Birth Control for a 15 Yr Old

A low dose birth control pill may give her some relief.
Try not to see it as "birth control" but rather medicine, a way to regulate her cycle with hormones, because that's what it truly is.
I promise you if she wants to have sex, she will, whether she's on the pill or not.

If you'd like an alternative to the pill, please look into a pro-life ob/gyn. They are very good about investigating the underlying cause of the problem, not just prescribing the pill to mask the symptoms.

Here's one directory of pro-life ob/gyns that I found:
http://www.aaplog.org/aaplog-physician-directory/

It was over 15 years ago, but I had really long (8+ days), heavy, painful periods. I was usually out of school 2 days a month becasue of it. I went on the pill at the age of 14 and it made a world of difference. I still had pain and cramping, but I was functional. I could walk. I was on orthocyclen.

I started on birth control around 13.. due to very heavy and painful periods. It helped alot. Talk to the doctor they may have ideas of things to try if you really don't want to put her on birth control, but that may be your only option.

Hi Keisha, the women in my fam seem to be prone to female problems, so when my 15 yo's periods starting getting wicked, I brought her to the GYN for a thorough work up just to be sure it wasn't something else.

She has no underlying conditions so we put her on Sprintec 28. She's had 3 complete cycles now and her periods HAVE been getting a little easier. It can take quite some time for a body to adjust. She's tolerating it well and remembering to take her pill. Has had no break through bleeding or issues of any kind.

:)

I went on the pill at 18 (I had been unaware that being on the pill could help, up until that point) - WOW, what a life saver! I remember having terrible cramps and being bedridden during that time of the month, and the pill liberated me from that. Also, did you know that the "period" that you get while on the pill is not even necessary? You can actually take the pill continuously and never have a period, with no ill effects. Ask the doctor about that for your daughter. They just have that "blank" week in the pill packet because culturally, women have come to expect that they will have a period - but it is not medically necessary, and the period that you experience while on the pill is not even really a period, medically speaking (which is why it is so much lighter and shorter).

Since my husband was snipped a few years ago, I'm unfamiliar with the various kinds of pills that are out there now, but they're always improving these things, so I'm sure they can recommend something that will work well for your daughter. I hope she finds some relief!

Don't know of any natural remedies, but I definitely would have in into the doctor to check out what else might be going on with her. I've never heard of a period causing a fever and vomiting or leg pain (I mean, maybe it happens...but seems like something else is going on.)

My only experience is with the Depo shot. Went on at 16, quit having periods altogether. Loved it. Went of at 22 because I hit the age limit for our teen clinic, and didn't have insurance. Pregnant with first child at 23. After having her, went on Nuva Ring (which I also liked, but still had periods, was more of a pain, and now all the warnings, blah blah blah.) So, had my second child (on purpose) in 2010, and because I planned to nurse went back on the shot...which I am still on now. Still love it, still don't have periods on it. No side effects, either, for me...no weight gain, etc.

My 17 yr old has been on the pill aobut a year and a half for the same reasons you are condisering it.

She was missing school, had nonstop bleeding, vomiting, fever, etc. It was horrid. She is a cheerleader and you can only miss so many practices or you sit out at the games.

She feels SO much better now. Her pill is Gianvi which is a generic of Yaz I think.. Sorry, I am not sure about that. Her cycle is regular and she still cramps but Midol usually works for her now and in that past nothing worked.

Good luck..

I have endometriosis and was put on the pill at an early age to help ease some of the problems that caused.

It did help - I was on the regular orthotricyclen, but that one gave me migraines - the sudden drop of hormones at the end of the pill cycle (I am prone to migraines though - lots take it with no problem). I then went on a different one where there were only 2 placebo pills to trigger a period instead of the week long of placebos. That seemed to help better.

I also had surgery for my endo, and a round of Lupron Depo which was not fun for me - hot flashes, emotional wreck, etc.

I am guessing, with the symptoms you mention, that they are going to want to do more testing than simply prescribing a pill. As a mom, I would actually request more testing to find out the cause of the pain - is it simply painful periods or endometriosis or something else?
Good luck!

My sister was in the same boat and started on the pill around age 13-14. On a plus side, my parents knew if she was every sexually active and didn't want to talk to them about it, she was covered!! I think that I will put my daughter on birth control at that age ANYWAYS...LOL. I did it behind my parents back at 16 (Planned Parenthood) even though mom told me I could go to her and get on the pill, we were very open about everything, etc. I just didn't want to disappoint her.

I say try it out!

The pill will only mask the real problem and could make things worse for her down the road. I would hook up with a doctor that has been trained by Dr. Hilgers of the Pope Paul the VI Institute in Omaha. Chances are it's a hormonal imbalance and they can diagnose it and get to the bottom of it without having to put her on the pill. It worked marvelously for me.

