Putting DD on the pill to stop heavy periods?

[EveSix]

Is anybody's DD on oral contraceptive pill to subdue or cease really heavy periods?

We've been recommended by GP to put DD (14) on the pill as she bleeds heavily for weeks on end and it impacts everything (frequent flooding, passing large clots, waking up in pools of blood, terrified of going places in case doubled-up sanpro fails suddenly etc). She'll literally bleed full on for 4 weeks, get a week to ten days 'off' and then it'll start again. It's been going on for 18 months and doesn't seem to be settling.

She's terrified she'll suffer low moods or swings, get problem skin and put on weight (she already has a tendency toward low moods and gains weight easily).

I'd love for her not to suffer the consequences of these excessive periods anymore and feel confident her body won't let her down. Has anyone got any reassurance or experience (such as which pill worked for their DD) to share?

Yes, get her the pill or the injection.

I went on it at 17, my mother wasn't happy (RC) but it changed my life.

I agree she should be referred to gynae but in the meantime the pill can help.

I would get more side effects from my period than the pill.

Dd went on the pill at 14 and had the implant at 15 for heavy periods. Nurse told us being a teenage girl was bad enough without dealing with debilitating periods.

(We are in the USA, so some of this refers to US medical terms.)
My dd had endless heavy periods from the age of 11 or 12. Her Pediatrician put her on the pill at 12 and it didn't help at all. After doubling the dose, he then referred her to an OBGYN. For the next 7 years, she was referred to multiple OBGYN's and checked for Endo and PCOS which she didn't have. She was prescribed multiple different types of Birth Control Pills, none of which helped. She had anemia, exhaustion and depression for years. She was told everything from it was in her head, to just deal with it and that it would eventually get better. At 18 she was prescribed depo provera injections and tranexamic acid and she bled right through that. Finally at 19(!!!!!) a young OBGYN (recently out of medical school) joined her OBGYN's medical practice, reviewed DD's medical history, took her off all the hormones and a few months later ran some tests and she was diagnosed with Hemophilia (mild). It turned out that her pediatrician had actually run the tests a year earlier, but the results were masked by the birth control pills. Normally one discovers Mild Hemophilia the hard way by having wisdom teeth out or giving birth (or some other hemostatic challenge) which luckily my dd did not experience.

Interestingly, once she had the diagnosis, the treatment wasn't that different than before (Birth control pills and tranexamic acid during her period), but the knowledge that there was a medical explanation for the bleeding was enormously important for my DD's mental and physical health. AND she now wears a medical ID bracelet (a fancy one ordered off Etsy, of course) so that if she ever is in an accident where she is badly injured, that she won't bleed to death.
I read an article shortly after my DD got her diagnosis that that says that a third of adolescent girls with heavy menstrual bleeding otherwise unexplained by Endo or PCOS, turn out to have a bleeding disorder. The American College of OBGYN's issued a recommendation in 2019 that all adolescents with heavy menstrual bleeding get assessed for Endo and PCOS and if those are not present, then they should get assessed for a bleeding disorder (Von Willebrand is the most common of these - my DD has Hemophilia A). And they also say that 20% of adolescents with Heavy Menstrual Bleeding turn out to have bleeding disorders. (I can't seem to find the NICE guidelines for adolescents, but I'm sure there are some as they are usually similar to the USA ones.)
I am so angry at all the medical professionals who dismissed my DD's symptoms and gaslighted her for 7 years saying it's "just something that happens to adolescents" and denied her an educated workup of her symptoms that could have prevented many of the medical issues that affected her education and quality of life through all her teenage years.

Sorry, all of that is to say, that you may want to try her on birth control pills to see if it helps the periods, but absolutely insist on a referral to an OBGYN to check for Endo and PCOS etc. And then insist on a blood clotting disorder if none of that exists and the pill doesn't work. (And bear in mind that she will need to be off the birth control pills for at least 2 to 3 months for the hemophilia testing to pick up mild hemophilia).

What the first poster said.

