My teen daughter has a heavy flow during her periods.She has stained many times during school hours.She is very inactive during her period days.Any advice as to what i can do for her as a mother?
Is she using pads or tampons? If pads, the ones with wings can help prevent staining; I've taken to using the "overnight" type all the time. If she's been using tampons she probably needs to use pads as well.
Ask her how often she's changing the pads/tampons. Especially the latter due to toxic shock risk.
Invest in some borax. 1/4 cup with a little detergent in a prewash and most of the time it comes out.
Have nothing more to add. The other ladies gave good suggestions.
I think you could take her to a GYN to discuss if there are any issues. It turns out I had endometriosis that contributed to my heavy flow and pain. (They may offer BC to help, but in my experience it doesn't help at all, just lets you sort of schedule when you have it so you don't get surprised.) But some things you can do at home:
1. On the first sign of her cycle, have her take an anti-inflammatory and keep it up for the first day. This helps reduce cramping and swelling. Reducing cramping and swelling can help prevent "gushes" that come out too fast for a pad or tampon to absorb.
2. Make sure she is getting plenty of iron. It is common for girls with heavy flow to get a bit anemic around this time. Dark chocolate, leafy greens, red meat are great sources of iron. Or a multi-vitamin. I used to faint during my heavy flow days from iron issues! Talk about embarassing! I once passed out in the girl's bathroom, and my sister's BF flipped when he heard a girl say I was passed out in there, ran in, carried me to the nurse, and the whole school found out I had monthly issues. :'( But he was a real hero and a favorite with the ladies after that!
3. Encourage her to keep hydrated. My GYN informed me that proper hydration actually helps keep the flow more steady and liquid-like, so it would absorb better. Dehydration leads to more "spurts" with cramps and it is harder for the pad to absorb, which leads to spillovers.
4. Encourage her to change her pads or tampons frequently. She may simply not be changing them enough. It is hard during school to "schedule" your changes, but she should be able to feel when her pad or tampon are full and she just needs to go get it done. I once had a teacher with a strict bathroom rule, and he was making life SO DIFFICULT. I wasn't a very shy girl, so when he told me I couldn't use the bathroom I got up and sat in his chair. He asked what I thought I was doing and I told him if I had to suffer bleeding on a chair, so would he! Well, he never gave me trouble again. Other phrases I was known to use: "The dam broke!" "I'm about to become a bio-hazard over here!" "I'm a teenage girl. Do you REALLY want all the details on why I have to use the bathroom at 1pm for 5 straight days a month?" Of course, I didn't resort to witty or snarky comments until after I tried to be respectful, but let's just say the male teachers in my school were NOT very nice. The female teachers had no issues letting me go when needed. I wouldn't advise ehr to be rude or snarky, but I WAS a teenage girl, and thought you might find some humorous!
5. Try different tampons and pads, and combinations. She may be buying a brand or absorbency that just won't work for her. I like the Kotex ones that don't have a plastic-like top. The whole top is cottony, so it absorbs super fast. Also have her try putting the pads in different locations. If she stains the front, place the pad more to the front. If she stains the back, move the next pad back a bit. My sister used to have to wedge them in her buttcrack! LOL She had a very round bum, and the pad wouldn't sit against her. I used to tease her mercilessly.
6. Encourage her to get up and walk around. If she's taking an anti-inflammatory the pain should go down some. Sitting or laying down, then having to get up, can create gushes because it will pool a bit. She should try to wake up early enough in the morning and walk around or shower so it has time to let the pooling drain. Then from time to time (when possible, I know it wont' always work with school) she should try to get up and take a small walk. Walking can help relieve cramps, prevent pooling, and increase her energy some.
SDS was doing this as well. After speaking with her mother, we got her tampons to wear but also got pantyliners and some light pads to wear. I also have horribly heavy periods and have to use super tampons and pantyliners and even then have to change out tampons every 2-3 hours during my worst days.
First I would rule out any medical issues. My daughters Dr recomended drinking plenty of fluids leading up to and during a cycle, also taking anti inflamatories to help. She tried this last mo and seemed to lighten the flow a bit. I also get her overnight pads to wear during the heavy days (she dosent wear tampons yet @ 14)
Daughters best friend bullying her, gonna kick her butt
- sarah449
on Mar. 1, 2013 at 2:22 AM