Worried about DD12 periods [Gross Photo Warning]

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DD12 started her period 9 months ago. I've been surprised at how heavy it is - from her very first period she was requiring very frequent changes of sanitary products. She started with period pants, but needed pads and quickly moved on to tampons, then tampons with pads.
At the start of her period she is soaking through a super Tampax (not sure on exact times) She frequently leaks into her clothes and the bedsheets.
I'm quite old now, but I'm sure when I was young my periods were much lighter.
She experiences no period pains so I haven't thought I needed to take her to the doctor but have been worrying a bit as to whether her experience is 'normal' and ok.

..Then last night, I went into the bathroom shortly after she had showered and there was something totally gross on the shower tray. Like a bleeding 'lump'. She said she had no knowledge of it being there. (no one else had showered, it had definitely occurred during her shower) She was at the tail end of her period, had been wearing a pad during the day and hadn't used a tampon for a couple of days. I took photos but they are really quite gross - should I upload them? (Will Mumsnet automatically do that hiding thing?) I have never known of such a thing occur in my lifetime. She is utterly fine and I haven't worried her, but I am concerned. Although at the same time, I don't want to put her through any unnecessary proding/poking/trauma at the doctors. WWYD?

You need to take her to the GP. They can give her something that reduces the clotting. They can also test her iron levels, in case the are affected by the heavy bleeding.

It's not unusual to have v heavy periods/clots when you first start but it can be hard to deal with and cause anaemia. Worth a trip to the GP as there are things they can offer to reduce the flow.

Have a google of decidual cast and see if that looks like it. I would definitely see GP though as heavy bleeding could have issues with iron etc as well as being difficult to deal with for such a young girl.

Whilst I can’t speak with regards to your daughter and I do think a trip to the GP wouldn’t hurt, this is exactly how my periods started and still are. At school I would regularly bleed through a tampon, a pad and my school trousers onto my seat within an hour. It was horrendous. Heavy blood loss with massive, and I do mean massive, clots and clumps. I started my periods aged 11 and I’m now 42. I have always been as regular as clockwork, never experienced pain (except for achey boobs in the week before) but if you got in the shower after me before I’d sorted it out you would have thought there’d been a murder.

I have had internal scans and gynae apps to see if there is anything untoward, there isn’t other than apparently I’ve got a bigger uterus than the average (!) woman, I am just a Bleeder.

Ask GP to prescribe tranexamic acid.

My first five or six periods were extremely heavy, with clots. But they normalised after that and in the end were on the light side.

Yes, check with GP that everything is OK, but please don’t give your DD the impression that her period is “totally gross”, or that you find it disgusting. It isn’t. She’s so young and may be anxious about the ‘gross’ aspect anyway. I know I was, and I was 14 when I started.

I started my periods at 12 and they was awful.
Huge clots it was a few year until they calmed down.
Do see the GP to be on the safe side.

My mother wouldn't let us use tampons at 12 pads only.
I still only use pads.

This is exactly what my periods have been like from the start, was horrible as a teen and I frequently leaked. I got to know the best products and routine that helped me, and as an adult tried tranxemix acid which did help

My Dd 15 started at 12 and from 12 to 14 was like this (she became ill at 14 and her periods stopped until recently) I am hoping that they don’t come back as heavy as it was horrific for her and she needed iron tablets

Mine were definitely very heavy when I first started, and passing a large clot, as you describe, would not have been unusual.

This is how my periods have been since the day I started at 12, except I do get excruciating pain too. I always pass large clots too. I go through at least a box of super plus tampons every period, plus pads. Take her to the GP if you’re worried, but unfortunately this is my normal and may be hers. I take Iron for days leading up to my period, my entire period and for a few days afterwards too

Oh poor her, take her to see the GP

This sounds like me. Started periods very young. Heavy & clots. I've endometrosis, fibroids and anemia.

It's worth taking her to see her GP. Transmenic acid will help with blood flow and pain if she has it. Iron tablets might be a help too, especially if she's fatigued.

Period pants will also help. I find the heavy flow ones in Primark every bit as good the more expensive ones.

As she gets older, GP can consider more options if her periods remain like this.

Bless her. Take her to the doctor for a chat. I was just left to deal with my very heavy periods by myself, and spent years absolutely terrified of leaking in public/at school. I had no idea of what was normal. Tranexamic acid might help.

Definitely take her to the GP. It doesn’t sound normal to me. Regardless, it sounds like it’s disrupting her life with the amount of leaking and frequency of pad/tampon changes.

A blood test to check her iron levels would be a good idea (get the actual results, not just “they’re fine” because the NHS normal levels are deficiency levels elsewhere). She’ll probably need to take an iron supplement.

My DD started taking the oral contraceptive pill at about 12yo due to horrible period pain and heavy periods. It’s made such a difference for her. No pain at all and lighter, more manageable periods. Her iron levels have been better too. She takes Slinda. A lot of teens and young women do well on it. It’s a mini-Pill. Progesterone only.

I'm about as much as an expert on this as you can get without being a medical person.

Extremely heavy periods since 11, so almost 40 years' worth. I wish someone had given me tranexamic acid when I was a teenager as I literally passed clots, soaked through my clothes within minutes, left bus/school seats saturated with blood, you name it.

She'll very likely be anaemic, so will need iron tablets, and please ask about tranexamic acid. Good luck. I have suffered with all this since the 80s and it has ruined many aspects of my life.

Thank you so much for all the replies, I will take her for a chat with a nice lady doctor.
PS. sorry I used the word gross - it was more that the photo is rather gross than my daughter or her womanly excretions. I certainly didn't make her feel awful.

PPS. I just googled decidual cast - this is what it looked like it. It's so very odd she didn't have any pain and was totally unaware that this had happened. I will make an appointment ASAP.

I would definitely take her to see the GP to discuss, especially re:anemia risk, but also I think you’ve been very lucky and had extremely light periods all your life. Clotting is pretty normal.

My dd13 was suffering from super heavy periods, she needed days off school as was flooding. She takes transemic (sp?) acid no which has made a huge difference, as well as ibuprofen. Take her to the drs, there are things that can help

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