Month long period 12yr old

[Whodrankallmygin]

Apologies, aware I aibu for posting here, but tried childrens health and not much traffic.
Dd behan periods at 10,bit irregular, but nothing unexpected, until Oct this year, had week long period, stopped for 2 days and has now been bleeding for almost a month, over weekend she's soaking through adult pad every couple of hours. Got appt with our gp in a week, and saw out of hours gp today, been prescribed medication but he said its normal?!? And no need to see our gp as prob no cause for it?
Surely it can't be good for her? Going to see if can get earlier emergency appt, but am I just being paranoid /overly cautious?
Giving her vitamins with iron to try to compensate.
Thank you!!!

Go back and see a female GP? I don't think its normal... (but I'm not a doctor. It pretty awful for a 12 year old.

What was she prescribed?

Hi. Thanks, I don't think it's normal either!!! She has issue meaning she can only use pads, so not easy. She's been prescribed tranexemic acid and mefanimic acid, taken one lot, and slightly better, but really feel for her!

I had this when I was young as well, my mum's response was to get pissed off trying to find a shop that was open to buy more sanitary pads when I ran out at Christmas time having obviously not expected it to go on so long. She wasn't involved in my doctor appointments but I think I was told to wait it out. It took a toll mentally rather than physically tbh for that particular one.

So, whilst I think it's lovely that you're giving your Dd more support than I got, I don't think this is an emergency. I'd definitely try and get an appointment with a female GP or one with a women's health interest. I went on to have years of problems with my periods, missing a bit of work every month, and it would've been so much better (and dealt with quicker) if I'd had consistency of care from someone who was bothered about women's health.

The gp we booked into is a lady and is gynae specialist apparently, so hoping she takes it more seriously, may be one off, but want to sort it quickly if not!

Take notes and stop throwing out the pads. Keep them and, though it sounds anal, date them and note the time worn. If you take a clean pad for comparison, her blood loss can be measured..

From a purely personal point of view, I would be deeply concerned so every piece of hard evidence that could be presented and documented would be important to me. No way would that be normal to me.

Hobby - sorry to hear you had this and had no support - must have been so tough!! Planning on seeing lady gp, as want to try to prevent long term issues. Hope yiu OK now.
Sand - good idea, thank you - pleased to hear its not just me who would worry,!

Dd13 had gone from 2 years regular to none at all for 4 months. Bloods were taken and it showed low serum projestrone. Redone 3 months later- no cause for concern according to new male g.p. For the last 3 months her periods though light have lasted nearly all month. The same g.p says that this can be normal at her age. I will see how she goes next two months as the same g.p said that her tinnitus sounds were very common as well !

@choclips

Has she had a blood test, tinnitus is a side effect of iron deficiency and iron deficiency is caused by long or heavy periods.

She may need iron supplements.

i'd take it very seriously tbh.

@Whodrankallmygin - so glad you are taking this seriously. I was the same and only after collapsing and being admitted I was diagnosed with PCOS. The tablets your daughter has been out on are great. Make sure she takes them regularly as soon as Period starts and doesn’t finish until it ends. Also make sure she has food with them so her tummy doesn’t get upset.
She should see that GP and they should do a scan and blood work. Good luck!

She was low iron , strangely before she started her periods strawberrieshortcake. This came back up with supplements. It's normal now. I give multivitamin with iron when we remember and oranges to absorb the iron.

Oh poor soul. My periods were insanely heavy when they started at 11, and although they got a bit less catastrophic they were still abnormally heavy.

It might be normal, or it could be a sign that she has something like endometriosis. Maybe see if they calm down and if not, take her back and demand further investigation. I should've done that, but I didn't.

