AIBU to be cross about school dismissing my daughter's severe periods?

I have PMDD and I was always off school for my periods. I get full on migraines though where I lose my vision with an aura so no one has tried to say I should be in school.

As an adult I have to have roughly a day off work a month. Luckily my employers have always been understanding.

This thread is so annoying - most people clearly don't understand how severe PMDD can be. People commit suicide over it!

No good if the school won’t let them take it

As I said, earlier , these schools are run like a young offenders unit at the moment not quite sure why the need for the micromanagement teachers and children

She did the school took them off her.

I've heard that Buscopan helps with severe period cramps.
Sorry about your DD's problems. Periods are shit!

I wasn’t. I was left struggling with endometriosis for years. I used to get sent home from school because I was so unwell during my periods. Also NSAIDs aren’t risk free so just prescribing Mefenamic acid is only a short term fix. (I have IBD which may be linked to NSAID use).

That's simply an absolutely shit doctor. Outrageous. See a different doctor.

This is crazy. I was prescribed mefenamic acid by a GP in the 80s - why should there be a wait for the GP to do anything here?! 🤷

The parent has not yet involved the GP in any way with what is going on in school - it says in her OP that she “will have to” get a proper doctor’s note. There is no point getting cross with the school before she has made any effort to provide any medical evidence that her child’s periods are severely abnormal. Just saying you have been to the GP and they said it may be normal at her age is not medical evidence of a problem.

This happened to me. I had to use heavy duty tampons and night pads, change them hourly and regularly stained my clothes.

school staff looked at me with disgust and implied I was just a slovenly child who couldn’t manage a simply bodily function.

I’ve had an ablation and am no longer a prisoner in my own home for 5 days every 3 weeks.

take your DD to a sexual health clinic and see if they can give her something to stem the bleeding?

Who gives a shit what the school think, she can’t go in like that. I had the same with my daughter and she missed 1-2 days a month until we’d found something to help from the GP.

Pmdd here. I found combo of marvelon combined pill and sertraline leading up to period

Has she tried tranexamic acid. I found it helped a little.

Tbh best thing was mirena. I found consultant gynea who would numb my cervix and use gas and air as it was pre kids. Best thing ever did. Still had minor bleeding and used sertraline but game chnager

Yes, as I said earlier, all in the process of professionals working together to evaluate and solve the barriers to this pupil’s barriers to her education.
This includes LA education/medical officer.

This parent is involving the GP, in the process.

The school governors/trustees are accountable for ensuring the school meets the requirements.

Ffs is this still going on??? That's awful.

It’s humiliating asking for meds for periods, an invasion of privacy and an added hassle when doubled up in agony.

It doesn't have to be and it shouldn't be. Those of us that work in school medical rooms may have to operate within a framework but that doesn't mean we're indiscreet or unsympathetic.

We have a medical admin office off our medical room, in which I've created a quiet corner. Any student can ask to speak to us in here rather than in the main room. We would store medication in here on request so it can be given discreetly and we also keep period supplies including wipes, spare pants and tights in here so we don't have to hand these things over with an audience. Myself and my assistant are aware of our students who are neurodivergent and familiar with their LSPs. We will always give them extra time, allow them to call home for reassurance or ask for support from one of their trusted adults within school if needed.

I will also add that generally speaking most teenagers - including the lads, see menstruation as normal part of life. The girls will openly ask for pain relief for cramps, pop in for san pro etc and I have yet to see any of the boys make it an issue. I've even on the odd occasion had a lad pop in to get supplies for his girlfriend!

Some schools allow it and never once was my daughter’s bag searched anyway.

Not RTFT so apologies if this has already been said.

Whilst you are waiting for the GP to do something this may help a bit

1. Start taking ibuprofen a day or two before her period starts. This damps down the prostaglandin build up which may help with pain. Ibuprofen also reduces blood flow (not as much as tranexamic acid but it is a recognised treatment for heavy periods)
2. Buy 12 hour timed release ibuprofen for her to take before school (just make sure she doesn’t take it on an empty stomach). Boots do them for example.
3. Buscopan can help with cramps

These are not in lieu of seeing the GP and hopefully getting a referral. Also speak to your GP about protecting your DD stomach if she is regularly taking NSAIDS.

The photo you attached specifies that “this would normally involve some form of medical evidence,” as well as starting with, “schools do not have to wait for a formal diagnosis.” This strongly implies active consultation with medical professionals is the expectation, and also that evidence of this is required to be shared with the school - it would allow for a long waiting list to see a gynaecologist, for example, but is clearly not intended to mean the school must just take the parents’ word for it without the sharing of a lot of otherwise confidential medical information and evidence that a diagnosis is actively being sought.

"There is no reason why she can’t take a couple of tablets and keep them on her person."

Patently wrong. Rtft. There are many reasons schools do not allow children to keep medication on them ( if found) as many posters have already discussed.

Her school are shut. It’s three attitudes they mean those of us with extremely painful periods just get views as drama queens. I had horrendous period pain and heavy glow from the age of 13, my mum took me back and forward to the GP who couldn’t have given less of a shit. They gave me mefenamic acid, but I just threw them up half dissolved. Same with any painkiller.

After a while the GP said‘Mrs xxxx what do you want me to do?’ My mum went full Scottish mammy on him ‘your bloody job, did you just go to University for the pubs? She is suffering, she’s at breaking point and has her exams this year!’ He gave me the pill and it was life changing.

Yes you are, my mother has been waiting in agony for 2 years.

My dd would hate that as would many others with ND. There is no reason why she can’t take a couple of tablets and keep them on her person. If she was to overdose( unlikely)it would cause little damage if under 8 in 24 hours. Frankly having a day off is preferable. Periods for some are brutal.

It's 9 weeks for appointment and 21 weeks for treatment at my local hospital. We are doing really well, it seems.

"It’s humiliating asking for meds for periods, an invasion of privacy and an added hassle when doubled up in agony."

The daughter won't have to do this. The parent should disclose the medication to the school, allow them to store it at reception/ office so they can hand it to the child when it's needed, at the agreed intervals.

Teachers would be told that said pupil should be allowed to go to the office to take said medication at break or lunchtime or whichever lesson period the time interval requires. No teacher needs to know what the medication is for.

The trouble here is the parent is not liaising with the school or being honest with them and obviously if it's prescribed medication they cannot administer it without the dosage and frequency instructions from the GP.