I had similar issues. I got on the birth control patch, it worked wonders, and you dont have to remember to take it. There is also medicine for PMDD, which I think is actually what she has.

I agree with Dana below in recommending the services of a doctor trained by Dr. Hilger's Pope Paul the VI Institute in Omaha. They are NaProTechnology trained doctors who basically specialize in women's reproductive and gynecological health that cooperate (rather than overhaul) a women's system. You can learn more here: www.naprotechnology.com.

There is actually a NaPro trained doctor relatively close to you at Howard University Hospital in Wash DC that I've heard good things about. Her name is Dr. Amina Porter-White and her info is here if you want to contact her and set up an appointment: http://www.healthgrades.com/physician/dr-amina-white-xpbmx. I'd highly recommend getting a second opinion from a doctor like her because she may be able to offer those alternate, more natural treatments for your daughter that you desire than simply putting her on the pill. Unfortunately doing that, which like some others have said, merely covers up the problem (just masks the symptoms), and doesn't actually "treat" any underlying condition she may have, so it could come back later if she came off of it. Finally not to overwhelm you with links or anything, but when searching for Dr. Amina Porter-White's current info for you, I came across this recent article where she is quoted: http://www.thehilltoponline.com/life-style/professionals-...# I thought it was a good article for any woman looking for alternatives to hormonal contraceptives.

Best of luck to you!
God bless,
M.

Hi,

I have a friend who had horrible PMS and issues around her cycle. Getting on birth control pills was one of the best things she ever did. After one month of being on them, she was feeling so much better. I highly recommend it for your daughter. I think she was on a pill called Allese. Hope you get this figured out soon.

I wish back in the day that they would have given me a prescription for birth control. I was one of those girls that was sick for about three days a month and had no strength to stand up let alone go to classes.

Even with exercise and swimming the cramping would come back after a month or so. Having my daughter helped but it was still there. So I was destined to be one of the women who have these horrible periods and later had everything removed because of the endrometriosis and fibroids. It was the best thing I could have done and have no regrets.

So please do have a good chat with the doctor and get her help. It's no fun to be "sick" each month because of mother nature.

The other S.

Yes, it's birth control... but it is also a chemical hormone that will help regulate the way her body deals with menstruation. My sister had to go on the Pill at 16 for the same reason and it did work. They put her on the lowest dosage possible.

I started taking bc at 13 due to incredibly long, incredibly heavy and incredibly painful periods. The pills made a world of difference to me. I also was bedridden for several days each time I had my period, which was about every 2-3 weeks.

Take her to the OB and discuss pill options with the doctor and a pharmacist. We are not medical professionals, any advice you get here, including my own, should be seen for what it is.

My daughter has had endometriosis almost since her first peroid. After trying everything I agreed to put her on birth control at 15. It only works if she is on for 3 months, no period then has a period then on for 3 months again. Her doctor can explain it better.

If you do not take care of this as soon as you can she may become unable to have children. It is a difficult decision but if I had to do it again I would everytime.

Talk to the doctor. If she feels the pill can help, go for it. Just make sure you also have talks with your daughter about safe sex, STDs, etc. Tell her the pill isn't enough and she needs condoms when the time comes.

She's too little-and any benefit doesn't begin to outweigh the risks.

I had those same symptoms at that age and throughout my teens. I would really be out of commission for a couple of days every month. When I started on the pill a few years later I think it eased the cramping a bit, but didn't eliminate the problem. (I was later diagnosed with endometriosis.)

I hope your daughter's doctor is able to pin down the problem and help her find some relief.

Sounds like PMDD. She does need to be "heard" by this doc and not have them brush her off. Make sure the doc listens to her and not just what they think she is saying.

That sounds a lot like what my periods were like, and I have endometriosis. I wouldn't just write it off as a low pain tolerance. Unfortunately the only help for that is abdomimal surgery where they can excise some or all of the tissue that is building up in there. And they can only tell if that's the problem by doing the surgery. It's definitely worth it though if it will help her.

they first put me on the pill too (same age) and I had a terrible reaction to it - vomiting nonstop - and they had to play around with the dosage. It never went totally away. didn't have my surgery until I tried to have kids at age 31 so it was many years of suffering.

Definitely take her to the doctor and discuss her options. My 15yo was having horrible cramps, she's been on the pill for several months and it's gotten much better.

Well, she is clearly compromised so something needs to be done. Even with a lower pain threshold than you, she's got a lot more going on.

I've worked with a food-based alternative with a lot of teens - helps the moods as well as the symptoms you've outlined. Happy to discuss with you if you want to go that route. But my experience as a women's counselor taught me that a low dose birth control pill can also be very effective. You could try the supplement for a few months and always add meds later. Or start with meds now for immediate relief while the supplement kicks in, then wean her off. Up to you.