The pill will 'cover up' the heavy period issue but won't solve the underlying issue. It's not normal to have such heavy periods that she is bleeding for weeks or constantly flooding. She should be referred to a gyno.

I had horrendous periods, exactly the same issues as your DD’s when I was a teenager in the early 90s.

My parents didn’t let me go on the pill, as they felt it wasn’t right due to my age, so I suffered for a very long time, unnecessarily.

There was no mention of any referrals, just the pill or “once you’ve had babies, your periods will be fine”.

I have looked back on this over the years with horror. No care whatsoever and I have told my Mum since I should’ve been put on the pill. One teacher, a woman, said when I was 12, “who is going to employ you when you have to have time off every month?”. That shook me that I remember it to this day. No medical advice, or querying why this was happening even though I saw several GPs.

Disgnoses with PCOS in my early 20s. When I eventually went on the pill it was a godsend.

If she's bleeding for a month at a time then she needs an urgent referral to gynae.

@SofiaAmes that is very interesting, thank you for sharing. Sorry it took so long for your DD to be diagnosed.

I also enured awful erratic, heavy periods from 14 to 18 in the 90s. All I was given was useless* mefenamic acid which stood no chance of quenching the debilitating pain on day 1 when with no routine or warning, wham, I'd suddenly have elephantine cramps in my legs and abdomen. I was finally put on microgynon at 18 after "going missing" at work and collapsing on the filthy stockroom floor incapacitated by pain.

I did A-levels on Northisterone, terrified that 2 years of hard work would come to nothing if my period turned up in exam season.

I spent several years on microgynon, then used 3 implants through my late 20s, early 30s. So much easier. Light predictable breakthrough bleeds.

Fortunately, after children it did totally change. Predictable, lighter, shorter, mild pain that can be managed with ibuprofen.
Very different to what I had to endure as a teenager when I was "too young" to bother with any useful intervention.

*it needs a few doses in the system to work efficiently.

We had the same with dd. Gp suggested the mini pill as dd is prone to low mood and apparently this one would suit her better. Her periods are now much lighter.

DD14 has just been put on the pill (rigevidon) for this... She had 12 months of normal but heavy periods, but 6 months ago they got heavier and closer together. No history of endo or pcos in the family, but I had very heavy periods as a teen too. It's miserable to have to deal with, and I wasn't allowed to go on the pill so wanted to do better by her.

Agree with others especially at a young age, this needs to be investigated. Do not allow the doctor to just give the pill, they must investigate.

I agree but then they do that as they did with me saw a gynaecologist, and she just said you need to lose weight 🤦‍♀️ because it was pcos. I was thinking wow what a great appointment that was!

And according to the NHS scan cysts had cleared some years back so all good no more pcos 🤦‍♀️😂 as if it just disappears like that.
You don't have to have cysts it's just one of the signs.

Yes but again that's just masking it just like the pill might.

This was the reason I first went on the pill when I was younger. I think I was 14 too. It made a big difference to me and I then had 'normal' periods.

There are heavy periods, and then there is abnormal bleeding. Your DD is experiencing the latter. If she were my patient, I would consider the combined pill in the interim (if medically eligible) but I would also be referring her to gynae for full investigation as a priority. The combined pill would probably alleviate her symptoms, but the cause of such heavy bleeding needs to be established before it can be treated effectively.

@Redruby2020 yes that's why I said don't be fobbed off, I didn't say.anythijng else, some people have heavy periods which are not sinister. It was just a suggestion

This sounds just like my daughter. She had a 28 day period and usually 10-12 very heavy days.
My GP was amazing and tested her for Von Willebrand disease. (blood clotting disorder). She has VWD and now has to take the pill- her life is so much better and although she also has to take iron supplements, she is so much happier and in control. She was always worried about flood bleeding, but the pill has helped.
Apparently testing for VWD is very specific and not always the first thought, so I relieved our GP considered it and found the answer. This might help your daughter.
My daughter tried 3 types of pill before she found the one which suits her. There are a heap of options now.