Michaela had her first period about twelve weeks ago. She does not seem to be a heavy-flow type, at least, not yet. There are a couple of things that we’re wondering about, and unfortunately kaylasmom says she has very little recollection of the conditions under which she began menstruating some forty-three years ago (she stopped about three years ago).
I know that approximately four weeks is standard, but Michaela’s periods have been about six weeks apart. For how many more cycles should we consider this fact to be non-worrisome?
Her periods don’t seem to last very long at all. The one she began yesterday appears to be over already, and used up two sanitary pads (at the most). Do any parents with newly or recently menstruating daughters know how long it is typical to wait before she has three-to-five day periods?
For completeness, the began her first period about six weeks before her twelfth birthday.
My periods were crah-zay for the first couple of years or so. They’d start two weeks after they stopped, and then six weeks after they stopped, they’d be light, they’d be heavy… it was extremely unpredictable.
That being said, I’d run this past your family doctor as well. If nothing else, she/he might be able to provide some reassurance that it’s all normal.
Jeez, my spouse says she went all through high school with whacky alternating periods – two weeks and then four weeks, and then something else. She said she was relieved to get on The Pill so she could have predictable cycles. She’s apparently at the far end of some bell curve of women’s cycles.
I guess its different for everyone. Don’t stress out, I’m sure it’ll settle down eventually.
As someone who had completely wacky periods always, I would say don’t worry ever. I think I was a little concerned on a couple of occasions but mostly I had a lot more things to think about, and thinking about periods was always pretty low on my list. If she’s due for a checkup and is concerned, by all means ask. But the main thing about reproductive health is if it’s there when it counts, which is some years in the future for her.
My first and second were something like six weeks apart but they quickly settled into a normal, predictable pattern, and that made me slightly unusual amongst my friends. Erratic cycles are common for the first year or two.
While regular cycles are common, by no means is every girl the same. Some girls/women never become regular. Some become regular on a cycle other than every 28 days.
The best thing is to have her mark a calendar at the start and end of each menses. Over time a pattern is likely to emerge.
Good luck.
(You know, she may now become a monster for a few days a month. Try to stay cool and weather the storm as well as possible. She can’t really help it.)
It may take months. My cycle wasn’t anything like regular for the first six-eight months. There seemed to be link between achieving regularity and, uh, inceased output from then on too.
Mine have been at nearly 5 week intervals for, oh, 33 years now. Some women run long. As long as there is nothing else amiss it’s not a problem. On the other hand, her cycles may shorten up in the next couple years, too.
As for regularity - I started off like clockwork, completely regular from the get-go. Other women have irregular intervals all their reproductive life. Neither is inherently wrong, it’s just human variation.
If there’s nothing else amiss - no excessive bleeding or pain - ask the doc at her next check-up if everything is OK (which it most likely is) for some reassurance.
Is your daughter aware that the specifics of her menstrual cycle have been posted on the internet? Does she care? And also, has she shared with you personally all this information, or have you gotten it second-hand from her mom?
I’m really not trying to be a dick, or suggest that you’re out of line, or anything like that. I’m just either a) amazed at the closeness of your relationship with your daughter if she tells you this stuff AND doesn’t mind that you put it on the 'net, or b) fearful that you’re going to get an earful if and when she finds out about this.
Anywhere between 3 weeks and 6 weeks is a normal cycle.
Anywhere between 1 and 7 days is a normal period.
5 days for a period and 28 days for a cycle are AVERAGE, normal is different to average.
Teenage girls aren’t ovulating regularly for the first few months and tend to have short, irregular and relatively painless periods. It can take years to get into a regular pattern. Don’t worry unless you go 12 weeks without a period, in the meantime, keep a diary and carry pads, spare undies amd painkillers at all times.
Eventually things will either settle down into regularity, or you’ll start to realise what your own warning signs are (vivid dreams, bloating, angry outbursts, chocolate cravings, sore boobs etc).
When my body is on its own clock I have 24 day cycles with 7 day periods,and hellacious cramps…is it any wonder I haven’t let that happen since I was 16?
Thanks to all who have responded. For the record, all three of us did discuss methods of getting expert information from multiple sources, and Michaela is perfectly fine with the fact that I come to the SDMB for occasional assistance.
And, yes I’m familiar already with Michaela-on-PMS (which is quite different than kaylasmom-on-PMS used to be). Hot stock tip: buy whatever company it is that markets Pamprin.
Decided to respond because no other posted experience was similar to mine. I had my first menses about 3 months after my 12th birthday … and then not another one for a year! But when I started back, I was as regular as clockwork - 21 days off, 7 days on, heavy flow for most of it. I started using the Pill when I was 21, and it gave me easier periods.
Good luck to all three of you, as you cope with her new status.
Interesting that many people can remember exactly how old they were. I have been asked by gynecologists how old I was when I got my first period: When I can’t remember if I was 12 or 13, they look at me as if I am brain-dead. I can’t remember, and I didn’t think it was that important. Apparently it has a great deal to do with your risk for certain types of cancer. I am sorry I can’t answer the question, but I didn’t keep a diary! Jeez!
I got mine shortly after turning 11. I kept it plotted on a calendar and it was pretty regular… 7-9 days on, then 3 weeks off. I also had horrible, horrible cramps and a very heavy flow. When I got on the pill at 18 my whole universe changed for the better.
Not everyone ever gets a regular period, some get it right away. So far you say that her periods are short and light–for her sake I hope they stay that way! However if she ends up getting really long periods like I did, or if she regularly experiences such bad cramping that she can’t do activities (I would frequently be unable to walk) I really recommend putting her on the pill, even if she’s really young. It seems creepy, but the clockwork regularity is a relief, and for a lot of girls it also relieves the pain. Again–hopefully this advice will never be needed, but I knew a number of girls when I was in jr. high and high school who suffered like I did and whose parents (including mine) would never have allowed the pill. To this day I could hit them over the head with a frying pan for putting me through all of that when it could so easily have been solved.
Once she has a few regular periods, I think you should parachute into her bedroom wearing a flight jacket and carrying a banner that reads: Mission Accomplished!
Seriously, why don’t you discuss this with her doctor the next time you take her in for a check-up? That would seem to be the right thing to do rather than to ask for medical advice on a MB.
The longer your exposure to estrogen, the higher your risk of breast cancer. This is essentially from menarche to menopause and excludes pregnancies.
Early menarche, late menopause, and nulliparity (never becoming pregnant) all increase the time of estrogen exposure, so they are all risk factors for breast cancer. But neither age 12 or 13 is considered early.
I started using the Pill when I was 21, and it gave me easier periods.