I took my 16 year old daughter to the gynocologist for frequent periods. She is an athlete and as expected has very little body fat. Rather than having no periods, she has periods every two weeks or less. After a brief discussion and asking a few questions, she was given a blood test to check for iron deficiency (the test indicated that her iron count was fine.) The solution offered was birth control pills. Other symptoms besides the frequent periods are lack of concentration, inability to remember things, dizziness, and mild fatigue. These symptoms were brought up during the appointment but we really go no feedback. After the blood test came back showing a normal iron count we were told that the fatigue really wasn't related to the frequent periods. This is affecting her grades and her overall quality of life. I am frustrated at the seeming lack of concern for these other symptoms.
Has anyone had a similar expierience and are these normal symptoms of something that can be corrected with birth control?
I agree with the others about it possibly being more than one issue. My daughter had a similar period problem, and 4 months on birth control pills helped her body to regulate it. She has had a normal period without birth control pills ever since.
Get a second opinion. I'm not fond of doctors who just prescribe meds without doing a deeper analysis of the possible causes. I'm a 42 year old woman whose periods changed significantly this past year. My ob/gyn was very thorough in testing for all sorts of possible causes (fibroids, cysts, cancer, hormonal imbalances, pre-menopausal, etc). And while these conditions are much more common to women my age vs. a teenager (especially being pre-menopausal!) it doesn't mean it's not possible. Thankfully none of these issues caused my menstrual changes . . . so now we're taking the wait and see approach and to document my menstrual activities. But in the meantime she told me to take a daily multivitamin because the extra blood loss could make me feel more tired than usual. And after a few months we'll evaluate the data and go from there . . . again, she wasn't looking to just give me hormones to "fix" the problem.
I would be skeptical of any doctor who recommended birth control for an off-label use like this without fully explaining why he's recommending it, what the actual problem is, and how the BC would work. If you want to get a second opinion, I recommend Dr. Joseph Behan in Dallas. He is a natural-family-planning only doctor, which is great in your daughter's case because he has a very good understanding of the complexities of hormones and how they can cause different symptoms. When I went to him with a strange collection of symptoms, he looked at my charts (I chart my cycles) and recommended a thyroid test - voila! Problem solved.
You would hate for there to be a real underlying problem that the BC pills were just masking symptoms for.
I had a similar issue when I was a freshman in college. For several months I had a period every 2 weeks. Turns out, my ovaries were confused about which one was supposed to me releasing the egg each month. Normally they alrernate, one month one releases, the next month, the other. Mine were both releasing one every month (2 weeks apart). I got on the pill and that fixed it. Don't be too quick to dismiss what the dr. prescribed. Yes there might be other things going on, but it's possible that this will solve much of the problem. As for the fatigue, etc. I agree with a previous answer that maybe she's not hydrated enough, getting enough vitamins etc. I teach high school, and I'd say about 70% of my students are "fatigued" all the time. Much of it is from staying up too late or from poor diet. I knew one girl that thought urine was always supposed to be orangish brown. She never drank water. Talk about unhealthy! While I do suggest you consider a second opinion (at least find a dr. that is willing to converse with you regarding your daughter's symptoms) don't be surprised if they want to continue on a similar path. You might also want to check into using a nurse practioner for your daughter. My dr. has one in his office and I see her most of the time for my non-ob appointments. She is outstanding and so patient. They are located in Grapeviene at the hopspital. Let me know if you are interested in her name.
Have you thought of trying a different doctor? The pill is not ALWAYS the answer. If it were me....I would see another doctor till I found out what EXACTLY was wrong. Have you tried MD.com? There you can put in the symptoms and the websight then you gives you different answers to what it might be. Hope this helps.....J. F.
I don't remember having those problems when I was young but I have them now. The only thing that I know to try to do when I get like that is drink lots of water or tea and rest. I that does not help a lot but I know it helps me some. It's frustrating I know.
Good luck and God bless!!
I had horrible periods when I was her age, heavy bleeding, pain, etc. Since you didn't mention she has a lot of pain with this, I would suggest there is an imbalance somewhere. Sometimes kids just forget to eat and drink fluids when it's that time, and if she is bleeding a lot, she may need to eat more. I would definitely take her in and get a second opinion and get a full blood work up. Just to cover all the bases. It can tell if her electrolytes are low, or thyroid, or it could just be that she is just worn out. When you are an athlete, with a high metabolism, bleeding alot, and being 16 years old, that's stress enough. Been there, done that. Maybe just uping some vitamins or some extra veggies and fruit would help in the lunch, if she will eat them. Alternate, Gatorade and lots of water when she is working out. Keep lots of snacks handy too. I was a tall, skinny girl, but I could eat like a football player! HA!
