Faints at the sight of blood & about to take period

[12Twinkle]

My 12 year old has not had her first period yet. She finds it very difficult to talk/think about her period because she is afraid of blood. She faints at the sight of blood or anything that makes her squeamish, eg. last week she got a thorn her arm, it was tiny but I put some white ointment on it to draw it out and put a plaster on it because she couldn't handle looking at it. Eventually a speck of blood the size of a pin head came through the plaster which she could see and it made her very whoozey and she started to stagger. That is just how bad she is.

Of course we will deal with it as it happens but I was wondering if anyone has ever come across this type of situation before and how did it play out.

Wow, I came to Mumsnet with a genuine problem thinking that I would get some advice.

It's a busy forum and some topics are visited as regularly as other so if your post isn't in active convo's it will probably get lost. Try reposting in a more active topic such as general health or chat. No point being snarky and throwing your toys out the pram people aren't ignoring you on purpose!

No advice for you, sorry.
But it is very quiet on here at the moment lots of people on holiday ?

I faint at the sight of blood. But periods were totally different, never been a problem. Not sure why it's different . I have never thought about it before. Maybe because it's not from a wound?

Teenagers topic barely gets any views! O agree repost in chat if you want responses as although dd is a teen I Dont think this applies particularly to teens (i mean anyone can have a phobia of blood).

I would suggest speaking to a doctor who may suggest therapy. Perhaps whilst your waiting it might be a good idea to start discussing with her about periods and blood, if she's not aware exactly of what to expect then gently ease her into it and explain the function Blood performs etc, being fully informed might help when it comes to having to deal with it.

Iirc there has been a similar post in the past where women who were also scared of blood generally actually coped (not happily but they did) when they got their periods.

It may sound strange through but menstrual blood & just cut yourself blood are different, both in colour & meaning. By that I mean that bright red blood is a signal that something is wrong so is designed to be seen & to make the bleeder stop what they are doing & take action. But menstrual blood is darker & not a sign that anything is wrong, its a sign that the female body is ready to reproduce.

Maybe talk to your daughter but not use the use word blood, I'm no doctor but its the lining of the uterus that is lost yes, so its not actually blood just by itself...so use different words & see if she can disassociate the word 'period' with 'blood'?

Otherwise then yes as people have suggested maybe talk to your doctor about some therapy or support to help her.

Agree with what midnight said above and her advice. I'm also squeamish about blood, although probably not as much as your DD. But I'm fine with periods because I don't see them as the same sort of blood that comes out of veins and arteries. Can't explain why exactly but maybe because it's a regular and natural process, whereas blood from a cut signifies damage / danger.

I get faint at the sight of my own blood (not other people's) but periods have never been an issue - maybe because there's no wound or anything? How is she if anyone else gets hurt?

My daughter (12 yrs) seemed phobic of blood. Literally hates the site of it. But has taken her periods in her stride and although she finds it 'disgusting' just gets on with it really.

Not quite sure why, I was kind of dreading their arrival more than her!!

This board is quiet by the way, patience....

That's interesting, Madison, because I am the other way round. I can cope with my own blood better than other people's. I think it's because of the association with infection.

Your post could have described me. Twenty years ago when I got my periods! I couldn't look at, talk about, or be anywhere near blood without fainting and usually vomitting while fainted.
Periods, didn't phase me much, putting tampons in and getting blood on me made me black out once or twice. But, I had to grow up, put on my big girl knickers and get in with it. There was no way around it, was there?
Downside was my competitive swimming career went down the pan as it took until I was in my twenties to use tampins without feeling sick and shaky.

My DD did faint a few times when she first started . She wasn't particularly worried about the sight of blood but if she got up too quickly in the morning she'd go white and if she wasn't quick enough to sit/lie down she'd be out like a light for a couple of minutes. She fell down the stairs once luckily didn't break anything! We ended up going to the Dr after four/five months and she's been on the pill ever since. This didn't stop the fainting completely but she's coped ok for a few years.

Thank you so much NortyBut, that is defo an option.

That sounds terrible for you. It would be difficult to deal with at a young age. Thank you very much for the reply.

Thank you for the post pasanda. I hope that will be the case for my daughter. This was my first post and I guess I didnt know how things worked here. I am very sorry if any offence was caused.

Try not to overthink this, one of my dd's was the same, and still fainted after a recent jab ( she's 20 btw). But she manages her periods, and just gets on with them, and at the the same age refused to talk about periods.
Make sure you stock up with good quality san-pro, let her keep them in her room if necessary and ensure she has a small emergency supply with her for school.

TeaPleaseLouise Thank you for your reply I thought I might wait to see how the first one plays out then go to the GP. I never thought about the therapy thank you.

@changingnameforthispost. Thank you for that. That is what i am hoping will happen. It will iron itself out im sure somehow. Thank you very much.

My DD is also very squeamish and has had problems at school in science lessons and even history lessons where the subject matter has made her faint.

She has fainted at the sight of her own blood but again has no problem with periods. I would wait and see. It might not be an issue for your DD at all.

Please don't be sarky after seven whole hours...

Assuming this is a real fear and not drama llama - and it certainly sounds it - the only way she will improve is counselling or therapy. She has to do one or the other, she has no choice about coping with periods for 40 years. I hope she gets the.help she needs.

Gosh specialsubject what a strange and unhelpful response to a perfectly reasonable enquiry from a complete stranger.