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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Original poster

Should we delay period or risk it??

117 replies

Dancerr · 10/08/2023 12:42

Typical. First hol abroad, we even arranged it so she wouldn't have her period and this month it's abit late. We fly on Sun, if it comes today then the worse will be over, she said only day 1 and 2 are heavy and more manageable afterwards. We are only going for 4 days, 5 nights so wouldn't want it to arrive on the 1st day of holiday. I've ordered some period swimwear which is due to arrive today and I have bought some tampons to try but she's never used them before. The other option would be to try some medication to try and delay it.....but have read it can really mess with things afterwards, until now her periods have been pretty good, no pain, not particularly heavy. Thoughts please?

OP posts:
CurlewKate · 10/08/2023 12:43

Gosh-all that seems a bit intense! How old is she?

RitzyMcFitzy · 10/08/2023 12:45

I tried that period delaying medication once and it really messed with my mood. I'd rather deal with a period, even at an inopportune time.

Russooooo · 10/08/2023 12:45

It’s a period, not a drama.

Support her in managing it (period pants, tampons, shorts if she’s more comfortable) but don’t give her the impression that it’s some sort of problem. It’s not. She’ll go on many more holidays on her period and can’t grow up thinking that she has to plan her life around her cycle.

OhYetAnotherBrickInTheWall · 10/08/2023 12:47

I genuinely don't think my mother ever knew my cycle, let alone planned holidays around it. Am amazed! However, I just used tampons from the 2nd period I had so swimming etc wasn't a concern.

Original poster
Dancerr · 10/08/2023 12:49

CurlewKate · 10/08/2023 12:43

Gosh-all that seems a bit intense! How old is she?

Why so intense? She's a young teenage girl who would like to swim everyday on holiday.

OP posts:
SweetPotatoAndPeanutStew · 10/08/2023 12:51

We bought our teen a period swimsuit. It's a beautiful black swimsuit and doesn't look like anything other than a regular swimsuit.

Pufflebow · 10/08/2023 12:51

Gosh I think it’s a bit intense to be planning holidays around a period to be honest. She can just try tampons, or a moon cup or one of the many other options. I wouldn’t be using a medication that can impact her health and mood, just for the sake of not having a period on a 5 day holiday.
I think it’s more important she tries to minimise stress and anxiety about periods and incorporate them into her life, than making them a big deal. That’s not to say they’re not ever a big deal, just that if she’s fine with regular, painless cycles, then creating a stress and negativity around them probably isn’t going to help anyone.

BendingSpoons · 10/08/2023 12:52

I took medication to delay a few times as a teenager. I had that slightly bloated feeling of your period being about to come but it was worth it to me to avoid having a period on holiday. I liked to be in and out the pool or sea and it would have been irritating to keep having to go to the toilet to change a tampon. It didn't give me any long term issues.

Canyoudigityesyoucan · 10/08/2023 12:53

Some of these responses are pretty crappy…

It is intense when you’re a teen with periods and want to be able to enjoy your holiday without that dreaded worry of leaks, dealing with changing pads or tampons when you’re by a pool or beach, and having craps or generally feeling meh.

Even now at 37 I still don’t want my period on holiday!

Personally I’d avoid the period delaying medication, I took it and it messed my cycle up and made my delayed period horrendous. I’d suggest she plays around with trying tampons now, at home, whilst she’s not stressed and see how she goes. Try the smallest Tampax (purple ones) to start and see if she gets used to inserting and removing them.

FWIW you sound like a caring, lovely mum!

Original poster
Dancerr · 10/08/2023 12:53

Pufflebow · 10/08/2023 12:51

Gosh I think it’s a bit intense to be planning holidays around a period to be honest. She can just try tampons, or a moon cup or one of the many other options. I wouldn’t be using a medication that can impact her health and mood, just for the sake of not having a period on a 5 day holiday.
I think it’s more important she tries to minimise stress and anxiety about periods and incorporate them into her life, than making them a big deal. That’s not to say they’re not ever a big deal, just that if she’s fine with regular, painless cycles, then creating a stress and negativity around them probably isn’t going to help anyone.

We already had 2 weeks annual leave so it was the choice of going away either at the beginning or end, it didn't matter to us and she came to me and said she'd rather not have it on the holiday.

OP posts:
LadyWithLapdog · 10/08/2023 12:54

My DD got herself meds for this, though waiting till last minute, in case it’s over and done with by the time we leave.

Canyoudigityesyoucan · 10/08/2023 12:54

Canyoudigityesyoucan · 10/08/2023 12:53

Some of these responses are pretty crappy…

It is intense when you’re a teen with periods and want to be able to enjoy your holiday without that dreaded worry of leaks, dealing with changing pads or tampons when you’re by a pool or beach, and having craps or generally feeling meh.

Even now at 37 I still don’t want my period on holiday!

Personally I’d avoid the period delaying medication, I took it and it messed my cycle up and made my delayed period horrendous. I’d suggest she plays around with trying tampons now, at home, whilst she’s not stressed and see how she goes. Try the smallest Tampax (purple ones) to start and see if she gets used to inserting and removing them.

