Taking the pill to stop periods?

[Donatella]

Does anyone know what the current medical thinking is about this? I haven't used oral contraception for decades so feel a bit out of the loop, but I am becoming aware that it may not be as much of an issue as previously thought.

The reason I am asking is my 14 year old finds periods very difficult to deal with, she seems to have sensory issues related to various things, and a big one is blood, and particularly the sensation of bleeding. Also, while her periods aren't excessive they are on the heavier side, and combined with fussy eating she is now very low in iron. She has often asked me if there was a way to stop her periods, and I have said no as I didn't like the idea of her starting hormonal contraception when she was younger, but now she is 14 I am wondering if maybe we should consider it, as much due to the low iron as the sensory issues.

Would it be safe for her to take the pill continuously, possibly for many years? Is this something I should be considering asking the GP about or is it a terrible idea?

I've been taking the pill for over 8yrs (cerazerette) however I started with I was 30yrs. I did take a 2 month break inbetween and my periods came back quickly so I don't see any major side effects. I run my packs back to back so don't have periods.

However it is best to go speak to your GP who will be more than happy to talk it all through as I had the same questions about long term effects. As your daughter is much younger than when I started I would urge you to get professional advice.

Its ok, but because shes only 14 id make an appt with her GP to discuss it. Has she had blood tests to confirm shes low in iron?

@Letsallscreamatthesistene

Its ok, but because shes only 14 id make an appt with her GP to discuss it. Has she had blood tests to confirm shes low in iron?

Yes, bloods done recently, confirmed very low ferritin and she has started tablets but she finds them difficult to take so it's a bit hit and miss how often she takes them (the GP offered liquid but there's no way she would take it due to the taste). I think I'll make a GP appointment to discuss.

Hi there, sorry I've no advice in relation to her periods/Pills. But in terms of low iron have you tried Spatone sachets? If you get the natural flavour and pop it in a mouthful of orange juice there is zero taste. I'm horribly fussy with taste etc so I can assure you there's no taste so might be worth a try. I know people say there isn't enough iron in spatone but it's better than her being low on iron. I've been low a good few times and never had an issue with spatone. Best of luck

I got prescribed the combined pill to try and reduce long & heavy bleeding but it gave me a migraine so had to stop taking it. They also tried me on the mini pill but that made me bleed almost continuously for months so I stopped taking it. So in my experience they are definitely willing to prescribe it but it doesn't always work as hoped! They also suggested the injection to me but after the issues with the pills and a mirena I decided not to risk it.

@TUGGY2006

Hi there, sorry I've no advice in relation to her periods/Pills. But in terms of low iron have you tried Spatone sachets? If you get the natural flavour and pop it in a mouthful of orange juice there is zero taste. I'm horribly fussy with taste etc so I can assure you there's no taste so might be worth a try. I know people say there isn't enough iron in spatone but it's better than her being low on iron. I've been low a good few times and never had an issue with spatone. Best of luck

Thanks, but there's no way she would drink orange juice, she won't drink anything other than water, she can even tell if you put her water in a bottle that's previously contained squash and then been washed! It's quite frustrating.

I feel your pain my son has ASD and sounds similar to your daughter in terms of food/ drink it's so frustrating isn't it. Now you can put spatone in water but there is a slight taste hence why I go for orange juice. I hope you can find a solution for her

One of mine went on at that age to help with heavy periods.
You can run packets back to back, but we found that there was breakthrough after ~2.5 packets so planned breaks before then at a convenient time. Really helps when it gets to summer holidays or exams.

I used Cerrazcette as a trial prior to the implant to manage periods for pain through much of my 20s. I was regularly incapacitated by pain from 13 to 18 because my GP was reluctant to prescribe contraception (90s) and the prescribed pain relief was useless for day 1 because my "cycle" was too irregular to anticipate and get it into my system in advance.

I found that inititally the implants kept my periods at bay and then I would end up with light break throughs. Over time they became more prolonged, but it was far preferable to a natural period, from my point of view for pain, but probably less sensory disruption too.

Period pants or washable pads are also far more pleasant to use than sweaty disposable sanitary protection.

My DD went onto them at about 14, for the same reasons, plus hers were very irregular.

The Doctor was reluctant to let her run all the packs back-to-back and avoid periods altogether, as they like to make sure the reproductive system is functioning properly. So she has three packs back-to-back, then a break. 4 periods a year is better than before. Also, I personally wouldn't be worried if she wanted to avoid the break occurring in a holiday.

I used to run all mine together but I was in my late 20's at that point.