Anyone have a young teen dd with awful heavy periods who is taking the pill to alleviate symptoms?

[WerthersUnOriginal]

My dd 14 is having awful heavy and overly frequent periods. Mine were the same and I'm so so sorry about it for her.

She's had the most horrible first day back at school because of this and felt flooded at one point and had to exit her class pretty quickly. She also feels nauseous and generally ill with it. Her periods are also coming along well under a month although there doesn't seem a set pattern. She only started last January and they've got worse and worse. She's very slim and tall and I worry she'll become worn out with all this. She's certainly miserable and very conscious of it.

I took her to the doctor who prescribed the pill. She was quite matter of fact and rattled off a whole host of possible awful side effects which basically scared dd and worried me.

I am concerned about her taking hormones at such a young age, but her present situation worries me also. She's not taken the medication yet and I'm not sure how to advise her when I feel uneasy about it too.

Anyone else in a similar situation, I'd be grateful for thoughts?

[Iwillorderthefood]

Yes I did, was in the pill at 13 as my periods lastedn14 days with one day break and then another 14 days or so. No issues, have very regular periods now and have two children. Doctor was very clear that the pill prescribed would not be suitable as contraception....think he may have been making this bit up....

[Iwillorderthefood]

I was so happy to know when my period was going to be and that it would not just go on and on...

[Hopeforever]

Yes I had the pill at 15 as I got awful headaches with my periods that affected my school work and exams

Didn't have any affect on my fertility etc

[BonnieBumble]

My doctor refused to prescribe it until
I was 16, I wish I had the opportunity to take it earlier as it changed my life.

Heavy periods ruined my early teens and I missed a lot of schooling.

[Myliferocks]

My DD was diagnosed last year with Endometriosis and put on the pill. She was 15.
The difference has been amazing.
Every month she was missing school as she couldn't move from the pain and she was sleeping so much because it was taking so much out of her.
She's a different child now when she has her period. The worst she has is a few cramps that would be described as mild period pain. She still has a couple of days where she has to take ibruprofen but it works now!

[purpleroses]

I took it at that age (the mini pill I think it was) for the same reasons as your DD. Just for a year or two, then they settled down. Don't suppose the hormones would be any worse for you at 14 than at 16.

[oopslateagain]

I was that child. Age 13/14 with regular flooding, leaking everywhere every night, horrendous long periods which ended up leaving me slightly anaemic. The doctor put me on the pill for 3 months - I had a kicking screaming fight with my mum because I didn't want to take birth control, but I capitulated to 'see how it worked'.

Within 2 months I had reverted to normal, regular, non-painful and non-flooding periods. The doctor was prepared to keep me on the pill if necessary, but after 3 months he took me off it and everything had sorted itself out - it was like my body needed the kick of normal, regular hormones to get itself under control.

As for taking hormones 'at a young age', remember that once periods start, your body is actually ready to become a mother - as far as the 'sex' hormones go, you are an adult.

[StaceeJaxx]

DSD has been on it since she was 14, (now 20). It was the only solution TBH, (she's on Cerazette so doesn't have a period at all). She was so heavy she'd soak right through the mattress (to the other side of the mattress ), that was with a super tampon and super towel on that was changed twice a night, she was also in horrible pain. Honestly it was the best thing for her, she doesn't suffer at all any more.

[HiHowAreYou]

I started taking the pill when I was 13-14 too for similar reasons, plus dreadful pain. It did help.

It is just awful when your periods affect your life to such an extent. Your poor DD.
:(

I didn't really think about all the potential side-effects at the time to be honest because I was aware that so many people took the pill, it seemed quite normal, and I was desperate for something to change.

[5inthebed]

This was me as a teenager, was bloody awful (pardon the pun). I lived in a hot climate and it was just awful. When we moved back to the uk and found out it was free, I was more than happy to go on it. Was so much easier and made the rest of my teens bearable in that respect.

I came off it aged 20, so had 5ish years and sorry to say, I wa dxed with PCOS and have maybe 2-3 periods a year now, struggle to conceive without fertility drugs. Not sure if there is any link though.

[WerthersUnOriginal]

Thank you all so much. It sounds maybe would should give it a try..

I think it was the mention (statisticically) of breast cancer that frightened her. The doctor just rattled all this off to us. I tried to explain the meaning of statistics to dd and why she'd said what she did but dd is a big muller over of things and it's played on her mind I think.

I have taken the pill myself in the past (as contraception) but I was older and chose to do it rather than had to.

The doctor did also say - as some of you have corroborated - that she may only require it short term and having taken it for a few months her body may settle down itself afterwards.

[paganmolloy]

I know this is an old thread but have found the info useful. My DD (13) sounds exactly the same. She confided in me only last week how heavy they were - needing super tampons and towels, leaking at night, shattered all the time and she'll only have 12 non-period days then it's back on again for seven days. I'm making an appointment for her at the doc to see what can be done as I really feel for her having to go through this. She just completed the online heavy period self assessment on the NHS website and got 13 out of 18 suggesting they are definitely very heavy.