birth control at age 13!!

[mommy68]

I have an older sister with a DD that just turned 13. She confided in me that her DD started her period almost two years ago. She said that she has always had heavy, painful periods and that at age 12 she considered putting her DD on the pill to help with that!! She said she would also be making sure she has BC in her body for when she starts to think about sex. I don't agree with it but didn't say anything ofcourse. What are others thinking about this kind of thing?

If her DD were a few years older then it might make more sense to me. But she's still just a child. Why PUSH birth control on her? There are hormones in the pill and I even stopped taking them a few years ago simply for that reason alone. It's her DD choice to make about BC pills not her mothers.

[Jessy1019]

I didn't have heavy periods, but the second time I got my period (a very stressful summer), I bled heavy for about five weeks straight. I wish someone had put me on BC then. If I had heavy periods at that age, I would have wanted the pill too . . . I think it can be scary/embarassing, especially if you're leaking through your clothes, etc.

I don't want to force BC on my kids when they're having sex . . . obviously, I want them to use condoms if they're with a new partner, but if they happen to get into a serious monogamous relationship, get tested for STDs, and decide they want to have a child, I don't feel it's my business to stop them. I would be okay with that by around 16-17.

[JBaxter]

My aunts SIL ( its a small close area) had her daughter on BC at 13 for the same reason. The doctor gave her pills to help controle her period. I think it wasnt until she ( the daughter ) was about 16 that she realized she was on birth controle pills.:

They just took her to the doctor and the doc prescribed the medication. That was all they told her. Really at 13 would you make the connection w/ a p[ill that makes your periods better and regular to a pill that keeps you from having a baby?

[sevenkids]

My oldest dd suffered from horrible, painful periods, that left her doubled up and vomiting, curled into the fetal position and hugging a heating pad for 2-3 days. She also bled through several pads in a few hours, making it impossible to attend school for those days.
She started her period at 13, but by 14 she was on BC pills so she could live her life and go to school. She knew she was taking BC pills, but she didn't think about sex until she was at least 17, when she met her fiance. She had her baby at age 20, didn't take any BC for a few years, and started suffering from heavy, painful periods again, sometimes every 2 weeks. She's back on BC again, and is able to keep her job and live a normal life.

For her, taking BC pills made the difference between dreading her period, suffering excruciating pain, and risking bleeding all over herself in public, to being able to go on with her life.

[maya44]

I too was put on bc at age 14.

Without them I was sick and miserable for days each month. My mother also made it clear that she wanted me to be on bc when I was ready to have sex.

She talked to me about it openly and told me having sex with someone made you incredibly vulnerable to them and that I should wait until I found someone who I was willing to feel that way with. That made me wait a long time. A long long long time.

[Redifer]

Both my sister and I had heavy, painful periods at that age, so we were put on BC. Mine were so bad that I would have to go to the bathroom at school, have (TMI) very bad diarrhea, then my cramps would get so bad I'd literally pass out on the floor, and someone would find me and carry me to the nurse, who'd send me home. I would honestly rather give birth 7 times a day, every day, for the rest of my life than deal with those kinds of cramps again.

My sister had the same thing. So we got put on BC to try to deal with our menstrual cycles. We were missing about 4 days of school a month just for cramps.. not fun!

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Is there any other option for horrible cramping and heavy bleeding othr than bcp? There is a family history of this with the woman on my mom's side. My dd has a high chance it will happen to her as well and I would like options other than bcp because we also have a higher chance of blood clots while using bcp. That is why I have never taken them and never will.

[ameliabedelia]

Is there any other option for horrible cramping and heavy bleeding othr than bcp?

When I was a teen I had pretty heavy periods and painful cramps. It wasn't as bad as the way some of you are describing, but I did need to take midol and leaked through pads rather quickly.

However, when I was a junior in high school, I started running regularly, and eating a bit healthier and my periods got lighter and the cramps lessoned considerably. When I was in college, I stopped running and ate more junk (typical college fare) and again I started bleeding more heavily and the cramps came back. Once I started exercising regularly in college and eating healthier, my periods got ligher again and the cramps went away. I haven't suffered from bad cramps, and haven't leaked out of pads since then, since I have kept up with regular exercise....starting up again soon after the birth of each of my children.

So, in my experience, diet and exercise can make a big difference. For me, it was the difference between painful cramps, and needing OTC medication and constantly worrying about leaking (I always made sure to wear shirts or sweaters which went past my butt), to never leaking and having only mild discomfort during periods.

[Redifer]

I wish that would have worked for me! I ate what most of my friends considered a "super strictly healthy" diet, and I played football on the guy's team, swim team, etc.

I tried iron supplements, those didn't help.. I tried nearly everything I could as I really don't care for taking any kind of medication or rx unless I'm next to death. BC was the only thing that did it for me.

After DD was born though, my cramps weren't as severe. I haven't been on BC since she was born, and i haven't had a problem. Not that I'm telling everyone to go out and get pregnant to cure menstrual cramps

[sevenkids]

I would honestly rather give birth 7 times a day, every day, for the rest of my life than deal with those kinds of cramps again.

