Pill to delay period - for teen?

[Wigeon]

I know you can get a pill which delays your period - will a GP prescribe it for a teen (who will be 3 weeks off her 14th birthday when she’d be taking it)? She has very irregular periods - the shortest gap has been about 2 months - but she’s been having them for a couple of years.

if your period is unpredictable, is it possible to take the pill in advance if the event you want to not be on your period for, in case it’s due then?

Even if the GP will prescribe is it a bad idea / likely to have horrible side effects which could be worse than dealing with the period?

Any advice welcome!

Yes you can get norethisterone prescribed for teens. But you start to take it a few days before the period is due to start so if she's not regular I don't know if that would work?

Yes you can. My 16 year old took it when she was due on for reading festival.

you can get it via boots/pharmacy online services, if you don’t want a trip to the GP.

if she’s that irregular though would she be better actually on the pill itself? Might make things more manageable. The pill to delay may not work properly if she can’t predict when she’s due.

Thanks. Just had a look at Boots online and you have to be 16 or over to use that. Did you DD have it when she was 16, or was she younger? Did she go to her GP about it?

I think it would be worse for her to be on the pill - even though that would make it more predictable, she’d then have a period every 28 days, whereas at the moment she’s lucky enough to only have it every 2 / 3/ 4 months!!

Dd was 16 thinking about it.

I think it would be worse for her to be on the pill - even though that would make it more predictable, she’d then have a period every 28 days, whereas at the moment she’s lucky enough to only have it every 2 / 3/ 4 months!!

she can always run packs together? It’s fairly standard to run three months before a break.

might be worth a trip to the gp to discuss options, and a check up if she’s still that irregular after 2 years.

what’s the event, out of interest?

Thanks. Event is guide camp, where she’ll be sharing a tent with five others, and there are some water activities (kayaking, raft building), so dealing with a period would be a right hassle. (She doesn’t want to try tampons yet, which is fair enough). She also sometimes leaks a bit at night and that wouldn’t be great in a sleeping bag.

The camp is four days /three nights, not just an overnight, so if he period started just before/on the first day, it would be quite a pain the whole camp. Also quite literally - she gets what seems fairly normal period pain, but does usually have a hot water bottle and paracetamol, also not ideal to be having cramps at camp when you are only 13/almost 14!

I don’t know about the age thing BUT if you do get it on prescription, and you have enough time,
delay the prior cycle not the problem one.

it’ll knock the next one out of sync too, and as the meds have side effects (bloating, horrible moods, I speak from experience) it’s best to have that the month prior.

I would either speak to your GP, or, if you have an NHS family planning/sexual health clinic nearby, that might be a good option. They normally have clinics for under 24 yrs and IMO- have far more knowledge about contraception or in your daughters case case, period delay options.

I vividly recall a school camp age 13. I'd only had my periods a year and had a crash course in using tampons. The camp was in a sport centre with beds etc, but unknown to use beforehand- we had to then canoe hours to another site and pitch a tent- after I'd fallen in heavy mud with not extra clothes! The 1 toilet was on the other side of the river, with no lighting and required climbing across a log over the river! We were therefore told to take a toilet roll and dig a hole for a toilet!!! There were no hand wash facilities and no alcohol gel back then. I'd convinced myself I had TSS the entire time and it was by far the worse camp I ever went to.

My sympathies, because if she can delay AF and not have the sheer panic and dread I did, then please find a way

Yes, side effects is one of the things I’m worried about, especially since she might not actually have her period whilst she is away! So to take some pills that make you feel bad and haven’t even necessarily prevented the period seems like the wrong balance of risk/benefit!

Blimey, that sounds like the adults who organised that hadn’t thought that one through! Sounds horrible to deal with while you’re on your period! I think this camp is going to be much more sensible, on a proper scouting/guiding campsite and with proper flushing loos. But I think they could be some way away from them at night, and during activities, certainly not right by then.

Yes I did this for my 2 week honeymoon and didn't have any side effects. It's not like I use it for everything though

Both my rider girls had it prescribed at age 13/14 , their next period was heavier and more painful but they still used it again.

*older

I can’t comment on whether the pills are a good idea, but if she is on her period during the camp just have a quiet word with the leaders – they will be used to dealing with it in this age group of girls and if they are like the leaders I know, will have a hot water bottle tucked away just in case! (Has she tried period pants as an extra protection layer overnight? Might give her a bit more confidence…)

@ivfbabymomma1 - that’s good to know, thanks.

@LilacPoppy - thanks. Did they have any other side effects? What did they use it for?

@LucyFox - yes, I’m sure the leaders would be very supportive (presumably at least one other girl is likely to be in their period!), and in fact a hot water bottle is already on the kit list, to keep warm at night! But not so easy when you are running around during the day. I think it’s more the sleeping in tents with 5 others, water activities, not always being close to a loo, which would make dealing with a period a pain.

She has got modibodi period pants but they’ve leaked overnight before - can you wear a pad on top of them then? Doesn’t it just leak over the sides of the pad when you’re lying down, not into the period pants?

Got in touch with the GP practice today and got a call back from a GP 15 mins after I spoke to reception! (I was on hold to reception for 37 mins though…).

She then also spoke to the gynae GP specialist at the practice, called me back later, and they said it was possible to prescribe for 13/almost 14 yr olds, the side effects were uncommon (but obviously possible), to only take it just before she goes away and only for the time she’s there. And it is also possible to prescribe even tho DD’s periods are irregular (so we can’t be sure she’ll be due the exact date of the camp).

Thanks for replies, any other replies also welcome, esp in likelihood of side effects!

So we now do have the prescription, and hope DD gets her period before she goes to camp, so we won’t have to decide whether she wants to take them!

The GP prescribed the tablets for my DD for a similar reason and I decided that it would be best to try them out first when we went away at Easter.

She had no problems or side effects & her period started 2 days after stopping them. No heavier or lighter than usual.

The main issue is that they need to be taken 3 times a day. So I am a bit worried that she will forget to take them. Otherwise no problem & my DD is younger than yours.