When to worry about no periods yet

[Shmoigel]

My daughter is 14 and will be 15 in two months.
I was a late bloomer but had begun by 14.

I don’t want to worry her unnecessarily but at what age would you speak to the GP about it?

She is my only daughter but I have worked with girls in a youth capacity for years, enough to know that it’s unusual. All her friends have started theirs.

Any advice appreciated

Is she underweight? Does she exercise too much? Not eating enough and exercising too much can prevent a girl from starting her periods. It’s unusual to not start your period by 15.

I was 17 when I started. DD1 also 17 and DD2 (Pcos) was 14
Genetics and diet play a part in when menarche will be.

I didn't get a period until I was almost 16, I do have pcos so it's probably linked to that

I wouldn’t stress just yet. DD was a late bloomer (very short & skinny for a long time) - didn’t start until she was nearly 15 and wasn’t regular at all until she was 17. Now a perfectly normal 21yo, no issues with period pain/endo in comparison to so many of her friends

15 is on the later side but not unheard of. Is she slightly built? Has she got any of the other signs of puberty yet?

I don’t think that’s true. I was less than 7 and a half stone when I started my periods and have been lighter than that through my adulthood but never missed a period unless pregnant or breastfeeding.

That's interesting. I didn't start until 19 (V overweight not sporty at all) and was all finished by about 39. Never sought any medical advice as I never thought it necessary. Mum was a nurse and was quite relaxed about 'abnormality'. I always wondered if something wrong with my thyroid but will avoid any 'healthcare professionals' like the plague.

Hiya thank you all for your lovely answers.
its good to know others haven’t had any issues starting later.

She is slim, about a size 6. To me she looks lean but not overly thin. She has got hips and a shape to her that have come along in last year.
All other signs of puberty are there. Over the last year she has definitely developed and had a growth spurt. I am 5ft and she is now 5ft 2.

She did do competitive Gymnastics until April but now she is down to once a week. I know that gym can possibly slow puberty.

I have really severe endometriosis so hoping I haven’t passed that along to her!

I think I will see about taking her to the GP as we are getting close to 15.

I was 16, so 14 seems very young to start worrying about it.

The start later, finish earlier is not necessarily true. I started at 17 and still going regular as clockwork at 52.

When I was at school it seemed to be the youngest girls started earliest, around 13, and the older ones in the school year, some were going on for 16. They all got there in the end. I started one month before my 14th birthday x

Although I started in my 13th year I've heard that 11 to 16 is the range for most girls to start their period, unless there's an underlying health issue such as being severely underweight or, there are other things but I would think that you would know if your daughter has a severe medical issue.

Give her another year, then contact the gynecologist or family doctor.

My DD didn’t start until she was almost 15, though she was a gymnast so her BMI was low for someone of her age. If you are worried, go and see your GP. 99% of time these things resolve themselves. They’ll want to know when you started menstruating and also when the women in her dad’s family started. I was also a ‘late bloomer’ at 14.5 years old so I wasn’t too surprised about my DD.

Actually a large study found a correlation between early periods (pre-12) and early menopause. I’m not sure of any study showing late periods correlated with early menopause

I was 17. I’d not worry until she’s 16. Blessing to start later!

Is that right? Do you have any studies to back it up?

I started at 17. Last period at 53.

The gymnastics has probably made her fat reserves too low to start or maintain a period. Make sure she doesn’t lose any weight. I know a teen who is anorexic (maybe a little bit of one meal a day ) but her mum says her daughter is naturally skinny and healthy (she’s neither).

My mother and sister were both 16. I got mine on my 12th birthday. I didn't know about the weight thing. DM was tall and extremely "skinny" as a teen and my DS was smaller than average in height and probably weight too. I was average height and weight.

I started at 15.5. DD1 at 14, and DD2 is still waiting at 15. DD2 started developing breasts at an older age than DD1, so I’m not surprised she hasn’t started yet.

I was very nearly 16. I remember my mum saying we would go to the drs if I had turned 16, so I don't think 14 is anything to worry about.

She used to be selective about foods but for the last 2 years she eats pretty much anything and lots of it. Which is good.

It’s not rare to have not started periods at 14. Lots of overweight kids now so perhaps people think 11/12 is normal now.

I started at 11 and was no where near overweight. There were girls who were heavier than me and they started at 14.

From NHS website. www.nhs.uk/conditions/periods/starting-periods/

Why have my periods not started yet?

Your periods will start when your body is ready. This is usually between age 8 and 17, or 2 years after your first signs of puberty.
Possible reasons for delayed periods include being underweight, doing lots of exercise (including dance, gymnastics and athletics), stress and a hormone imbalance.

I really don’t think you have anything to worry about just now. 😃

I started at 14 and one DD 12, the other 15.