Constant PMS in 15 Year Old Daughter

I was having lots of PMS symptoms and finally went to a doctor that specialized in hormones. He did a complete blood screen and found that my progesterone was really low. He told me that it is not uncommon for teenage girls to be low in progesterone. It is hard for a teenager because the are dealing with a lot of stresses that we never dealt with. All the doctors that I had gone to previously also wanted to put me on birth control pills and never find out what the root of the problem was.

The bc pills will likely help, and you can get Seasonale or similar now that really helps, lifestyle-wise, to reduce the number of periods you get. Exercise and B vitamins can help with PMS too.

Birth control pills can help with a lot of the symptoms of PMS, and you get the added bonus of having her protected should she decide to become sexually active. I started BC when I was 14 and it helped a lot with my cramps.

My Dr. sells Arbonne and she recommended that I use (rather than take birth control pills) Prolief - a natural balancing cream. Two weeks before the first day of my period I apply it once daily to my skin (forearms, bottom of feet or hip bone area (thin skinned areas). I'll tell ya, I couldn't believe how much better I felt. Sometimes I forget to use the cream and I can tell the difference in my moods.

Also diet plays a big part in how we feel during that time of the month. I find the cleaner I eat the better I feel - always.

Birth control pills made my moody, crazy, sad feelings way worse -not better. I was put on them to cure dysmennorhea (very very painful periods) -- which they did...but they also made me hormonally crazy! Does she exercise? Activity always makes me feel happier and without it I get down. Does she get enough sleep? Exhaustion can also make you feel moody. Before I was on BC pills and was PMS-ing, I would just take Midol but that is not something I would suggest anyone take 3 weeks out of every month! Good luck in finding something that works for her!

PMS sucks doesn't it?
Even for adult women.
Ugh.

One option would be, to see a Naturopath or Holistic Doctor and see what they would recommend.
Your Daughter, is getting the "moodiness' of PMS. Which is of course due to fluctuating hormones.
Me, I get PMS, the moodiness, but not the cramping or aches.

Birth control pills are commonly suggested as a remedy. Sure.
But there are side effects too. See what your Daughter thinks.
Also, if one is on Birth control pills, they may feel they are 'safe' to have sex. But one can still get STD's, for example.

I would get info on all options. Pills or via a Naturopath or Holistic Doctor.

I personally, take natural supplements for PMS.
But I am an adult.
Don't know what is recommended for teen girls.

I agree with the pp that good nutrition and exercise (overall living healthy) will help. I have always suffered from crippling cramps and bleeding. I am not committed to a good diet and exercise but when I do these things, it helps tremendously. Also, have her drink chamomile tea and try lavender baths. I see a serious drop in my mood swings when I drink chamomile.

I have seen this go away for people who finally figured out they had food allergies, e.g. gluten, wheat, histamines. It's worth a try. Birth control might help, but you need to be aware of the fact that studies have shown that after using birth control for 6 months hormone levels never quite return to what they were.

My 16 yr old had a perfectly normal cycle from age 11 until about 6 months ago. Then, she would not stop bleeding... she was bleeding heavy enough for a pad or tampon daily. Her cramps got much worse and she would be in bed at least the worst day of them.

We did start on the pill in January and it has helped a lot. She now has a normal cycle, no breakthrough bleeding, her moods are much better and very little cramping.

Note: My daughter is a picture of great health other than the cycle. She is very active, JV cheerleader and very health conscious, good eater.

Good luck!

PLEASE EDUCATION NOT MEDICATION. Doctors only know drugs, not other alternatives. When my daughter started her period (age 14) she menstruated for over 40 days. I took her to the doctor just to "check it out" and in the first 5 mins the dr had written 3 prescriptions, one for "pain", one for "bloating" and one to "inhibit the flow". Please note my daughter was not "in pain or bloated". When I asked the ingredients in the drug that was supposed to ease the flow I found that I could feed my daughter turmeric and cumin (very common spices) and they would do the same thing. Guess what, they did! NO drugs, her cycle stopped and a year later she is almost regular (she is 15.5).

