I am the father of a 14 year old,Her period is extremely heavy.Is this norm at this age?

Question

A tampon,mixi pad,liner,underware,pants.Its like this for the first 3-4 days.Sounds like to much blood loss to me.Once again is this normal?
Thanks,
Concerned Dad

Answer 1

Almost every woman at some time in her reproductive life experiences heavy bleeding during her menstrual period. Some women have heavy periods almost every cycle. Menorrhagia is the medical term for excessive or prolonged menstrual bleeding or both. The condition is also known as hypermenorrhea.

The menstrual cycle isn't the same for every woman. Normal menstrual flow occurs about every 28 days, lasts four to five days and produces a total blood loss of 60 to 250 milliliters (4 tablespoons to about 1 cup). Your period may be regular or irregular, light or heavy, painful or pain-free, long or short and still be considered normal.

Although heavy menstrual bleeding is a common concern among premenopausal women, only a few women experience blood loss severe enough to be defined as menorrhagia.

Answer 2

First let me commend you on being an involved and concerned Dad, especially in the area where most men flinch and run (sorry guys but it's true!)

Second, let me just say that most girls when then first begin their menstrual cycles around this age frame experience heavy flows for the first 3-5 days. Most girls also experience a cycle that lasts about a week as well. This can include not only the heavy flow, but really strong/painful cramps as well.

Third, and most importantly, if she is going through a MAXI (not mini..wasn't sure which you meant) pad, a tampon AND a liner into her underwear that is excessively heavy and can be a sign of serious problems. The best thing that you can do is get an appointment for your daughter with an ob/gyn. It may sound difficult to hear, but the doctor can prescribe birth contrrol pills that can lessen the flow and cramps that she is dealing with.
Please make sure that you get her into a doctor because heavy/excessive bleeding can lead to anemia which can cause fatigue and affect her daily activities and leave her extremely run down.

again...thanks for being an impressively involved Dad!

Answer 3

Hi Concerned Dad!
It does sound a bit excessive...I started when I was 10 and by the time I was 14, I experienced a very heavy flow. A lot of what determines how a young lady's period flows (pun intended) is heredity. If you are able, ask her mother about her 'womanly' history. If things check out okay over there and everything's normal, she could have inherited this from your side of the family. (Believe it or not! It happens.)
If the heavy flow is coupled with extreme symptoms of PMS - moodiness, cramps, cravings, tears, etc. - I think she would benefit from being...on...(are you sitting down?)...birth control. I know that you probably don't want to hear that. I wish I would have started the pill earlier in life. It would have relieved a lot of my symptoms. Just b/c she's young doesn't mean her problems are small. She could be struggling tremendously with this.
My overall suggestion is that you should probably take her to the doctor.
Good luck! :-)

Answer 4

Are you a single parent? That is very sweet of you to be so concerned about your daughter like this. That does seem very heavy. Is she using the right size tampon? Maybe she needs a bigger size, and how often is she changing them?

If you are a dad with no wife around to discuss this with, of course being a guy any blood seems like a lot. If there is indeed a wife around I'd take her opinion. If not, I'd have a female friend, aunt or someone close to your daughter assess the amount to see if it's really too much before sending her to the ob/gyn. At that age, a trip to the doctor would be a stressful event for what turn out to be a normal variation of her menses. If it's decided that it's too much, then make the appt, see if the trusted adult female can accompany her on her visit so she's not embarrassed around her dad talking about periods, etc.

Answer 5

Every woman is different. A general rule of thumb is that it's normal for a woman to go through a maxi pad or super tampon every 3-4 hours during the first 1-3 days of her period. If you are truly concerned, schedule an appointment for your daughter with her OBGYN so that she can have a checkup and talk privately with her doctor about any concerns.

Answer 6

When I first started in 7th grade, mine was extremely heavy, and now a couple of years later, im totally fine and on schedule. Every woman is different, and with her age, she's probably just starting, and when you first start, EVERYTHING goes out of wack. Some women just have really heavy periods, some have really light periods, and some have light AND heavy periods. Not to worry! And i would probably leave your daughter's functions to your wife to be concerned about. (unless you're a single parent, in which, thats very sweet for you to be worried!)
: )

Answer 7

Yes alot of blood loss is normal for some girls, if you're really concerned you should consult her doctor.