30 
SAFEGUARDING THE SEX LIFE 
Menstruation should be painless, but since we are such 
imperfect specimens of our race, especially under modern 
city conditions, it frequently is not. The suffering can 
often be made less and sometimes can be completely re¬ 
lieved. Girls should promptly consult a trustworthy 
physician (in most cities there are competent women physi¬ 
cians), and not wait till painful menstruation has become 
a fixed habit. They should never resort to “ patent medi¬ 
cines/’ some of which are merely worthless, while others 
contain alcohol and other drugs which work great injury 
to the body. They should accept menstruation as natural, 
and never do anything to check it. 
The periodic menstruation and ovulation in women cease 
at an age usually between forty-five and fifty, though fre¬ 
quently outside this range. This time is called the meno¬ 
pause or change of life. It is a time of unusual strain, espe¬ 
cially in women of a nervous disposition. We should be 
especially thoughtful to make life easy for our mothers when 
they are passing through this ordeal. 
1. What is menstruation? 
2. How is it caused ? 
3. What has been thought to be the value of menstruation? 
4. What precautions should girls observe during menstruation? 
5. What can a girl do to make menstruation easy ? 
6. If a girl suffers from painful menstruation, what should she do ? 
7. Wdiy should she not use “patent medicines”? 
8. What is the menopause? 
9. Why ought women to be treated with unusual consideration 
during their menopause? 
The Hymen. — In Figure 16, page 20, you may notice at 
the opening of the vagina a membrane called the hymen or 
maidenhead. It is sometimes so small as hardly to be notice¬ 
able, and sometimes it almost closes the vagina. Since it is 
usually broken at the first sexual intercourse, its presence in¬ 
tact has been considered the evidence of virginity. The hy- 
