Dd taking Norethisterone, please tell me all the things her dad can object to about it!

[GoodAdvice]

Hi, sorry for the name change, I want to respect dds right to privacy.

Basically dd is due her period when we are on holiday, the holiday will be mostly swimming (of course) and dd is almost 14 and has never used tampons. Because the holiday will basically be ruined for her (it is now clear that she will start approx the day before we go and be on for nearly the whole time) the Dr is quite happy to prescribe her Norethisterone. I have done some research but I cannot find anything about serious side effects or possible long term complications anywhere. (I had to really draw the Dr to get him to give me any negatives and the best he could come up with was "she may feel a bit sick but no worse than a usual period" if she does then she can just stop taking it if she wants.)

Dd does not want to talk to her dad (we are not together) but I feel she should at least mention it to him or her step mum afterwards (it is likely her periods will follow the new cycle and that will be noticed at his house). Basically I am trying to find out as much as I can so that she can be informed when she talks to him/her - and so can I when I get the inevitable phone call about trying to feck up dds system/give her cancer/whatever else he can scream at me

So do any of you know much about it? The downsides as well as the up sides IYSWIM, I would be very grateful for any thoughts, feelings or information!

Well, I have tried to read up AF but there is not really anything negative out there - which I find od, normally you google something and are flooded with "I died when I took this drug and so did everyone I ever met" stories but not his time - hence posting here! I am not sure that giving a teenager drugs that may make her feel murderous is a great idea though - I can see that going badly wrong

Clayre, that is a lot! Mind you, it clearly worked for you so that is great (until last year at least!). I don't think i ouwld be happy with that level of use - as I said above I am a bit funny about hormones myself but it clearly does not have negative effects for everyone so that is great!

Am I the only one who thinks that 13 year olds just shouldn't take hormones like this?

That is what I had thought Mum, if she could just mention it to SM then the information would be "in the room" without a big deal going on or making a drama out of it.

I just wanted to be forewarned/armed in case dad blew his top (as he sometimes does) or incase I had a call from SS about me "giving her drugs" so I could wow them with my full and in depth knowledge

Seeker - no you are not, as I said I am funny with hormones, I don't like them but I am aware that lots of people use these things without problems too so I suspect it may also be me being a bit over the top - hence allowing dd a one off (and it would be a one off).

I don't even like using the pill myself

I'm not keen on hormones myself..for that reason I have never taken the birth control pill..but a one off occassion I would perhaps consider..

I think that at age 14, if your DD has said to you that she would rather not talk to her father about her periods and this medication, then you need to respect that more than your feeling you should tell him everything.
If you really must tell him, then you should do it yourself (with your daughters knowledge) and not insist your daughter does it when she is embarrassed to do so.

Well, I don't think she is embarrased actually, it is more that she is well aware that this may be one of those things he flips out about, unlike other dc she gets no pleasure in running us against each other, being dragged thrugh court and cafcass etc stopped any sniff of that kind of thing
She is actually very open about this stuff and will happily, for example, tell her dad she can't go swimming with him this week
cause she has her period and such like.

I do agree, about me telling though - I did say that further up but thank you for the confirmation

DDs cycle is private and her business only. I don't think she needs to tell anyone else and who on earth would notice a change in her cycle? All 14 year olds have irregular periods. As for the tablets, they are 100% safe. My now 18 year old has taken them every year when we have gone on holiday and never had a problem or any side effects. My 13 year old actually started taking them today for the first time as we are off the Portugal next week and she is due. It would be torture taking a child on holiday but them being unable to go into the water, pure hell and not worth even going. I do wonder why my 18 year old still refuses to use tampons? And of course, because she thinks they are disgusting, so does her younger sister! I too have taken the tablets by the way for holidays, weddings etc and never had a problem. I think dd should keep the matter to herself.

"All 14 year olds have irregular periods"

This statement is as ridiculous as saying "all 14 year olds have regular periods". I hoped and prayed I'd be one of those girls we'd been told about who would have a first period then wouldn't have another one until 6 months later but alas it was not to be, regular as clockwork from day 1.

But back to the OP, I found Norethisterone (taken for the same reason as your daughter) made me absolutely, cripplingly tired. This was worse than dealing with my fairly heavy periods, albeit I was using tampons by then. Never used it since, but I think this isn't a particularly unusual side effect. Isn't it the progesterone that makes you tired in early pregnancy?

I don't think noticing when your daughter is on her period is a bad thing, just being observant and I don't think periods are something that need to be hidden away. Our PE teacher used to keep a note of the girls cycles to ensure you weren't skipping too many showers and telling her you were on our period every week