First Period - Middleton,WI

A young girls period can be very unpredictable. This is considered normal.

When I was first getting my period, sometimes it lasted 5 days, sometimes up to 8 or 9 days long. And sometimes, they would come every 3 weeks instead of 4.

I was instructed by the Gynecologist to keep a record of how many days and how heavy. Then I would take this to my appointments so they could also record them.

For hair removal and this is only if she wants to shave her legs, , she should be able to just shave her legs with a razor. . You can teach her to either use soap or shaving cream. Remind her he does not need to press hard..

I have always had dark hair so electric shavers never worked for me, but it seems women with light hair, have good luck with them.

In the beginning there are a lot of hormonal changes going on and her period can be very unpredictable as for how long it lasts, how heavy it is, how much time in between and more. If you have concerns, talk to her pedi.

As for hair removal, I assume she wans to shave her legs? Why not show her how to use a razor if she wants to shave her legs. If you are scared of a razor, get an electric one. Of course, ONLY do this IF she has brought this up to you because you don't want to mess with her self esteem.

Puberty and peri menopause have so much in common although they are opposite (reproductive system coming online and offline respectively).
There is little predictability till it settles down and it can take several years for it to do that.
Just give her a calendar for her to track her bleeding days and eventually a pattern will emerge.
There are probably apps for it and I like this site for it:

http://www.mymonthlycycles.com/home.jsp

As far as hair removal is concerned - a safety razor is fine - she can use soap and/or shaving cream - under arms and legs - and give her a styptic pencil to stop small cuts from bleeding.

I think her period is pretty normal for a young girl. My daughter's cycle has been fairly unpredictable as well this first year.

As far as hair removal, if she wants to shave her legs or underarms, let her do so. If she hasn't mentioned it and doesn't seem to care, don't mention it to her. If it's hair on her face (upper lip, etc), and it bothers her, take her to a good waxing place, or if that's something you do yourself at home, help her do it at home. My daughter is 12, and asked to have her eyebrows waxed, so I took her to my waxing lady. I believe that when kids are self-conscious about things like that, it's best to do what we can to help resolve the issue right away, and not make them wait until some random, arbitrary date in the future. :)

Normal on period. And by the way, I had my period at that same age, as did all the women in my family. It was genetic and had nothing to do with some supposed trend or hormones in the meat.
Why are you removing her hair? Is she asking you to? I bought my 12 year old an electric razor, but if she's not bothered or asking you to remove hair, I wouldn't. My daughter had one friend who did it very young because she was in competitive dance and it mattered more, but otherwise, why bother?

S.,

I'm sorry! That sounds soo young! It's sad that so many children today are starting sooo much sooner and dealing with it before they even hit double digits....it's there and you have to deal with it.

How does YOUR body work? Is this the way YOUR body works? I would tell her that we need to track it to find out what's normal for HER. Then I would make an appointment with a doctor and show them the history for say 3 to 6 months and see what they say.

As to her hair? I would NOT do ANYTHING about it until she's at least 13. Why? Because the minute you start messing with it - makes it worse. If she's REALLY hirsute? Then talk with the doctor as well and get a blood test done to find out what hormone she is producing way too much of...it might be a phase that her body is going through as well, so if you start shaving or waxing her? It will just make it worse.

Good luck!

What hair are you wanting to remove, on her Legs?

I'm going to assume you don't use a safety razor for shaving your legs.

Kids don't shave usually until they're older. If she wants to shave her legs I'd tell her she's not old enough. Really, she doesn't need to do that for years.

I don't have girls. My mom gave me a calendar to mark off my cycles when I was 13, that's when I started having my periods.

My 15 year old son has peach fuzz that he wants to shave. His dad has told him to hold off until it must be done. I wouldn't have a 9 year old start shaving legs.

Hello! I don't have any daughters and my child is younger, but my advice comes from what my own mother did for me. I was 11 when I started my period and they were very irregular as well. My mother took me to a doctor who recommended the pill. I was young and embarrassed, but it really did help my period become regular and even helped my skin. Maybe this would help your daughter? As far as hair removal, my mom set an age for shaving, eyebrow plucking, and make-up in my house which was 12 for shaving, 13 for lip gloss and clear mascara, and 15 for all other make-up. We weren't allowed to do those things before that set age, regardless of if we had started our period or not. In my opinion, you should wait a few years to worry about hair removal.