Vomiting during period- normal?

[OwlMother]

I've always been cursed with hideous periods- heavy flow, lasts ages and very painful. Dd (16) appears to have inherited this, she's having a miserable time of things.

As well as all the issues above she also sometimes throws up on the first day or so of her period. This has only happened a couple of times.

Today (period day 1) we had to pick her up from school at 1130 because she's thrown up several times at school. She continued to throw up in the car on the way home and this has gone on all day.

The cramps are so bad she's only been comfortable in the bath. She's stayed there for over five hours. Still throwing up.

She's slightly better now. Googling I can see that vomiting during periods uncommon.

My question is- is this worse than usual? She's still throwing up stomach acid 9 hours after the vomiting started.

It's not normal, but it's unfortunately entirely normal for endometriosis sufferers. Please push for a referral to a specialist (BSGE-accredited) centre - see the list here: www.bsge.org.uk/centre/
This is statistically by far the most likely cause and if she's in that much pain, she's unfortunately statistically extremely likely to have it. There are potential consequences of late diagnosis so it's worth pushing to get it investigated.

Sorry to sound so negative and I don't wish to be alarmist. But all those saying ' I had this but it stopped' - the vomiting may have stopped and the pain may have lessened but that tells you nothing about the underlying causes - you could have endometriosis that has progressed to advanced and doesn't give the same symptoms but can suddenly out of the blue give you serious complications.

There are people who will tell you it is vanishingly rare in teenagers. This is untrue - it's quite common but the research on this has not filtered down to primary care level.

were u vacced???

Thanks for the info re endometriosis. I'll speak with the GP about this. He's normally good at investigating issues thoroughly so I don't imagine I'll have to push too hard.

Vomiting and diarrhoea here too. Doc said the hormone which enables the shedding of the womb lining can pass through into viral etc. I have v low blood pressure too which adds to the situation.
Go to GP but go with her. Even make an appointment ask reception who best GP is re womens’ health. I struggled for years. Pill or copper coil will help but there are many meds should she not wish to take that route.

I threw up with mine this month. I put it down to the pain rather than anything else though 🤷🏼‍♀️

The only thing that helped my period troubles at that age was going on the pill. I went on it at 16 and came off it at 27 when planning for a baby and periods have been fine ever since without going back on it.

I had this a lot during my teens, and on and off during my twenties. Not every period but every few months (during my teens) I would have such strong period pains that I would throw up a number of times and pass out. I also used to flood really badly as well. In my twenties it improved and I would only get it once or twice a year. It's only since having children that it's calmed down completely and now I don't really suffer from period pains at all. I've had two laparoscopies done in the past and neither showed anything of any concern (no endometriosis, cysts, fibroids etc) so in my case it was normal for my body.

I used to every month,pain would be much better after vomiting tho. Not sure if it was endometriosis as never had any trouble conceiving . Didnt happen again after having children. What helped was taking pain relief (paracetamol etc) as soon as perid started without waiting for the pain .

DD1 had this - the Pill fixed it. She hasn't had any noticeable side effects.

I’m going through this right now!

I’ve struggled with my periods since I was a teenager, they did get much better when I discovered I was gluten intolerant (before this I had agonising pain, passing out, vomiting and sleeping the day away) and cut gluten out of my diet. I have been prescribed mefanamic acid and tranexamic acid (I can’t remember how to spell them now) but they didn’t help as mine were so bad back then, the pill helped some.

Now, I vomit the first day of every period and normally the pain is manageable (I know I’ve had gluten in the month when it isn’t manageable like today) the vomiting is normal, but, it’s as a previous poster has said hormones and my GP has told me this, I have been referred all over the place over the years to check everything’s working as it should, definitely take your daughter to the GP and see what they say.

Your poor DD. Wishing her well. I suffer with very heavy bleeding and it makes me feel shit. I can’t imagine how awful and disruptive it must be for her. Perhaps get her to see a very experienced gynae and have tests done.

Poor girl. I used to vomit with my periods as a teenager.

I did in my teens...I was finally diagnosed with endometriosis at 36 via laparoscopy! So yes I would ask for options available (I think it’s rare that they would do investigative surgery when she’s this young). I tried mefanmic acid, that helps with the heavy bleeding but not the cramps. Also ibuprofen or stronger alternatives along with anti-nausea medications might be an option (there are some that are buccal so they go under your lip and dissolve rather than having to swallow and keep them down). Ultimately in my teens I went on the pill which helped for a long time. Now I can’t tolerate any hormonal contraceptives or NSAIDS so I take codeine when it hits and wear Deep heat patches.

Also might seem an odd question but does she use tampons? I switched to a reusable cup for eco/finance reasons. Lost it recently and tried using tampons, tampons definitely make my cramps worse! I know not all schools are ideally set up to clean out a cup but it might be an option for when she’s home?

Yep it happens to me and I have severe endometriosis which wasn't diagnosed until I was 24. Please take her to the GP. It's not normal and Endo affects 10% of women.

Endometriosis suffer with very very similar symptoms ( I was diagnosed some 20 years ago) I was on the pill when I was younger and now coil (post children). It’s due for renewal soon and even with the weight gain the coil it’s been life changing for me and I have a normal life as much as possible.
When DD started her periods overtime she got similar symptoms, we decided with the GP advice at 15 for her to go on the pill - I was nervous with her being so young but she is so much happier 2 years on. She still in pain but not even half as bad & not heavy as she was.

Discuss with GP who I’m sure can help.

I was exactly e same at her age, thankfully grew out of it by time I was 18 (didn't start my periods til I was about 15)

That’s just awful you are all suffering so much with something that’s supposed to be a natural part of life.

Clearly somethings not right in the hormone department, but unfortunately specialists don’t appear to understand hormones in the U.K. For that you need to go to America and get a proper diagnosis if what’s out of kilter.

Try acupuncture. It’s been clinically proven for various things. GPs do it for other things on the nhs. But not periods up here as far as I know.
Yeah it costs £50 a go but it can take away all these nasty symptoms. I went for my periods and after a course of acupuncture they are fine now. Just need a top up every six months to keep them light and regular instead of long, frequent and heavy making me feel faint. I know it’s a bit of a shift in culture turning to eastern medicine when we are so familiar with western, but I found it totally worth every penny. Why suffer when you don’t have to if you have enough money for some sessions.

Nobody should have to suffer like that. I’m sorry you’re all going/have gone through that

I used to have horrendously painful periods as a teen and sometimes the pain would make me vomit. Taking the pill has helped enormously.

The pill is a first-line treatment for endometriosis but using it can mask the development of the more severe deep-infiltrating disease, so those who use it should be aware of this.
@a12345b, whether you had difficulty conceiving doesn't tell you anything about whether you have/had endometriosis or not!

Even laparoscopy can give a false negative if the person performing the lap isn't a specialist.

I used to, but it stopped after the first year or so.

I've no idea why it happened.

Oh yes when I was young I'd vomit and have the runs. Funnily enough, my periods were never than painful, but very uncomfortable with being sick and yes, also having that awful metallic taste!

As I got into my mid to late 20s, all of that really calmed down completely.

I had this in my teens and now that I am not on birth control in my early 30's. It is always the day before or the first day of my period and is completely unrelated to cramps. I never had any cramping as a teen although now get It mildly as an adult. I assumed it was a hormonal issue more than anything. So while it would not be a bad idea to get it checked out do not get to concerned that it mean endometriosis straight away.

But ReginaGeorge - not to be annoying or anything, but how do you know you don't have endometriosis? Even laparoscopy can fail to diagnose it, if it's performed by a non-specialist.