terrible consequences so sure to follow.

A simple wetting of the feet, or resting quietly in a draught after exercise, during menstruation may impose upon the person a life-long injury. How carefully, then, should mothers watch their daughters at these periods, and how strongly should they impress upon them the necessity of special care.

Condition of Bowels Important.—The condition of the bowels should also be carefully looked after at these times. Indeed, this is so important that it should never be neglected. There should be at least one good movement of the bowels each day. Nothing can more certainly derange the menstrual function than persistent constipation.

Regularity Important.—Every mother should make careful inquiry into the exact frequency of the menstrual period with her young daughter, at least during the first two years of the menstrual function.

If there is pain at this time, then something is certainly wrong, and treatment should be taken at once. If there is irregularity, this also requires most prompt attention, as it will surely develop into something serious sooner or later. If the flow is too free, or not free enough, or if there is any deviation from the standard of health, the mother should be acquainted with it, and should proceed at once to correct the difficulty.

First Two Years Very Important.—If a girl can get through the first two years of her menstrual life without serious disease, she stands a very good chance of enjoying good health during the rest of her life; while a slight mistake at this time may produce the most serious disease in later life. If you do not understand your ailments write to Mrs. Pinkham, Lynn, Mass. Her advice is free and always helpful.

CHAPTER VII.

DISORDERS OF MENSTRUATION.

Amenorrhœa.—This is a condition in which the monthly flow is suspended. It can hardly be called a disease, as it is rather a symptom of some disorder of the uterus, or of some constitutional defect. This may occur at the time when menstruation should normally appear, namely, from fourteen to fifteen years of age.

Danger of a Decline.—If the young girl does not menstruate at sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen, something is certainly wrong, and treatment should be taken at once in order to correct the difficulty before the girl goes into a decline. It is not wise to trust too much to nature in these cases.

Such girls are generally thin and pale, with a peculiar sallow, or yellowish-green color to the skin which has given rise to the term "green-sickness," or "Chlorosis." They fall easy victims to scrofula, consumption, nervous prostration, insomnia, and other diseases.

Treatment.—When the time for menstruation arrives, and the flow does not appear, the mother should give her daughter regular doses of Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound. This remedy acts strictly according to the laws of nature, and simply brings about natural conditions.

For some reason nature may not succeed in beginning this important change in the girl's life, but with the help that comes from the Vegetable Compound, this is sure to come to pass.

How Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound Acts.—A better circulation is established, the condition of the blood is improved, the nervous system is greatly invigorated, and, as a result, the menstrual flow is established.

This should set at rest a great deal of worry on the part of the mother, and it means a great deal to the daughter, as well. Now, the mother can be assured that one great danger is passed, and, with proper care and attention, there need be no more trouble.

Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound, however, should be taken for some weeks or months until the habit is well established and menstruation appears regularly every twenty-eight days.

Delicate Girls.—If the young girl menstruates, and yet is not in good health, then she should certainly take the Vegetable Compound for a week before the time when menstruation is expected; the great object being to establish regularity in the menstrual function.

Keep the Bowels Regular.—In all these cases attention should be given to the condition of the bowels, which are usually constipated. To correct this, the girl should take laxative doses of Lydia E. Pinkham's Liver Pills, just enough each night so that there may be one good, natural movement the day following.

Look Well to the Diet.—A great deal can be done, also, in the way of diet. Girls, especially at this time, have a most perverted appetite, preferring pickles, olives, rich pies and cakes, and other indigestible foods. These are all bad, of course, as they disturb the digestion and keep the blood thin.

Let the diet consist principally of rich milk, eggs, lamb chops, beefsteak, chicken, and good bread and butter. If the milk rests heavy on the stomach, then add a tablespoonful of lime water to each glass of milk.

Daily exercise in the open air is also of value, and the sleeping-room should be well ventilated, especially at night.

Menstruation Suspended During Pregnancy.—During pregnancy menstruation is usually suspended, although the regular monthly flow may continue for two or three months. Of course, suspension at this time is natural, and nothing should be done to bring on the flow.

If menstruation appears when there is a strong probability that pregnancy exists, then the person should remain quietly in bed and eat only light food, and every precaution should be taken lest a miscarriage be brought on.

Should a Mother Nurse Her Child While Menstruating?—Menstruation is also usually suspended during nursing, although not infrequently this function is resumed again three or four months after childbirth. The question here arises whether the mother should continue to nurse her child while menstruating.

If the child remains healthy, keeps steadily gaining in weight, and seems to be well nourished, and if the mother is not losing ground in any way, then there is no reason why the mother should not keep on nursing her child. If, however, the mother's health fails, or if there is evidence that the child is not prospering, then weaning should take place.

As a rule, a menstruating mother does not have good milk for her child; it is usually thin and watery; although, as I have said, under certain conditions nursing may continue.

Sudden Suppression.—Sudden suppression of menstruation is most generally due to a cold, mental shock, or undue exposure of some kind. It is always accompanied with pain in the back, headache, more or less fever, and other unpleasant symptoms. It should generally be considered as a dangerous condition, and every effort should be made to restore the menstrual function. Sometimes when menstruation is suddenly suppressed in this way, a so-called "vicarious" menstruation occurs, and there is hemorrhage from the lungs, the nose, the gums, the bowels, or from some other source.

Treatment of Suppression.—The treatment of sudden suppression consists of a hot foot-bath, or sitting in a tub of hot water. At the same time the person should drink a bowl of hot ginger tea, or hot lemonade, be covered well with blankets, and every effort be made to bring about a profuse sweating. Then have the person go to bed, and apply hot cloths across the lower part of the bowels. Place at the feet bottles of hot water, or hot bricks, and keep up the perspiration in this way for an hour or two. This is all that need be done in the great majority of cases.

Only One Medicine to be Taken.—As the shock to the system tends to disturb the