Help - almost 9yo and periods?!

[stealthsquiggle]

DD, who is almost 9 (a few days away) came out of school today and muttered at me "Mummy. I went to the loo and I couldn't pee and there was blood"

Firstly, is there any other likely explanation other than her periods starting (which is what I have assumed it is and have attempted to explain as we really hadn't had that conversation at all, and neither have school - she is Y4)?

Secondly - it's clearly very early, and she has no other signs of puberty (other than moodiness!) - no hair, and very minimal signs of breasts. Should I take her to the GP, or continue to push the "perfectly normal growing up" message?! She is very tall for her age, though, and not skinny - generally in age 13/14 clothes.

All suggestions gratefully received - I started my periods at 12/13 so was well aware of what was going on and certainly didn't have to have this conversation with my DM. Poor little thing - she's not equipped.

Could she have a uti?

Could be uti? Or a small cut depending on how much blood there was. You would normally get other signs of puberty prior to periods starting e.g. breast buds, pubic hair, etc

It's possible she has a uti.has she been able to urinate since she got home?

Definitely GP. I'd also guess uti but she needs to be checked. If this is not a uti and an actual period I would want her to be treated to delay things a bit (I also have a yr4 dd who developed BO at 7 and freaked me out a bit. Nothing else has developed so far but I am keeping a close eye).

No, she tried again when she got home and there were just a couple of drops of blood - no urine.

Having never had a UTI in my life, I am even more clueless if that is what it is - I shall Google. OTOH, in the long term I would far rather it was that than starting periods before she is even 9.

Is she in pain at all? If she can't pee at all and is in pain this would warrant OOH or minor injuries unit or whatever. Poor little thing.

Dos sound like uti then. Do you have ooh or a walk-in as she could suddenly become feverish and in pain.

uti more likely from what you have said. it's an infections and the sooner it's treated the better so utilise any wall. in or OOH facility you can and get it treated. you do not want it spreading to kidneys.

She is in some pain, but hard to judge how much as she is a drama queen prone to exaggerate (think floods of tears over taking off a plaster).

I can definitely get her in to the GP tomorrow (ours are really good) - does it merit the additional drama of minor injuries or should I just keep an eye on her overnight?

i would say mildish pain as she just switched from telling me it hurt to discussing hair styles.

minor injuries. better to treat in early stages rather than risk. it getting worse and requiring two doses

I got my period when I was 9 but I did have boobs. So I think uti and take dd to the GP.

Does she feel like she needs to wee? It does sound like a UTI from what you've described. Try to encourage water to flush the system out a bit and it would see GP. Hope you and she are ok!

As she is so tall it does seem likely it could be her periods tbh.

Yes, she feels like she needs to wee.

I am actually feeling much better at a unanimous verdict from MN - thank you.

It probably is a UTI so a trip to the GP would be the best thing. They will need a urine sample. Without one they won't be able to test for it.

If she is tall and in age 12/13 clothes at age 9, she may well start her periods early as well, so it might be as well to be prepared.

Ah she needs to wee, yep urine infection!

Pain relief and lots of water. GP first thing, unless it gets worse through the evening. I've had to go to OOH at 4am with it before.

Well she's snuggled in my bed now so I can keep an eye on her overnight.

Excellent point about being prepared for early (albeit not quite this early - phew) periods - thanks to this major slight maternal panic, I think we will be - I have ordered a couple of the books recommended, and will get some appropriate pads, etc sooner rather than later.

Next idiot UTI question - how quickly does the pain subside with treatment? Is she likely to be off school all week?

With abs and lots of clear fluids the pain should subside pretty quickly. She might get a temperature and shivery and/ or generally achy. The risk is that the infection spreads from her bladder but she should avoid this with prompt treatment.

she was complaining about needing to wee but not being able to last night. I more or less ignored her because there is seriously not a day that goes by without her complaining about something

How would I spot if it has spread? She doesn't seem to have a fever at the moment - but has had paracetamol and then ibuprofen this evening.

The pain would become overwhelming and she would be shivery. Has she had lots of fluids? Like 2 litres worth? Has she managed to wee?

About a litre and she has had one wee. If she wakes in the night I will force more water down her. Or ribena if necessary.

Well, the GP unsurprisingly agreed with the MN diagnosis - so she has ABs and (very reluctantly) did a urine sample which they will test just to check. She already seems a lot bouncier for a day in front of the TV off school so I suspect she was already starting to fight it off by herself.

Thank you all for calming me down and pointing me in the right direction.

Good news.