Her Period Has a Mind of Its Own

wow sounds like me at that age, only I didn't get testing done...

The 1st year of my periods were just weird. 5 days to 35 days long, super heavy and some that were just light pink water. I also got clots the size of DVDS. Weird stuff. I didn't tell my mom because she always told me all the crazy stories about her periods as a girl and my female cousins all had similar stories. I really thought all girls had it like this for the 1st year or so and didn't think it was worth telling to my mom.

It took a year do calm down and regulate itself. After that I was 7 days and always started on the full moon. I was so regular it was funny.

My daughter was 14 (just last year) when she started her period. Here has been her cycles:
Dec 29 begin - end Feb 4 (yes 40 days!)
Feb 16 start - end Feb 24 (8 days)...but only 12 days rest
March 8 start - end march 16
started again march 18 - end march 24
april 3, start - april 10 stop
april 13 start - april 18 stop

Can you see the irregularity?
We are coming up to the first year now and she still has no real schedule. She is active physically, she is very lean and vegetarian.
We have seen our holistic practitioners who have done blood tests and everything necessary. She is fine. We did discover that cumin and turmeric (yes the spices) actually helped stop or lessen the flow)

K., it's only been 4 months, PLEASE do not go looking for trouble. ask these questions FIRST:
Is there pain or discomfort?
Is there a strong odor...more than normal?
Is she weak?
Does she have a fever?
(Iron levels will be low in blood tests, do not let that scare you)
Is she nauseous?
Does she "feel" like something is wrong?

PLEASE educate yourself and your daughter. If you go to a doctor looking to find something wrong, they will usually find something...they hate to think you weren't doing their job.

Give it time...is the female body...it has a mind of its own.

B.
Family Success Coach

In my crystal ball I see birth control pills in your daughter's future.

Although, I'm glad they're ruling out other causes first. Like you I have some medical training... but not in endocrinology. I have no idea whether BCP would mask any form of hemophilia or clotting disorders. So if there was any chance it would, I can see why they'd run the test to make sure she just doesn't need to take a factor instead of being on the pill. Ditto that they might do an ultrasound first to check for structural abnormalities.

But one will get you fifty, everything's normal and she'll just need BCPs.

When I was a teen about 15 (first got my period) thru 22 mine was months apart and would/could last for weeks and was HEAVY the entire time, they never had an explanation for me but my body finally corrected itself. The body is amazing how things work and if there is an answer I am sure you will find it, but I would not be shocked like many others if they run the birth control route if nothing else seems to be the answer.

My daughter got her first last month and it lasted for about 15 days. I am a carrier for Hemophilia A so I know that there is a chance my girls could also be carriers. I am asymptmatic so I was surprised tht she still had some bleeding for so long. But she did just start. After a few months, we will see. Otherwise, she has not had any issues with dental work or bruising excessively. We don;t really plan to test her unless we see an issue. She had more like spotting than an actual flow though.
BTW, my d is 11 1/2, 5'6" and 112 pounds.

My daughter's periods were very erratic. Coming at random times, lasting various periods of times, spotting in between, horrid cramps, etc. I finally took her to an OB for an exam to make sure she was fine. One summer when she was 17, she was headed to a rugged outdoor camp where she would be in the water daily for a week with minimal access to real bathrooms or any way to carry pads/tampons, etc. This was going to be followed by a mission trip out of the country to an under-developed area where we weren't sure what her bathroom access would be. She was horrified she's start her period. So, the OB put her on the pill so we could regulate it to avoid these times. She loved knowing when it would come, and it wasn't so bad. But, it did make her gain some weight. So, after a year, she chose to quit taking it. Her body seems to have adjusted finally. Good luck.

It's good to have the testing done, but other than that remember that this can happen actually for the first few years that she is having her period. Just like when we reach Menopause hormone production is very unreliable at the time of Menarche and can lead to really long, or short and unreliable periods.
If this is bothering her or if she develops anemia and no other cause is found, talk to her and her doctor about option for regulating her period with birth control pills. I had a lot of friends when I was that age that were on the pill to help with their periods, spotting or cramping - remember that it is a medication like any other and can be indicated for other issues than pregnancy prevention.

Good luck!

Hi-

I was similar as well and I started my period at 12. I would go 3 or 4 weeks with HORRIBLE cramps, then would start up again 10 days later, or 45 days later. You never knew whe I was going to get my period and I remember writhing in pain because the cramps were so bad. They put me on the pill at 16 to finally regulate me. My mom wasn't thrilled with that option, but it was a godsend for me!

Please don't think I'm saying to go that route, it's a hard desision, just telling you my experience.

Good luck!

Stephanie

when I started my period, I had them for 2 - 3 weeks and then off a week or a week and half and start again - it was AWFUL - my mom took me to the dr. and they put me on birth control to regulate my period - it worked, I then only had a period for 7 days....don't know if you would want to do that with your daughter or not, but it worked for me.

I had periods much like your daughter when I first got them, at 12. They came with debilitating cramps. After 6 or 8 months of near-constant bleeding (3 weeks on, 10 days off, 18 days on, 8 days off, etc.) my doctor prescribed birth control pills. I don't know what I would have done without them. Both of my sisters have had similar experiences. If all the labs come back normal, you may want to ask your daughter's doctor if b/c is an option for her.