Teen Girls' Health

Features Related to Teen Girls' Health

31. Just a Bad Day? Or a Mood Disorder?
    

      We all get in a bad mood sometimes (I sure do—just ask my family!). But most of the time we get over it. The good news is, as you become more mature, you also get smarter about what helps you get out of a bad mood. One patient of mine realized that she got bitchy whenever she stopped exercising—no

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32. Happier Hormones: Treating Period Pain With the Pill
    

      Thirteen-year-old Brooke came to see me for horrible cramps. High-dose Motrin cut her pain in half within a few months. I could have prescribed oral hormones, but I usually try to avoid prescribing hormones within two years of the first menstrual period, while systems are still “working out the ki

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33. Brain Poison for Teens
    

      Medically speaking, even small amounts of alcohol are not OK for teens. Because teen brains are still developing, they’re much more susceptible to potentially addictive substances and behaviors than adult brains. Drinking as a teen does far more damage to your brain than drinking in your twenties

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34. Dr. Ashton's Five Simple Rules for a Healthy Sex Life
    

      1. Never tell your boyfriend you’re on the pill. Yes, you heard me right. I’m telling you to lie to your boyfriend. Because, I promise you, if he knows you’re on the pill or another form of birth control, he won’t use a condom every time. And you always need to use two forms of birth control—one t

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35. Learning to Cope
    

    As a young girl you’re evolving rapidly into an adult—which means experiencing a new range of emotions. Learning to deal with these emotions is a vital skill that you’ll use for the rest of your life. You learn coping strategies from family and friends and also by trial and error. Here are some stra

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36. Bad Things Happen When You're Drunk
    

      Ever said anything you really regretted later? Done anything that made you feel like an idiot? Remember that miserable mortified feeling that made you wish you’d never been born? Getting drunk is like volunteering to feel that way all over again. It’s hard enough to say and do the right thing when

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37. Going to Pot: The Risks of Smoking Marijuana
    

      One of my patients, Beth, sixteen, smoked pot several times a week. Her mom knew about it but was afraid if she told Beth to stop, it would make things worse. “Then she’d just do it behind my back,” her mother told me. I told Beth the facts about marijuana and encouraged her to quit. “The health r

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38. Dealing with Friends
    

      A funny thing I’ve noticed: Although I talk to thousands of patients every year (many of those just before or just after they lose their virginity), none of them, not one teenage patient, has ever said to me, “Oh, Dr. Ashton, I love my boyfriend so much, and I really want to sleep with him because

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39. Complementary Treatments: Nutrition, Exercise, Heat, and Touch
    

      My patient Olivia had terrible cramps that started when she was about sixteen. When even prescription-strength ibuprofen didn’t work, I suggested the other standard prescription for severe periods—oral hormones (aka birth control pills). Olivia and her mother both looked a little nervous when I me

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40. Mean Girls: How to Deal With Them
    

    Middle school is an awkward time for a lot of girls. At that age, it can be so hard to fit in. For Anna Thomas, middle school in metro Atlanta was a total nightmare. "I remember a bunch of girls would stare at me at lunch and make fun of me," Thomas, who is now 18, remembers. "People would walk by m

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