10 year old daughters period nightmare.

[shaysmum05]

My daughter started her period last month, it keeps coming and going but my worry is how heavy they are.
She is tired and feels ill most days, is terrified of going to school in case she bleeds through her trousers or her teacher forces her to do P.E. (young, male and recently qualified - nice guy but is in far over his head).
I am reluctant to go to a doctor but the situation is becoming untenable with her missing school and being asleep or sick most days.
Does anyone have any experience with early or extremely heavy periods in preteens?

Bless her- I do think going to the doctors would be for the best op especially if she's tired and feeling ill when she's on as well that's not right. Plus they should be able to stop the periods being so heavy so it will avoid embarrassing situations for her she must be worrying about leaking a lot.
Hope things improve op

I would go to the doctor about that. Your poor daughter :(. It may be normal for her, but I would want it checked out.

I am having the same problem with dd who is 11 nearly 12. Her periods are irregular and very heavy. I was going to take her to the doctors last month but she begged me not to. Although I have to admit that I am in two minds about giving children tablets in order to control their periods. I wish you luck and marking the page for any sage advice

I would definitely go to the docs - could you request a lady doctor, if that would help? I started my periods at that age and remember it being a very scary time!! On a practical level, just make sure she has super/winged towels and maybe buy some big knickers - some people say it helps to wear two pairs? And speak to the doc about the best pain relief. People always used to tell me that expertise was the best pain relief, but that's no bloody help if you're a mortified 10-yr old who doesn't want to get changed for PE!! Poor love x

*Expertise = exercise!

Google Diary Doll knickers - they have a waterproof layer to help control leaking, but still look like normal pants.

You've got to take her to the doctors. It is hard when they are begging not to go, but its really important to set a good precedent with regard to gynecological health early.

That, and the doctor will help with finding a solution.

Thanks wickeswench for the tip on the diary doll pants I have just ordered some for her

Is she on iron tablets? Sounds like classic iron deficiency to me.

Going through exactly the same. Her next one is due when she is due to start High School. She has already leaked in public and actually dealt with it well though was horrified at the time. A friend (who is a sexual health doctor) suggested ibuprofen for the painful cramps and if it doesn't settle down then doctors ofter prescribe the pill. Whilst I was aghast at this at first, I'd rather do that than see my DD go through unnecessary suffering or miss days off school. We'll see how it pans out. She is also very tired but lack of iron would perhaps help, she maybe lacking after such a heavy period

Tranexamic acid tablets are very good at making heavy periods much lighter. You may want to ask the doctor about your daughter trying those first.

Have a chat with the teacher he may be young and inexperienced but if no one talks to him he will end up old and inexperienced.

Definitely doctors. My periods started at 10 and have been irregular throughout my entire life-there is nothing worse than worrying about the leakage.
I was prescribed the pill but it didn't suit. Ended up going down the acupuncture route for the pain (ask for a referral from your dr as the NHS offers this as part of pain management clinics) and it's been a lifesaver.

I would definitely go to the doctors, she's probably anaemic. I would speak to the teacher as well, if he's teaching young girls then he needs to realise that periods exist and may cause issues for some of them!

I would go to the Doctor but not take her, to start with. Just to discuss the possibilities.

The poor, poor child. Mine was like that when I started aged 12. It was so heavy and painful. I was sent home from school and stayed off for a week. It was always quite heavy but not as heavy as the first one, and not considered 'too' heavy, medically speaking. But I always had pretty horrendous pain and discovered that ibuprofen or Feminax (or Boots own paracetamol with codeine which is the same) really worked wonders for the pain, unfortunately for some reason I didn't discover this until a few years later though! The heaviness I dealt with by wearing 2 pairs of 'big' black pants and used the winged large Always pads, but yes i was always very self conscious about leakage. I did go on the pill later on and it worked wonders, I didn't even have to worry about getting the pain and it was lighter and more predictable.

I think you should definitely take her to the drs as she is so young. If she is missing so much time from school surely they will have to help her. Maybe just speak to your doc on the phone to start with to discuss the options?

I really hope it gets better for her x

What would doctor do for the girl (honest Q, not criticising). Just wondered what help was available.

I stopped keeping track of my periods a decade or 2 ago, but mine are very light, so quite manageable.

What causes heavy or light periods, anyway??

Agree with pp about seeing the doctor and checking iron levels. Also check vitamin b levels.

For leaking, at school I used to use two long, winged pads (slightly overlapping so the whole front and back of pants were covered) and wear a second pair of pants over my rights to hold everything in place securely. The thing that bothered me most was flooding when I stood up; at school you spend a long time sitting down and with a heavy period that can be awkward, hence the double sanitary towel system I used.
Solpadeine helped me but any codeine/paracetamol mix would be the same.

Hope she feels better soon.

*rights = tights

I had middle-aged flooding a few months ago. My GP told me that ibuprofen reduces menstrual flow by about 15%. If you add tranexamic acid then it reduces further - I think she said up to 25% overall or possibly on top of the 15% from the ibuprofen. Ibuprofen would seem to be your daughter's best first line option, unless she has another health condition which prevents her from taking it - even though it says it's not suitable for asthmatics, my DH was told it is usually OK (he's asthmatic) by his GP.

Gosh, poor thing. I had this too. The flooding was awful, and I used to spend a lot of time off at home. I would always go in in the morning but by the time I got to sixth form I would just sign myself out and go.

Please make sure she fully understand the risks associated with any pills she may take. I ended up damaging my stomach lining quite severely.

Lastly, if it continues, don't let her be fobbed off. It took me until I was 23 to be diagnosed with pretty darn severe endometriosis. 12 years of pain before it was taken seriously. Soul destroying.

I had this age 11. Dr prescribed iron, Vit B12, and some hormone treatment, as a lighter touch than going on the pill. It calmed down in a few months, but I remember a miserable summer not swimming with my friends - I do feel for your daughter.

Definitely get her some diary doll pants and encourage her to take ibroprofen every 4 hours (if old enough) as it definitely reduces volume of blood.