Good luck! And just so you know I did have to go on the BC pill when I was 15 because it was the only thing that would keep me from staying home and throwing up from the pain. I know they have changed alot in the last 20 years, but it did help me out and I still knew all the dangers of having sex while being on the pill. You just have to have a good communication with her.
You need a primary care doc. They are more equipped to get to the underlying issues here. Is she getting enough sleep and solid nutrition?
I would find another dr and ask for a blood test to check tsh or the thyroid. Her symptoms are classic for low thyroid. She is young for that, but it is mostly a womans problem anyway.
Take Care!
I have dealt with heavy periods for years and the first thing they always check for is a thyroid problem. I agree with the other ladies get a second opinion. Dr. Diaz in Plano is wonderful, she was one of the first Dr.s to say that heavy and frequent bleeding isn't normal.
Just a side note: I did spend many years on the pill (terrible cramps & bleeding) and it worked for me I started at age 18. But this was AFTER I was cleared of all other medical problems. I stayed on them for 8 years and stopped them to have my children.
If you still have questions then you need to get them answered before you make this decision. I had the prescription for the pills for almost 2 years before I decided to finally take them.
I would recommend taking her to a Natropath. It could be something deeper nutritionally, like selenium or other mineral deficiency. A Natropath doctor will look at the whole picture, and comeup with a holistic treatment plan, not just write a script for birth control or some other med that could be harmful for a child. Hope that helps!
My niece who was 15 had the same issue she is now 17. They told us to do the birth control and we all said nope not going to happen (who wants to give a teenager a free pass to sex?) lol but no on the more serious side we didn't want her to have the responsibility or the need to take a pill everyday (due to medical reasons of her past). When the symptoms got stronger and the dizziness and fatigue got too much (she was passing out at her soccer games on the field and forgetting convo's she had an hour ago and certain times and dates she knew all her life.) we caved and did the birth control. after about 4 months on the birth control she started cramping and we wanted her off it. They suggested trying other birth control. We said nope changed her diet and she's seeing a nutrition specialist and doing great! what it all boiled down to was even tho she was eating good (mostly) it was the portioning that was off too much or too little of certain things. she's doing great now and a happy and healthy teenager..
P.S. My niece was also going thru other stresses that once in a while she has to deal with (court dates of an abusive ex boyfriend) tho the situation itself is in the past she still has follow up court dates for harassment and protection orders being broken and what not. When these things come up she will get stressed and upset and her monthly cycle does get a tad bit off schedule...
Hope this helps sorry I couldn't be of more help. Good luck to you and your daughter...
Kimmie
I might dump this doctor and try another. (BTW, was she tested for the obvious: anemia?)
I've also had great success using "JustAnswers" on line. They have all kinds of experts that will answer to the best of their ability based on your input. If you want to try it, be ready with some blood test results. They have helped me very successfully and might try to suggest other tests to have. I spend about $15. Results guaranteed or your money back. Then I tip if the answer was helpful.
From my experience, BCP will most likely make her cycles more regular but make her other symptoms worse or add new symptoms. Doctors will treat symptoms with meds but not necessarily get to the reason behind the symptoms. If you know any alternative doctors that you trust, I'd see him/her. I also have thyroid disease that causes all of the symptoms you described. I've also had a hormone imbalance that caused this too. Good luck!!
I am 27 now, but experienced similar symptoms about 6 years ago. I also tried several different birth control pills that all seemed to make me feel worse! My solution ended up being Thyroid medication and stress reduction. Hope she gets better soon!
I'm not a fan of BC... especially for young girls... the overall and long term affects are not good, if possible I would avoid them. I do understand why the Dr did this, it is pretty standard procedure for main stream medicine to give drugs as a band aid to a problem, but if it were me I'd want to get to the bottom of it, if she is having periods that frequently there is a hormone issue, go see a different Dr. and ask lots of questions, et them know you don't want to just try BC without knowing why her hormones are not working they way they should... also get a book by Mary J Shomon about Hormones, she has several, just see which title is best for your situation, ( I read her book about Menopause) she knows what she is talking about! it may help you find answers to what is going on as well as give some very good dietary suggestions to support good hormone health.
have them run a mono test too just to rule it out. just because her iron is not low does not mean the periods are not causing the problem. if her periods are heavy, the loss of blood can cause dizziness and fatigue. i would seek a second opinion.
I would think possibly thyroid, hormone imbalance, or sugar levels being off (some sort of glycemia). Take her to her general family doc (or if she is still with a pediatrician, switch to an internist or general family practice) and ask about those kinds of tests. They might be able to order the tests with a lab, draw them themselves or send her to an endicronologist for screening. Whatever it is, better to figure it out now. The frequent periods must SUCK though! I hope things level out for her!
Hugs and Best wishes!
