Period problems

[Idontbelieveit12]

My daughter is 13 and started her periods the week we started lockdown. She is now on her 4th period and she is feeling crap because no matter what pads she seems to use she’s leaking. Mainly at the back. But she’s going through several pairs of underwear a day and leggings etc. I’m glad she hasn’t been At school as it could have been really embarrassing. Has anyone any ideas what she can try?

I was literally about to post a very similar question, so I'm glad I saw this! DD is 13 (14 in September). Her periods are making her completely miserable, they are extremely heavy - she is going through multiple pads (13 in the space of 12 hours), and she's having to throw knickers away regularly. I've rang GP for advice and they're going to get a nurse to call back. I'm wondering if going on the pill is an option for her to control it a bit? I really feel for her 😢

I know at that age I was using multiple pads at a time to make sure that they covered the entirety of my knickers but I don't think there was anything else I was able to do.
@LouJ85 That sounds horrendous, poor love. I'm afraid I've not got experience of anything quite that heavy but my niece went on the pill at that age to control heavy periods so it's definitely a possibility.

I too was going to post a similar thread, only my daughter is 11 and is at school daily. She is on her second period, which has come just two weeks after she finished her first. She is regularly leaking and I had to keep her off school yesterday as she was just so embarrassed. They're pretty heavy too, going through several pads a day, I'm hoping things will settle down.

I too was going to post a similar thread, only my daughter is 11 and is at school daily. She is on her second period, which has come just two weeks after she finished her first. She is regularly leaking and I had to keep her off school yesterday as she was just so embarrassed. They're pretty heavy too, going through several pads a day, I'm hoping things will settle down.

If she's using teen pads then my dd found them too short. She uses bodyform and also liked the cheap kotex pads you get in discount chemist stores. Buy long versions if required

Could you try pads with period pants such as thinx to catch any leakage? When I started my periods I used tampons almost straight away with pads as backup - this way I was much less likely to leak.

I used to use the night time pads! Or the maternity towels! You can double up with the maternity and have one front and one back. They're a lot thicker and better than normal sanitary towels. I did then use tampons as it was easier but I understand a lot of girls/women hate the idea of them.

@IagoWithABlackberry - that's reassuring, I hope there's an option for her to go on the pill if it helps. She's worried her Dad will "go mad" if he finds out she's on the pill, bless her... I've told her I'll explain it to him and it's obviously not for contraceptive purposes, it's to control her periods and make her life a little less miserable every month! I've also told her he's not really entitled to an opinion unless he's experienced female hormones and the joys of monthly bleeding!

She's currently using the thickest, longest, Always pads there are - nighttime super thick ones. Even during the day. We've discussed tampons to try and contain it a bit more but she's understandably not keen to try them just yet.

Regular doses of ibuprofen can reduce the flow a bit, as well as helping with cramps. DD (17) has awful periods and is prescribed mefenamic acid, which is chemically similar to but stronger than ibuprofen. She finds using a menstrual cup makes it easier to deal with, but if your DD has only just started periods she might not find that something she wants to try yet.

Just to add, she only started her periods back in Feb this year, so maybe it will settle in time as others have said ... ?

Sounds silly but if it's mainly at the back, she might need to reposition her pads. I know, I tend to naturally put a pad in the middle , but maybe she needs to place them further back than what would seem natural. And use night time pads even in the day.

She is currently using night time pads during the day and tends to double them at night. I think periods pants may be the way to go. Can anyone recommend any?

I find a lot of the more modern pads with the keep dry top layers don't absorb quickly enough so menstrual fluid just runs off the sides. Maternity pads might be better (although I appreciate rather bulky and not very fashionable).

GP just called back and recommend something called tranexamic acid. Anyone heard of or used this?

www.nhs.uk/medicines/tranexamic-acid/

I remember I had this when I was a teen. I used to apply pads in a T shape. One the regular way and one that ran horizontally across my buttocks to pick up any "backflow" it generally worked ok but I think you're better in the long run taking some medical advice. I didn't and was miserable.

I'm sure you all already are, but yes yes to extra long, wings and ultra heavy pads.
Also, there is now period pants and invisible incontinence underwear but I'm not sure if your young girls would entertain that, I wouldn't have!

[quote dementedpixie]www.nhs.uk/medicines/tranexamic-acid/[/quote]
Thanks - I did have a bit of a Google but always find it helpful to hear first hand experiences too if possible. I don't want her to take something she may adversely react to, etc. Guess I just need to try it and see!

I've used it for myself. It reduces the flow significantly. Teenage daughters love Modibodi period pants and they are amazingly absorbent. They can manage a whole day with one pair and another at night, and now much prefer them to pads. I put them on quick rinse cycle then wash as normal.

My DD (12) is on tranexamic. Very very good for her, reduced her pain as well. I wish it had been available for my 30yrs of flooding.

Period pants as well as pads? Will stop leaks

Modibodi

@puzzledpiece

Period pants as well as pads? Will stop leaks

I've just ordered some of these for DD and we're going to get a prescription for tranexamic acid. Hopefully that combination will make it more manageable for her. Poor thing, I really feel for her, wish I could take it away for her 😢

I didn’t think it was so common. Our best solution is huge night pads and period pants.
Look for pads like the Always Maxi 5 extra heavy overnight (purple package, the regular ones, not the "ultra") or if these are not enough, bigger incontinence pads like the Tena Lady maxi night, a little expensive, or similar cheaper ones.
My daughters use period pants with only the waterproof layer (I bought those by Yoyi on Amazon), you still need to add a disposable pad inside and I think it's better for more frequent changes, healthy reasons and useful for any day of the period (with smaller pads). The period pants with the absorbent layer, like Modibodi, were not enough and much less practical for us.
As Qwicky suggested, there are good incontinence underwear to use also for heavy periods, some of them really invisible under clothes. They give peace of mind but more expensive than pads and you need to undress to change, anyway that could be a perfect solution for school and at night.

Are you/Daughter against tampons? Using tampon and pads? I ALWAYS had to double up. But if it persisted get her to a gp. They can do things to help her.

Modibodi period pants work really well for my daughter x