Caring for Your Child With Irregular Periods

Many girls have irregular periods, especially for the first few years. If your daughter's periods don't become regular or if a reason is found for your daughter's irregular periods, the health care professional may recommend treatment.

Most girls start their periods when they're 10 to 15 years old. A regular cycle means that a girl's period comes every 21 to 35 days.

It's normal for periods to come early or late, or be heavy or light, once in a while. But if this happens often, health care professionals might diagnose girls with irregular periods.

Many girls have irregular periods for the first few years. Other causes of irregular periods are:

• a hormone imbalance

• being too thin or overweight

• exercising too much

• an infection

• a long-term illness

• certain medicines

• pregnancy

The health care professional may have ordered a pregnancy test and blood tests to check hormone levels. Treatment for irregular periods depends on the cause. The test results will help the health care professional recommend the best treatment for your daughter. If your daughter just started having periods, the health care professional will usually wait to see if periods settle into a regular schedule.

Treatment may include starting oral contraceptives ("the pill"), which can balance hormones and make periods come on a regular cycle, or other medicines. Treatment might also include changing eating or exercising patterns, or reducing stress.

• If the health care professional recommends that your daughter track her periods on a calendar, make sure she includes:

• • The day each period begins and ends.

  • If the flow is heavy or light on each day.

  • If she has cramps, belly pain, headaches, or other problems during her period.

• Make any follow-up appointments as recommended by your health care professional.

Your daughter:

• Has periods that last more than 10 days.

• Has very heavy periods that soak through a pad or tampon more than every 2 hours.

• Has bleeding between periods.

• Has milk coming from her breasts.

• Gets hot flashes.

• Gets new or worsening acne.

• Eats more or less than you'd expect.

• Seems to exercise a lot.

• Is under a lot of stress.

• Has severe cramping or belly pain.

• Got her first period more than 2 years ago and still has irregular periods.

Even though your daughter's periods aren't regular, she can still get pregnant if she has sex. Talk to your daughter about using condoms and other kinds of birth control to protect against pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs, also called sexually transmitted diseases or STDs).