PMT any similar experiences

[pumpkin1976]

Hi my daughter is 11 soon to be 12. She is very developed her her age. She started her periods just before her 10th birthday. They have been manageable and regular.

I'm to keep track of whether what she is going through now is PMT. Two weeks up until her last period she experienced increasing anxiety, sleeplessness, nausea and loss of appetite. The nausea has in turn made her panic as she is terrified of being sick - it's a vicious cycle. She was shivering at night, trembling. I know very well that this is a surge of adrenaline and fight or flight. She has had this in the past but it was so bad this month. She said she has felt on edge but doesn't know why. Worrying about silly things etc and not being able to relax. She loves school and has tonne of friends. She has been upset because she doesn't know why she has felt this way. I get hormonal so I understand but this feels very severe. Her period started a few days ago and she has been a little better but still nausea and worried, because I think the last few weeks have frightened her. We have been to the GP who just said hormones and anxiety. I am finding somewhere private for her to have cbt if this helps. She is going to be having a blood test as well.

I'm now wondering if this is pmt? We have been lucky the last few years with her periods and she has coped so well. She has moved to secondary school so has been under more pressure and stress and wondering if it's all built up. She genuinely loves school, never had problems with her in the last - she's been confident, happy and rock solid. School say she's fab. This has knocked me too, as I feel so sorry for her. I'm keep an eye on things and seeing if it forms a pattern, so we can go back to the GP again.

any advice or have any of you struggled with severe hormonal issues with your teens.

thanks for listening x

Poor woman. Worth having her vitamin D levels checked?

I have had severe PMS since my teens and just had a massive improvement in the last couple of months (30s) after taking Magnesium and Vitamin B6 tablets. Not sure which has led to improvement as taken both at same time. They're mentioned on the NHS website as supplements to take for PMS, but previous GPs had always recommended one hormonal pill or the other as a remedy.

Thanks both. I feel so much for her as she's only 11. I'm on hrt so I know what hormones can do. She can't articulate what's going on as she's still so young. Her blood test is in mid feb so we will see is anything comes up from that. Shes on a broad vitamin but I'll see what else there is. Her period started Saturday and I think she's perked up again but I'm on eggshells now and so worried and stressed. I'm hoping it is pmt as at least we can work with that, even though it's awful x thanks for reading and responding it means a lot x

I don't mean to be blunt OP, but if you're anxious and wound up kids pick up on that, it will feed it. Calmly lay out a plan of options to work through. The Royal College of Gynaecologists PMS guidance is online, start with diet and exercise and then on to magnesium and vit B6 etc, hormones only much later. She will likely adjust but needs firm but caring adult guidance.

I understand. I'm not anxious in front of her but obviously worried, as any parent would be. I work with children, have done for 25 years, and I know very well the impact anxiety from parents can have on them. I'm looking at supplements and we are keeping a mood tracker and diary.

I'm sorry to hear this. My DD age 13 has horrid symptoms the week prior to her period. Nausea is common, but more unpleasant is the fainting and the panic attacks (not every month but every couple). What has helped has just being aware of it, so that when she is getting light-headed and panicky I can remind her that she isn't going mad, it's just her period and the symptoms will go very quickly. But its horrid.