FWIW you sound like a caring, lovely mum!

Sorry that should say cramps! Not craps! But those too 😅

WhereismyHeathcliff · 10/08/2023 12:54

It's also worth knowing that the period delay tablets need to be taken 3 times a day three days before her period is due, otherwise it wouldn't work and she would come on anyway

Original poster
Dancerr · 10/08/2023 12:54

Canyoudigityesyoucan · 10/08/2023 12:53

Some of these responses are pretty crappy…

It is intense when you’re a teen with periods and want to be able to enjoy your holiday without that dreaded worry of leaks, dealing with changing pads or tampons when you’re by a pool or beach, and having craps or generally feeling meh.

Even now at 37 I still don’t want my period on holiday!

Personally I’d avoid the period delaying medication, I took it and it messed my cycle up and made my delayed period horrendous. I’d suggest she plays around with trying tampons now, at home, whilst she’s not stressed and see how she goes. Try the smallest Tampax (purple ones) to start and see if she gets used to inserting and removing them.

FWIW you sound like a caring, lovely mum!

Thank you. I wish I hadn't posted now but thank you for your lovely reply. Maybe people are forgetting what it's like to be a young teenager.

OP posts:
Peony654 · 10/08/2023 12:55

Russooooo · 10/08/2023 12:45

It’s a period, not a drama.

Support her in managing it (period pants, tampons, shorts if she’s more comfortable) but don’t give her the impression that it’s some sort of problem. It’s not. She’ll go on many more holidays on her period and can’t grow up thinking that she has to plan her life around her cycle.

This. If she is experiencing periods that bad; she needs to seek medical attention. Periods are unfortunately part of life, you can’t plan around them

Original poster
Dancerr · 10/08/2023 12:56

Peony654 · 10/08/2023 12:55

This. If she is experiencing periods that bad; she needs to seek medical attention. Periods are unfortunately part of life, you can’t plan around them

Show quote history

She doesn't and hasn't since she's started. She just gets on with it. However understandably she doesn't want it on holiday.

OP posts:
pico1 · 10/08/2023 13:00

In the nicest possible way, planning a holiday around a teenagers period is only going to encourage long-standing anxiety about a normal physiological event. Absolutely if she has bad pain or abnormally heavy periods, she needs intervention but otherwise she needs to be able to get on with it! Otherwise she will basically “learn” to be stressed if her period coincides with school events, exams etc etc.

Dibblydoodahdah · 10/08/2023 13:01

It is really shit getting your period on holiday. However, I would never plan a holiday around a period because I found when I was a teenager and in my 20’s that air travel often messed up my cycle and I would get my period even when it was not due. It wasn’t that I was on the pill that this stopped happening.

dementedpixie · 10/08/2023 13:02

You need to start the tablets 3 days before the period is due. I took them recently and had no side effects and the delayed period was normal rather than horrendous.

Original poster
Dancerr · 10/08/2023 13:02

pico1 · 10/08/2023 13:00

In the nicest possible way, planning a holiday around a teenagers period is only going to encourage long-standing anxiety about a normal physiological event. Absolutely if she has bad pain or abnormally heavy periods, she needs intervention but otherwise she needs to be able to get on with it! Otherwise she will basically “learn” to be stressed if her period coincides with school events, exams etc etc.

Perhaps I worded it wrong but we already had 2 weeks annual leave and we could have gone anytime in that time frame so it didn't matter and she came to me, never normally even tells me when she has a period that could we go that part of it as she'd would prefer not to have it. It didn't matter to us.

OP posts:
Lkahsvtv · 10/08/2023 13:04

We’ve done this twice for DD as she isn’t confident with tampons and doesn’t want to worry about leaking. I also did this last year.
The period you have after is heavier but by no means ridiculous and the following month we were both back to normal and normal cycle length. I’d do it again for the reduction in stress.
I now take a contraceptive that doesn’t give me a period and I love it, just because we’re women doenst mean we have to suffer

Original poster
Dancerr · 10/08/2023 13:04

Thanks everyone. Will leave it there and decide what to do.

Thanks

OP posts:
Fatkittythinkitty · 10/08/2023 13:04

Just get some period swimwear and try not to feed into her anxiety about it. If it makes you feel any better, my teen got hers at the airport as we arrived on holiday. I sympathised and she swam less than normal for the first day but made up for it later. It wasn't a big, holiday ruining thing.

Whattheactualwhatnow · 10/08/2023 13:05

Not ideal but definitely think it would encourage unnecessary anxiety to entertain conversations around delaying holidays or periods. Period on holiday (or plenty of other scenarios) is a pain the arse but avoidance isn’t the answer.

Lkahsvtv · 10/08/2023 13:06

Also to add I don’t see an issue with teaching her that she can try not to have periods on holiday; I’m mid thirties and I’ve successfully managed not to have a period on holiday since I was 15 with medication available and running pills together.