About heavy periods in pre-teens and teenagers
Heavy periods are common.
Your child’s periods are heavy if your child:
- can’t do daily activities like sport during their periods
- needs to change pads or tampons every 1-2 hours, or empty a menstrual cup or change period-proof underwear frequently
- needs to use 2 period products together to prevent overflow, like a pad and a tampon or a pad and period underwear
- needs to lie on a towel or get up during the night to change pads
- passes blood clots that are bigger than a 50-cent piece
- is pale, feels faint and has no energy during their periods.
Heavy periods might go away by themselves as your child’s body matures and their periods become more established.
Managing heavy periods
Your child might feel anxious about bleeding heavily at unpredictable times. Managing heavy periods might help them feel less anxious.
Practical strategies
Your child could carry pads, period-proof underwear, tampons or a cup and spare underwear. For example, they could keep these items in their school bag or sports bag.
Schools often have a supply of pads and tampons, so check that your child knows where they can get these supplies.
Medicines
Over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines like ibuprofen or naproxen can reduce bleeding a lot. Your child can also use these medicines to help with painful periods.
It’s good to talk with your child about periods. This prepares your child and lets them know what to expect. It’s also a good opportunity to encourage your child to tell you if their periods are painful or heavy or worry them in any way.
Medical help: when to get it for heavy periods
Your child should see their GP if they have heavy periods, and they:
- are struggling to do everyday activities
- get no relief from over-the-counter medicines
- have heavy periods that last for more than 7 days
- look pale, feel faint or have no energy.
The GP will check for things like anaemia, low levels of iron or an underlying condition like a bleeding problem. This will probably involve blood tests.
These tests will help the GP work out the best treatment for your child.
Treatment for heavy periods
The GP will talk with your child about which medicine is best for them. Options include the following:
- Tranexamic acid – this is a non-hormonal medicine that your child can use on the days of heavy bleeding. It reduces bleeding a lot.
- Iron supplements – if your child is anaemic or has low iron levels, iron supplements can build up their iron again. It’s also a good idea to make sure your child gets plenty of iron in their diet.
- Hormonal medicine like the combined oral contraceptive pill, which contains both oestrogen and progesterone, or a progesterone-only pill – these medicines can reduce bleeding or stop periods altogether.
- Medroxyprogesterone acetate injections every 3 months – this can stop periods.
Sometimes doctors might suggest a hormonal levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device (IUD) like Mirena as a treatment for heavy bleeding. These can reduce bleeding or stop periods altogether.
It’s important for your child to get treatment for their heavy periods. This might help with any anxiety your child feels about the heavy bleeding. It will also reduce the likelihood that your child will become anaemic.
Causes of heavy periods
Heavy periods can happen without a particular cause.
Heavy periods can also happen if your child has a period but their egg follicles don’t release an egg. In this situation, the body doesn’t produce progesterone, and periods can be heavy as a result. This can happen when periods first start and might be a problem for only a few months while your child’s periods become established. It can also happen when stress, excessive sport, weight loss or weight gain stop the ovaries from working properly.
Heavy periods can also happen because of:
- some medicines and treatments, including some anticoagulant medicines or blood-thinning medicines
- some bleeding problems
- pregnancy complications
- pelvic infections or sexually transmitted infections.