DD (15.5) no periods. When to be concerned?

[Hellvelyn]

DR (15.5) hasn't started her periods. She has quite a small build (5ft 3ish) and probably about 7.5 stone. Should I be worried? She is concerned and has concluded that "it's never going to happen"

Quote: “According to Frisch, a minimum level of fatness (17% of body weight) is associated with menarche; however, a heavier minimum weight for height, representing an increased amount of body fat (22%), appears necessary for the onset and maintenance of regular menstrual cycles in girls over 16 years of age. This critical amount of body fat implies that a particular body composition, in addition to other environmental and psychosocial factors, is important in triggering and maintaining the pubertal process.” Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/4053451/ The NIH is the National Institutes of Health, the US government health research body, so a solid source.

I didn’t start until I was 15 1/2. I weighed around 8.5 stone and 5’2.
Once they started never stopped and i’m still having them at 48. Only person who can really advise is a Doctor. Maybe she’s feeling down because it’s like a milestone to reach, it was slightly that to me and I was relieved when they started, but so glad I wasn’t one who started at 12 or younger.

I started at 13 but always had a very irregular cycle I could go six months with no period ,I managed to conceive fairly easily though with no.intervention .

My best friend at school hadn’t started at 15 and she had a scan to check that she had a normal reproductive system and also genetic tests to check for intersex conditions.
I don’t know what age she did start but she went on to have children. She was very slim and did a lot of sport.

I was 15 and a half when my periods started. I was active very slim and around 5'6". I was the last to start in my friendship group.

At your dad’s age I would go to the GP just to be in the safe side.

DD1 was a week shy of her 18th birthday. She had regular check ups at the fertility clinic from 16 onwards. She had an ultrasound scan and lots of blood tests ruling out various things. There was nothing wrong, just late starting.

DD2 started at 14 and 1 month - unexpected.

I think it's definitely worth getting the ball rolling with the GP.

It isn't abnormal - but it's important to look at family history. DD1 started periods at 13. Didn't happen for DD2 - but both my sister and I were late starters. I was 15.5, Dsis was just past 16. So I told DD2 we'd wait until she turned 16 and then go see the GP.

Guess what she got on her actual 16th birthday?

It's not the dancing - my dd2 started her periods at 11 and was doing 5-6 dance classes a week at the time and weighed about 6 stone.

OP - have your dd's feet stopped growing yet? I've heard that periods start up to 2 years after that.

I was a dancer as a child/tween/teen - classes six days a week by the time I was 13. Also very slender. I started my periods at 11, so I wouldn’t necessarily hang my hat on that being the ‘problem’.

16 is the age when they will take a look or do some testing.

The dance load plus weight and height reported makes me wonder if she is eating enough. One of my DDs was tiny until she started swimming. The coach had parents in for a chat about nutrition and rest before the season started. We were also given handouts with breakfast, dinner, and pre and post practice/meet food suggestions. DD gained a good deal of weight despite the demanding schedule and the non-appearance of periods problem sorted itself out.

Is there any worry about an eating disorder, @Hellvelyn? Dance is a very body conscious activity.

She eats very well. Not keen on breakfast so fruit and sometimes toast. Lunch yesterday was a cheese jacket potato and sweet potato wedges. Tea was veg bake. I heard her rummaging in the fruit bowl and snack cupboard several times during the day too. She's veggie and has been for about 18 months and happily eats nuts, tofu, pulses etc. Frankly I don't know where she puts it all. I do keep a close eye though because I know only too well (I'm a high school pastoral lead) how quickly things can change.

I don't think there is a direct link with weight. Maybe more about body fat % perhaps. I say this because I was 13 and about 5.5 stone (if that).

Be very careful of vegetarianism - it can be a mask for an eating disorder.

What is her dance/workout schedule?

I started a week before my 10th birthday and I wasn't 8 stone until I was about 17.
Definitely isn't connected to being around 8 stone

Have a look at tanner stages, see where she is on that.

Tanner Scale very interesting. Stage 4 I would estimate.

Mathanxiety - she has three dance classes a week, PE once a week and does GCSE dance. Also walks to and from school (15 mins each way)
When she has no activities at the weekend she will happily sit round all day, only moving around when she is looking for food.

It's not the dancing - my dd2 started her periods at 11 and was doing 5-6 dance classes a week at the time and weighed about 6 stone.

But it’s well-documented that menarche is often delayed in dancers and gymnasts who train frequently. The fact that it didn’t happen in your case doesn’t negate that.

*your daughter’s case

OP - have your dd's feet stopped growing yet? I've heard that periods start up to 2 years after that.

Not true in my experience. My periods started 18 months before my feet stopped growing and I was notching up another half size every six months during that time.

I started at 14y9m, was a dancer although not as intense as your daughter, am slim build (was probably around 7st and 4'11 at the point), but my periods were never more than brown spotting until I started taking iron tablets - I had undiagnosed coeliac disease.

It could be nothing but it could be something - I reckon get her checked out at least by 16

My eldest DD is tiny and started about 15.5/16. She was a size 4 and only size 6 now. She had some body hair but very little in the way of boobs. If your DD is small and light body weight they may just be slightly delayed.

I still don't think its the dance in this case. I know delayed menarche can be associated with heavy training, but I wouldn't say that the OP's dd is doing anywhere near enough for that to be the case. It would have to be 2-3 hours training a day during the week and probably all day at the weekends (and a restricted diet as well).

My dd is a professional ballet dancer incidentally, so I am thoroughly familiar with the issue - not with dd personally but indirectly through a very large grapevine.

Shakeitup I wonder if you have heard of swyer syndrome? I presume you’ve had lots of tests and know everything you need to know but just thought I would mention. Genetic testing has come a long way in the last 5 years or so, so is always worth revisiting.

I didn’t start until I was 14 but I wasn’t 8 stone until I was pregnant in my twenties.

DD is 14, 5.3 and 6 stone.