DD12 period on beach holiday - help!

[EarlyBirdCatchesTheWorm]

Hello mumsnetters

Looking for tips. DD11 started her period recently and is likely to have it on a beach holiday in a couple of months time.

She is ok with period pants and sanitary towels but not wanting to use tampons.

She loves to swim/paddle. Not the point but this holiday had to be cancelled and rescheduled twice, it's to a lovely place and she'll be gutted to not be able to get stuck in and play in the water with siblings. Any tips for managing period (without tampons) on a beach/sea? Is period swimwear good enough??

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Most GP’s now won’t give noristhrone just for a holiday etc. They used to give it out like sweeties but there is a risk of a blood clot with taking them so a holiday is not deemed worth that risk, esp for a child.
I’ve taken them lots of times in the past and the side effects ranged from fairly mild to very unpleasant depending how long I took them an dive never taken them longer than 2 weeks.

this is what I was coming to say, I'm surprised at the amount of people who've had it prescribed recently. At my doctors they won't give you it for on holiday anymore. changed in the past 4 years.

They're great but a lot fiddlier than tampons and much more intimidating! I know they do make smaller/softer ones for younger girls but I can't imagine many preteens would want to dive straight into using those before tampons

All pills have side effects, I had bad ones after I used Norethisterone last time even though I'd used it before without a problem. Better off getting period wear that others have mentioned. Messing with hormones is probably unecessary just for the sake of a holiday.

As much as I didn't think I wanted to use tampons these situations especially swimming are exactly the time when we start to use them

It's just a natural practical progression.

She'll just do it probably

Don't overthink it

Just take plenty of tampons along and leave them in a non obvious way in the bathroom in a zip up toiletry bag and she'll use them eventually

@LaffTaff

I'm giving a contextual opinion on the advantages of a period product. There is nothing remotely weird about it.

Someone has chosen not to use that product. They don't need you giving your opinion on the advantages of it

I agree with this^ . The first year is quite unpredictable.

My DD had her period on the holiday last year. She doesn’t use tampons as well. She wasn’t feeling well on her first two days so we just stayed at the apartment, played board games then went for a walk and ice cream and did shopping for souvenirs.
I suspected she would have them and deliberately left these days for walking/ shopping. She had 2 pairs of period swimwear from Modibodi. Each of them survived only 1 hour (including walking). So she has a swim before lunch, back to the apartment to change and then after lunch. We were 5 minutes from the beach. Luckily they dried overnight so we did the same pattern next day. I didn’t want to use tablets as her periods were very irregular and she had some other health issues I was worried about.

Most of us as teenagers feel a bit weird at the thought of sticking a tampon up there when we start our periods but most of us end up doing it and swimming on holiday is one of those times. It was for me anyway

My DD insisted on tampax applicators

She likes the tampax pearl ones best but wanted the ones at first to be the Tampax ones with the obviously longer applicator.

Just be prepared and take a selection of regular Tampax with applicators and the smaller size which is harder to get hold of from recollection

Explain she needs to change it every time she goes for a wee and NOT to flush it down the loo but to wrap it in tissue and throw it in the bin

Both my DD's used Norethisterone last year and it was brilliant, prescribed by the GP but you can also pay for it. 3 tablets a day.

Surely wearing period pants (swimwear version) is pretty unhygienic? They must leak into the pool once they're properly wet?
I would not want to be in the water with someone wearing that; it's pretty gross, tbh.
Surely, once the blood is soaked into the knickers it will then mix with the pool water? Can't see a way to prevent this.

Why every time she goes for a wee? Unnecessary unless she's bleeding very heavily surely

See GP and ask for Norithisterone tablets (they’re teeny so easy to take).
A common brand is Utovlan it norithisterone is the medical drug name.

It is hormonal but she would only need to take it for a few days to stop period. Once you stop taking it, your period comes about 3 days later. You generally take 3 tablets a day to hold off flow. I’ve used it for holidays since I was 13 and it’s fine - only occasional side effect for me has been some slight bloating and sometimes once the period does come, it might be slightly heavier but if your dd has only just started, she probs won’t be regular/heavy anyway.

You can order it online or buy it over the counter but the pharmacist will need to double check over some med details with her so might be best/easier to ask GP.

How does norethisterone stop your period?
How it works. Norethisterone is a synthetic form of the hormone progesterone. Rather than allowing for the natural fall in progesterone during your period, Norethisterone keeps your progesterone levels up. This delays the shedding of your womb lining, and therefore delays your period.

I wouldn’t be giving this to a young girl,, OP.

The special bikinis sound a very good idea though, and you could get two.

With luck your DD will have a few more periods before you go so she can get a bit more used to it.

Or she can

Why wouldn’t you give Norethisterone for a few days especially given its short half-life,
rapid excretion?
Or is it more the side effects you would be concerned about?

We live in a warm climate and have a backyard pool. My DD16 has used Modibodi swimwear since she got her period at 12. She has black bikini bottoms and pairs them with her normal tops. Absolutely no leaks due to the way they are constructed.

With the best will in the world and a lot of attempts I was unable to use tampons until I was 17. DD appears to be the same. Still doesn’t use them. They seem to be falling out of favour with her generation who prefer other products.

I have never heard of hormone medication being used to stop periods in a child of 11 just for a holiday?? I would be amazed if GPs were prescribing that where I live. Particularly if you have to take bit in advance of your period as so many girls have irregular cycles at first. DD had her first 2 periods 4 weeks apart then didn’t have another one for 3 months. It took a good 18 mths for her to be regular.

Period swimwear is a great shout, she's young and not long started her periods, so chances are they will be light.

Explain she needs to change it every time she goes for a wee

Well that’s ridiculous advice and likely to put the poor girl off them for life! Pull them out before they’re ready and that’s gonna hurt her!

I took norethisterone, it made me feel awful, mood swings, bloated stomach, breast pain. I then didn’t get my period and ended up having an ectopic cesarean scar pregnancy. I would not give this to a 12 year old at all. I threw all mine away and would never take them again.

With regard to the hormone quote I mistakenly thought. I was getting confused between the Tranexamic acid and the Northisterone.

I'd never heard of either. I bled for 3 months non stop before DD was born, had a scan, had an internal (I was very dry up there apparently). Finally one nurse said - why has nobody offered you the pill? Don't know.

So like I said DD has Tranexamic acid on repeat if needs be, but she hasn't needed to luckily.

She was fine with the Norethisterone. Everyone is different though.

https://wuka.co.uk/collections/summer-collection

DD14 had great success with these last year - she loves the sea and pool and was able to swim as per normal. Modi bodi normal period pants were no good for her as her flow can be pretty heavy (even with tranexamic acid), but the WUKA have been brilliant.

Swimmers - even elite ones - now tend to wear period bikini pants under normal swimwear so I honestly do think she'll be fine.

There's some links to great ones above.

So either an actual period swimsuit, period bikini bottoms as bottoms or period bottoms under another type of swimwear. She may prefer boy shorts and bikini top for extra security?

Hope you enjoy your holiday after a few times of trying to get away!