FOOD is always the answer drugs are not. My daughters (age 15 and 12) have the right breakfast every day(www.BestBreakfastEver.com), they take their vitamins (and not store bought ones, real ones) and they eat right. They are healthy, strong and brilliant. I would be glad to help if you had any other questions.

B.
Family Success Coach

It sound like a chemical imbalance. I would find a recommended homeopathic store (I can recommend one in Santa Monica if you want to take a ride and they are amazing). Talk to them about what is going on and I bet they can help!

Definitely see if exercising on a regular basis would help her out. Make sure she gets enough sleep (it took me years before I realized that I was a completely different person when I got less than 7 hours of sleep). Yoga might help as well; and I've also heard that there are natural herbs you can take to help (though I don't know what they are off the top of my head).

I know how she feels, I was the same way (and I sort of still am). I have been on the Pill for the past six years, and it's gotten slightly better, but not really. I PMS on and off for a full two weeks, and it's very frustrating. The week before my period I am moody, cranky, and tired; then the week of my period I am EXHAUSTED no matter how much sleep I get. If she's thinking about becoming sexually active, then it might be worth it to try the Pill, but if she's not, then I'd try other methods first before trying the pill. Good luck!

You've gotten good advice here.

I just wanted to add that since she's a teenager, I'm surprised she's happy even ONE week a month. Sometimes moodiness just goes with the age. My daughter snapped out of it right around when she turned 19.

I say put her on BC. Good diet, exercise, etc. can contribute to feeling better but when you have a hormonal imbalance, that won't help. I got on bc recently for the same reason, and yes, it has helped tremendously.

Don't do progesterone-only pills, those will make her feel worse.

I"m surprised not to see this thought here already but...could it be that the moodiness is not really PMS? It's hard to tell the difference between "moodiness" caused by premenstrual hormonal issues and moodiness caused by depression. Please consider having her screened for depression too; it may indeed be PMS but the same symptoms could apply to depression. It would be awful to treat it as just PMS if it turned out later that it was something else and could have been more successfully treated with a different regimen.

yes the birth control does help. When I was her age I was on muscle relaxers and pain killers so yes the birth control does make a big diffrence I was able to go off muscle relaxers and pain killers at that point. Mine was the week before and during.

Hi C.,

Feeling yucky during and before and after and even during ovulations is exacerbated by poor nutrition. If she is getting the nutrition she needs her body may not be absorbing it right. My first suggestion is to get her on a good absorbable multivitamin/mineral complex to jump start her system. I can suggest one if you like.

Other than that, exercise will help too. Regular runners hardly ever have any kind of pain or even discomfort during menses. Chiropractic care will help to if you're at the right office. (I've seen it help numerous times) I would recommend an upper cervical specialist that considers themselves a principled chiropractor. They understand the immune system and how the entire body works. If you don't have one or know one you can go to upcspine.com and find one in your area. Interview them as you would any doctor. If they don't think they can help you then they can't because they don't understand the neurlogical system the way they should.

Hope this helps!

M.

PS I just read a previous post of yours about your daughter. My husband had severe scoliosis as a teenager and it is completely gone. Get her to a chiropractor. If you need me to research your area I'll be glad to help. The right one can do wonders. Her scoliosis is kinking up her entire neurological system and things won't get better until you start working on that.

I had horrible cramps when every time I got my period from the beginning. Finally when I was 16 the doctor gave me birth control pills and it helped a lot. So the pills might help with her PMS. It's worth a try.

try bioflavnoids, they really helped me. you can find them at the health food store.

If you're up for trying this, I would do acupuncture. It's amazing. I actually started going when I was 31 for my allergies and it wound up getting rid of my PMS too. I haven't had PMS since then (I"m 48 now). My mother noticed within the first few months that I wasn't getting moody or irritable. She said it made me a different person.

Hope this helps! Good luck!