Sorry to everyone else who's had to deal with this, I seem to have blanked out my early periods-rememver getting cramps etc, but think was quite regular. Was quite surprised when she started at 10 anyway as her older sister was 13. Hard enough dealing with it every month, let alone it going in so long!!! Tablets seem to have slowed things down a little, but still heavy. Going to see if can get to talk to lady gp tomorrow, even talking to her on phone would put mind at rest.
Thank you to everyone for advice xxx

he said it was normal seriously if men had periods they wouldn't tolerate this.
Seeing a woman GP and pushing for help is an excellent idea.

Whodrankallmygin hopefully you get the help she needs. Heavy periods are exhausting enough for older women. To be that young going through heavy must be hard going for her.

Windygate that's what I thought - if it was normal it would happen to us all??
Thanks choclips, she's done really well coping with them and doesn't make a fuss at all, but her eating isn't good anyway so think she'll be shattered!! Treated her to some chocolate...... Hoping we get some answers (or find it's just a one off!) xxx

I'm glad you've posted this. My 12 year old only started her periods early this year but she's had her current period for 22 days (with one day break in between). Ive been given her multivitamins with extra iron as she's been so wiped out with it but maybe she needs more than that. I'll take her to the GP tomorrow

I had periods like this when I first started. Had no-one to tell, so just put up with it. It went on for about 3 years actually - two periods a month sometimes, really heavy, had to sleep on a towel etc but eventually settled down to being regular. I don't think it did me any harm but I wouldn't let my daughter go through it, just for the stress of always needing to find a loo and the constant worry that you might leak and the awful 'gush' when you stood up after sitting at your desk at school for half an hour.

Having since done a bit of research, I know now that it happens when you're not regularly ovulating, at the start of your periods, when you're young, and at the end, when you're perimenopausal. At the start of each monthly cycle, estrogen is responsible for building the lining of the womb. Approximately 2 weeks later, if you ovulate, the lining stops building and waits for an embryo to implant. If no embryo, the lining 'sheds' as a period. But for your daughter, what's happening is, the estrogen is building the lining, but there's no ovulation to slow it down, and so it keeps building, and eventually has to 'shed' because it's grown so thick. Hence the very heavy period. Eventually she'll start to ovulate regularly as she gets older and things will settle. In the meantime, she could go on the pill? That's one option I understand.

I was on the pill when I was 13 as my periods were so heavy and painful. Your poor daughter must be exhausted ☹️
The gp with a gynae interest sounds promising

My daughter had a 24 day period recently and I got her tested for anaemia. They didn’t even offer it as standard (policy to leave newly menstruating teens for a year to settle) but thankfully our doctor agreed when I asked. She’s now on iron supplements as her result was very low, and they’ve settled.

Too much iron can also be bad apparently so better to test.

I had similar when I first started, I was later (much later, in my 40s) diagnosed with fibroids which the gynae said had probably caused my lifelong heavy periods. So please do ask about that too.

I remember being v tired and always looking ill and really pale, so much so that people would comment, but nothing was every done at the time, gp also said it was normal.

I had this when I first started too. Periods lasting 2 weeks , a week off then starting again. Heavy but not severely painful. My mother did take me to the doctors who said it wasn't unusual. It settled down after a couple of years. I would still get it checked out.

DD had this, pretty much non stop menstrual bleeding. She became iron deficiency anaemia. She tried mefanamic and was then referred to gynae and haem clinics. Haem gave her an iron infusion (she was intolerant of iron tabs) and gynae did an ultrasound which was normal. They put her on the oral contraceptive pill which basically sorted it. Apparently some don’t ovulate for a few years which causes this. I’ve been advised to try her off the pill every 6 months to keep assessing if her cycle regulates by itself. She’s a year on the pill now.

Please please keep pushing drs until you get an answer. My Mum , bless her was of the generation that thought you just put up and shut up but I wish I’d known then what I know now. Had horrendous periods from the age of 11 and it took its toll on everything..I went fro a carefree child to dreading the monthly countdown, missing school and activities, ruining clothes etc. And the pain...Honestly don’t be fobbed off until she gets the help she needs.