Worried about long periods

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-23-2008
Worried about long periods
5
Mon, 06-23-2008 - 6:03pm
hey, i dont know if many guys come in here but im worried about my girlfriend. shes 16, and her periods last 10-14 days. she said for a couple years her period stoped all together then about a year ago they started back up. she went to the doctor but they didn't do any tests or anything to find out what is actually going on. instead the doctor just said its from losing weight or something and prescribed her birth control pills to help even tho she has never had sex. her mom took her off these last october thus making her suffer through 2 week long periods. she has tried to talk to her mom but she wont listen because she thinks she just wants b control pills so she can have sex even tho we dont intend on it. she runs 6 miles almost daily and works out and does yoga, dont know if that can affect anything. what can cause this? and is it something to be seriously worried about?


Edited 6/23/2008 7:01 pm ET by sstch3x


Edited 6/24/2008 2:48 pm ET by sstch3x
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-26-2006
Mon, 06-23-2008 - 8:49pm

Hi there, and welcome to the board.

Good on you for being concerned about your girlfriend.

Because she is a runner and heavily into fitness she will have low levels of body fat, this quite often results in a loss of periods altogether. That said, if she isn't getting her periods regularly, and at random times, then this could be part of the reason why her periods are so heavy. Also, at 16, it is still reasonable to expect her periods to be irregular.

Nevertheless, I think she needs to see a doctor again to get checked out, just to be on the safe side. The pill might be the ideal option for her, but unless she can talk her mum into letting her go to the doctor about it, she will have to find some other means of doing so. Is there anyone else she knows that would be willing to take her?

 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-23-2008
Mon, 06-23-2008 - 9:52pm

ive offered to but can a teenager just make a appointment?


i dont even know how or what doctor to go to ...


and would we need to use our parent's insurance? because nothing is free, especially with doctors


thanks for your help, i read something like that when i tried to look this issue up but couldn't find any reasons to why her period would be 2 weeks long, all i could find was that if it is over a week to see a doctor. i told her to try and run less and see if it made a difference

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-23-2008
Thu, 06-26-2008 - 7:59pm
so does anyone know if it is something to be seriously worried about? like a emergency
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-26-2006
Thu, 06-26-2008 - 8:26pm

No, I wouldn't say it's an emergency at this point. Could very well just be an upset in hormones, or due to her running. If it gets worse, then yes, she would need to see a doctor. But if the long periods are bothering her, I recommend she see a doctor to sort it out.

What if she tries telling her Mum that her periods are long, and she wants to go back to the doctor to sort it out? If she doesn't mention the pill at all, she might just have more luck with it.

 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-03-2004
Thu, 06-26-2008 - 11:36pm
What about Planned Parenthood? I'm not sure if you have to have parental permission to get a RX for birth control or not, but I know that a lot of their services are free, or discounted depending on how much money you make. This way she could also get in to see a Dr. about her long periods if she's concerned. Is she having severe menstrual cramps along with them? Or does she experience dizziness or weakness? She could be anemic if she's losing a lot of blood, a simple blood test could rule that out....Hope everything turns out ok for you both:)