Menarche

Female human's first menstrual cycle Part of a series onHuman growthand development Stages Gamete Zygote Embryo Fetus Infant Toddler Child Preadolescent Adolescent Emerging and early adulthood Young adult Middle adult Old adult Dying Biological milestones Fertilization Pregnancy Childbirth Walking Language acquisition Puberty Menopause Ageing Death Development and psychology Pre- and perinatal Development Infant and child Nature versus nurture Adolescent Youth Young adult Adult Maturity Developmental stage theories Attachment Ecological Psychosocial Psychosexual development Moral Cognitive Cultural-historical Evolutionary Psychology portalvte Menarche (/məˈnɑːrki/ mə-NAR-kee; from Ancient Greek μήν (mēn) 'month' and ἀρχή (arkhē) 'beginning') is the first menstrual cycle, or first menstrual bleeding, in female humans. From both social and medical perspectives, it is often considered the central event of female puberty, as it signals the possibility of fertility. Girls experience menarche at different ages, but the most common age is 12. Having menarche occur between the ages of 9–14 in the West is considered normal. The timing of menarche is influenced by female bio