Spotting in 10 year old? What's going on here?

[SunflowerFace]

DD 10.5 woke up this morning and found some discharge in her pants that is stained with brownish blood. I don't think this will be the start of her periods, because the only signs of puberty she's showing at the moment are breast buds, greasy hair and a few little spots. There's no body hair or BO, and the breast buds have only appeared in the last 3 or 4 months. I didn't start my periods until I was 13, so if she's similar that's quite a way off for her yet.

I'm a bit worried that this might be bleeding that isn't related to a period. She seems ok in herself, isn't feeling ill etc. I'll have a proper chat with her when she gets home from school and check for UTI symptoms more thoroughly, take her temperature etc. But in the meantime, does anyone have any thoughts or experience of what this could be, if it isn't the start of her periods? Do I need to take her to the GP?

Actually it may well be. Ive known some who started at 9

Well yes, I know that can happen, but usually periods don't come before body hair and there's a gap of 1-3 years between breast buds appearing and periods starting.

It's entirely possible it's period related. The body has to be a certain weight, I believe for the hormones to kick in, that start periods. She's nearly 11. I worked in a Junior school (Years 3-6) and sanitary bins were provided in the upper girls toilets! I even had to get a sanitary pad many years ago for a girl, who started her periods at school.

By all means check for a UTI but I'd have thought she'd be feeling unwell.

Give your GP surgery a call, and ask if it's possible to speak to a nurse, if you're concerned.

I would find somewhere for your daughter to keep pads/spare knickers in her school bag, to be on the safe side.

On a side note, my Mum started her periods on her 11th birthday. So yes, your daughter is around the age when periods can start.

Forget the regimented order in which things are supposed to happen. DD started periods at 10, she's only just grown boobs at 13! My friend started at 8, there was quite a few girls who had started by the time DD did, she was quite calm about the whole thing! Puberty is just earlier now.

Thank-you, I've sent her in with pads, just in case and she knows all about periods. She didn't seem fazed. I'm just not convinced based on not having reached the other stages yet.

They seem to start much earlier these days, I've heard people say its due to diet.

You're supposed to start after 7.5stone, aren't you. Do you know how much she weighs?

I don't know her exact weight, but she's just under the 50th centile and is very slim.

I think it's period related. I remember it happening to me when I was still a child and seeing blood in my knickers one day and thinking I was dying as my parents hadn't told me about periods. It only happened the once I think and I didn't get my periods until a few years later when I was early teens.

Not true in my experience of two daughters who started at 9 (almost 10) and 10 (and a half).

A gynaecologist told me that it can take a couple of years from initial spotting to regular periods as I was concerned about the gap between my daughter’s periods.

I've just found her weight from 1st Dec and it was just under 33kg. So about 5 and a half stone.

That's helpful to know, thank-you.

I started my period at 10, I didn’t have breasts before this or for years after really

The first sign of my DD going through puberty was spotting and then a month or 2 later, her first period. She was 11 with no body hair or boobs.

I would assume it’s her period starting and make sure she is prepared for more regular flow and confident about changing period pads or whatever she chooses to use whilst at school. She might just have annoying spotting that is on and off for a while yet but periods starting when you’re unprepared can be quite traumatic for a young girl, so at least she will be spared that.

That can't be true( having to be 7.5 stones). Lots of girls are under 7.5 stones at 11/12/13 and have periods. I started at 11 and was under 6.5 stones at 18 so would have been less at 11. My daughter was 13 and under 7 stones.

I wasn’t over 7.5 stone until I was in my twenties but I started periods younger than the OP’s daughter.

Yes, I don’t think the weight thing is correct. I wasn’t 7.5 stone until I was about 30! My DD will likely be the same as she is very petite. We both started our periods at 11 when we couldn’t have weighed much more than 6 stone.

This can’t be true. I was 7 and a half stone at 21 (and pretty much until I was 30) and started my periods at 12. There’s absolutely no way I weighed the same at 12 as I did at 21, so I must have been much lighter than 7.5st when I started.

I would say most likely period related TBH. It's just a guide I think ,everyone is different. My friends DD started at 9! Maybe see /call GP if worried but UTI is usually presented with high temp and feeling unwell

My Dd1 was just 11 when she started hers, she had the breast buds and greasy head hair but no hair etc, she was also about 6.5 stone. Took a good few years before she was regular and she’s still very slim now.

i was 12 when i started mine and that started with spotting then a few months later after I turned 13 I had a proper period.

so yes op she could be starting her periods

I had spotting about 17 days before I started my periods. My two main friends at the time had started theirs at 8 and 9! So, don't rule it out - if you haven't already get her prepared.

Having said that, I you have any other concerns in the coming days, then either keep a close eye on those or get her checked out.

Thanks everyone, it’s been helpful to read your experiences.

I was a bit freaked out because I Googled and it said she needs to see a dr. I’ve got a lot of other heavy stuff on at the moment, so it all came on top of that and I was freaking out. Part of me hopes it isn’t the start of her periods yet, she’s still very childlike and I was hoping she’d be older before she had to deal with all that.

Tbh thinking about it I started at 11 and definitely wasn't over 7 stone until my late teens. But I'm very short. Maybe 7.5stone is an average? Or I'd guess few teens get to that weight without starting.

I'll have to try and think where I heard it, sorry if I've spread misinformation!

Well this isn't true. I definitely didn't weigh that much when I started my periods. I know this because I have rarely my adult life weighed that much, and I've had periods since I was 14.