The life cycle of a woman

Baby girl

She’s born into a world, one where as many as 176 babies are born each minute, and where, in several countries girl babies are seen as more of a liability than a gift. Yet she’s a baby girl, one who joins the ‘female’ group with benefits like a longer average life span, and being less susceptible to certain health problems like stress and serious stress-related illnesses because of the protective properties of the sex hormone oestrogen.

She’s a girl, born into the group that has the honour of getting to create life.

Early girlhood and the scary teens

The time between the early teen years and 18 is when physically, a girl’s body changes into that of a woman’s. She has the advantage of going through puberty before her male counterpart, a process driven by the release of the hormone, oestrogen, which changes the external shape of her body.

The teen years are also those where she experiences her first period – the body’s signal that she is developmentally ready to procreate.

Interestingly, girls typically enter the growth spurt by age 10, reach their peak growth by age 12, and return to a slower rate of growth by age 13. Boys lag behind girls by two to three years. They typically begin their growth spurt by age 13, peak at age 14, and return to a more gradual rate of growth by age 16.

The adult years: 20-40

This stage begins with the exploration phase – 20-25 – where she flirts with her sexuality and explores pleasure, without the burden of motherhood. The early adulthood stage ends with pregnancy and the birth of her first child, after which she moves into the new phase – motherhood. In this stage she learns the true meaning of love. Research shows that a mother’s bond to her biological child is greater than any the biological father could ever have.

On the off side, during this time, common problems she faces include hormonal problems (such as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and endometriosis) stress-related diseases (such as skin rashes), fertility problems, problems surrounding pregnancy and childbirth, sexual problems, problems regarding physical or emotional abuse, STDs (depending on her sexual choices) and depression.

But it is also during this time that she experiences meaningful emotional and sexual relationships, major lifestyle changes, financial independence, career rewards, the ups and downs of motherhood and many other exciting rewards.

The nesting stage: 40-60

In her 40s she’s most likely at the pinnacle of her career, her marriage and with the relationships with her children. She should be settled into motherhood and be looking forward to being a grandmother. This is also the period when all those habits she has had start to show the effects – if she smoked or drank, the results will start to show in her skin and in the medical problems she has.

It’s also the time of the menopause and the winding down of her life, when she should have made peace with herself and others.

Old age: 60+

This is a time when her body will start slowing down in many ways, and when she returns to much the same state when she was a baby, and battles conditions like Alzheimer’s, cancer, stroke, osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. But it’s also the time when she’s at probably her most interesting – when she has stories to share and life experiences to pass on to her children and grandchildren.