My DD can totally relate! When she was giving birth, the nurse kept offering her an epidural, which she refused, saying, "I've had menstrual cramps worse than this, where were you when I was having my period!"

[julie128]

Chiropractic and/or acupuncture and/or diet change can be helpful for painful menstruation. Sometimes, you can find chiros and acus who work together, and they are usually knowledgeble about nutrition, so they can help with the diet.

[bobandjess99]

WEll, i believe that any woman who needs birth control should have access to it and use it. I'd much rather have a 13 yr old using BC than becoming one of my new clients (i counsel pregnant teens).

As to using BC for long/painful/irregular periods.....THAT IS CRAP.
Medically, putting anyone on bc does NOT, NOT, NOT fix the problem. And by masking the symptoms with synthetic hormones, you are potentially doing great harm. There ARE ways to combat period problems, through diet, exercise, etc.....i.e., actually FIXING whatever problem the poor girl actually has.

[BrooklynDoula]

I was on bc at 15 and had many friends on earlier. While 13 may be still just a kid, it is also the age many kids start having sex. I would rather have her on bc than have a pregnant 13 year old personally.

[maxmama]

Originally Posted by bobandjess99

WEll, i believe that any woman who needs birth control should have access to it and use it. I'd much rather have a 13 yr old using BC than becoming one of my new clients (i counsel pregnant teens).

As to using BC for long/painful/irregular periods.....THAT IS CRAP.
Medically, putting anyone on bc does NOT, NOT, NOT fix the problem. And by masking the symptoms with synthetic hormones, you are potentially doing great harm. There ARE ways to combat period problems, through diet, exercise, etc.....i.e., actually FIXING whatever problem the poor girl actually has.

I don't agree. For a lot of younger women, anovulatory cycles with unopposed estrogen lead to heavy periods and cramping. That will go away as the HPO axis matures and cycles become ovulatory. The pill keeps the endometrium from hypertrophy: thus, no heavy bleeding. It's treating the symptoms during a normal physiologic adjustment that doesn't require treating. It's normal to have irregular and/or heavy periods during early adolescence. Why make the kid feel like there's something wrong with her? Treat the symptoms.

[earthmama369]

Well, as far as the OP's "rolleyes" at the idea of a 13-year-old possibly needing BC, my 14-year-old SIL got pregnant right after her birthday, so yes, it can be a consideration . . . and she'd only had her cycle for a few months by that point. I'm of the opinion that while I think BC hormones aren't the best for one's body, every woman should have the option.

[SleepyMamaBear]

i started my period at ten.
the Drs kept asking my mom if she wanted to put me on the pill to control my PAINFUL heavy long periods. she declined until i was 14.
two years after i had started being sexually active.
being on the pill doesnt make one automatically go and have sex. nor does sex obstain with abcense of the pill. teenage girls are going to do what they want to do with their bodies... thats just a fact. a sad painful fact.

i would rather my daughter when she gets to menstruating age have a healthy diet and exercise routine to control her periods if they get painful than go on the pill. but i am just really opposed to the pill and all of its yuckiness, having BTDT and its friend depo and its cousin the patch and feeling the terrible reprocussions on my body from them.

[talk de jour]

As long as the child is being informed as to what they're taking and why and has the choice not to, I think we should refrain from judgment

[Cherie2]

Originally Posted by mommy68

If her DD were a few years older then it might make more sense to me. But she's still just a child.

It seems like that ... my dd got pregnant at 14

[the_lissa]

Another one here whose periods debilitized and often hospitalized me for several days a month. Diet and exercise did not help. Birth control did.

[airmide_m]

I'm another who has tried just about everything with little to no results, so for those who suggest things other than birth control I'd love to know specifics (and love you to read my thread here: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=621812 )

I started my periods at 10 and they were horribly heavy and painful. I'd leak through pads almost immediately and then be shamed for it. I was never taken to a gynecologist until I went on my own at 21, 3 years after becoming sexually active (largely because I didn't have insurance before then when I was on my own and able to choose to go)

I did try birth control for a few years and it did lessen but not by far alleviate the pain. Now I've been off bc for about 2 years and trying to get pregnant for almost 1 year so I don't have that option for relief.

I would still have doubts about myself, a young girl, or anyone being on hormonal contraceptives. There are risks and we may not yet know all of them. But if it's the only thing that helps, maybe it's the best option sometimes. I would only resort to that after trying everything else I could think of and minimally invasive tests to determine if the causes could be explained.

As far as exercise and diet...I'm been ovo-lacto vegetarian since I was 11, and have made major dietary changes lately to cut out soy, corn syrup, and previously sugar and caffeine, none of which have helped at all. Exercise is pretty difficult especially form positive habits when the pain and sometimes fatigue and lethargy is extended (for me up to 22 days per cycle in some pain with 3-5 days mostly agonizing pain). I've tried time after time to get on an exercise schedule, even maintaining good habits for up to 3 weeks, but then my period hits and everything falls apart and I have to start from scratch. Sometimes I feel so helpless and defeated that I don't even want to try again. So being healthy never hurts and could help, but it isn't always as easy as it might sound.