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[http://users.livejournal.com/kissed_/]

hi all... i'm new to the community. i have a question. i don't have an ob/gyn because i'm not 16 yet, and my mom says i don't need to go to one. i've had my period for about 4 years and for about 2 years it was regular, very light. the past year or so my periods have gotten REALLY heavy. on my heaviest days i end up having to change my regular tampons about every half hour. also for several months i had extreme pain, like to the point i couldn't move. now i don't get cramps anymore, but it's still really heavy. and for about a year i've been getting my periods twice a month regularly, both really heavy. sometimes i am irregular and a period will last for like 10 days.

is this bad? i am slightly underweight and i don't think it's like... right that i have so many or so heavy of periods. should i try to go to an ob/gyn anyways to get it checked out? thanks for any help you can give me.

Comments

[ladieophilia.livejournal.com]

I would consider it because it is always good to have the fact that your are okay reaffirmed or if you are not, knowing early. My guess is that you are just falling into the typical pace that most women fall into after a few years of flow. You may go on BC to help with the flow. Things to check into is natural herbs that are good for evening out cycles and flows. Something like Chaste Tree (Vitex). It is the natural "BC" not in that it protects against pregnancy, because it doesn't, but because it helps regulate your cycle and steadies your flow so that it is not so heavy all at once. Sometimes it even makes you flow lighter! I have heard that for most women it really helps with cramps. Things outside of that, with diet or vitamins, is potasium, vita b12, and iron. All three will help with that time, cramps and PMS, and all the times in between. It takes a few months for your body to even out but once it does, you will feel greatly happy. With starting a new diet, always talk to you GP or some doctor to make sure that it is not going to complicate anything else. Herbs does not mean that it is good for you but it something to consider.
Another thing that I can suggest for cost and a little bit more room in time is a mentral cup because they hold more than a tampon and they also are reusable, up to ten years, so you won't have to keep going to the drug store. I find mine to be a god send!

[ex-snowcanwa171.livejournal.com]

I would definitely go and see someone. I was 19 and underweight when I was finally diagnosed with stage III endometriosis, with cysts everywhere, which I had probably had for years. I just thought that my heavy periods and severe cramping were normal. If I had gone sooner, it probably could have been controlled with birth control pills - instead I had to have major surgery and hormone treatment.

Catching it early is definitely important, and even if it isn't endo, you may still be able to go BC to help you out with it.

Do go and see someone, and let us know how it goes. Good luck! xo

[viva-la-blondee.livejournal.com]

Dont let anyone tell you that age has to do with going to the gyno. Thats rediculous. People go to the gyno if their having any problems down south, or are just curious. Which in your case is necisary.

Good luck!

[delerium69.livejournal.com]

Are you still seeing a pediatrician every year? You should at least make an appointment with them to ask what to do. When I was your age I switched to an adolescent pediatrician which is even better for dealing reproductive issues. (She was actually the daugher of my childhood pediatrician - very handy.) I had horrible cramps every month and had to be dismissed from school because the pain was so terrible and it took bugging my doctor to find better drugs because my mother refused to believe I was having a problem and it was "all in my head." I think folks from older generations have a hard time believing young people can have problems with their reproductive organs.

Good luck!

[lileprechaun.livejournal.com]

I agree that you should go to a doctor. Other than that, make sure you're getting enough iron because with bleeding that heavy it is very possible that you're anemic. Anemia and periods are tricky because it's often a vicious cycle, where the heavy bleeding causes the anemia and yet the anemia causes the heavy bleeding.