cares about home, all people in her home, and herself. And she never forgets about her personal, intimate cleanliness.

equirements for general hygiene of the body and genitals in puberty are quite special. So there are rules to be followed daily. They are not so complicated, and easy to master.

First, it is important to regularly wash the genital area, including the anus, to help ward off infections and bad odor.

It is perfectly natural to have a slight sweet smell that is nonoffensive. A strong, foul odor indicates a possible infection. With treatment, the infection will go away and so will the strong odor.

Vaginal discharge is a necessary part of the body’s regular functioning. Normal discharge, usually clear to white, is part of the body’s self-cleaning process.

As discharge leaves the body, it takes bacteria with it, which helps keep vaginal infections at bay. Since the genital area is moist and warm, bacteria can grow easily.

Excretions from the vagina, perspiration, and urine can build up making it even easier for the bacteria to grow. These bacteria can cause urinary tract infections or vaginal infections. Cleaning the genital area with a mild soap and water on a regular basis will help control the bacteria growth and limit infections. Sometimes a girl feels high humidity in external genitalia. Some girls do not notice this phenomenon, while others, conversely, have much of white purulent discharge containing bacteria. If you see that its color has changed to yellow, its abundant and regular, perhaps with an unpleasant smell, in this case you should visit a doctor, at least in order to prevent serious illness.

Secondly, the genitals are complex, life-giving organs with many functions.

Knowledge is a key factor in developing a healthy attitude about the genitalia and realizing that the genitals are not «dirty» and are basically just other parts of the body.

Understanding the normal functions of the genitals also helps a person feel more comfortable with her body and stay healthy.

1 Every decent girl should wash her external genitalia daily in a shower or bath or standing near a sink. Special care should be taken to open the labias and wash between them. Then rinse the area with water and towel dry.

2 The area that a girl should be concerned with washing is the external genital area. The internal genitals have their own self-cleaning processes and it’s better not to interfere in it with water or soap.

3 Besides washing the external genital area, it is important to wipe it with toilet paper after urinating or having a bowel movement.

Solid body waste expelled by the anus contains bacteria that can cause vaginal and urinary tract infections. Therefore, the proper wiping method is from the front to back. This is so the bacteria from the anal area do not make their way to the vaginal and urethral area.

4 A person should always wash her hands after going to the bathroom.

5 The best protection from possible unpleasant consequences is careful daily intimate hygiene which also brings a pleasant feeling of body freshness.