10 year old and period

doteen

My 10 year old daughter got her first period on 1st August. She got an UTI in April and another end of July before the period kicked off, so she has gone through quite a bit all over the summer on top of lockdown etc.
I was surprised to be honest as she is so young but doctor said it's very common now for 10 year olds to get them. She told me to keep a diary of when she'd get them as there probably would be no pattern yet with them.

Her first period lasted about 6 days on and off. She bled then again for about three days
about 16 days later.

Then she got her period again about 12 days later which was last Friday the 28th August two days after starting school and she still has it and it's day 7. She could go for hours without anything then every few hours she gets cramps and bleeds. She could go through a pad every hour then for a few hours and then nothing.

She is not bothered at all and feels very grown up of course that she has them. But when she bleeds the blood goes all along the pad from front to back and can go on the underwear. It doesn't go through the pad as in only goes past the first layer if that makes sense. So it's not v heavy but spreads out mad when she bleeds. She told me she changed her pad 7 times today in school as she got the cramps then it covered and she changed. It seems to all come together at times for so many hours and then nothing maybe for the rest of the evening until the following morning and off again. The cramps are not bad she says.

Also the blood has a sweet smell to it, and it's not the pad smell, it's the blood.

Just wondering is this all normal at her age? Is the smell normal?

She is grand out about it. I often hear that when girls get their periods first there is no pattern.

I just thought she'd get them and they'd go away for a month or more but no.
Any advice would be great as I don't remember of course when I got mine but I know was about 12 maybe 13 and not 10 years.

I'd love some advice for those of ye going through this with your daughters or who have already.
Thanks.

mvl

suggesting to check with your GP or consultant.

for managing it better, have you tried looking into period pants ?

Tork

I don't like the sound of her needing to change her pads that often. It sounds more like flooding than just a normal heavy flow and that's something better being checked out by the doctor.

Pipmae

These might make her life easier.

https://eu.modibodi.com/

Dial Hard

I was 11 when I got my period and that was 27 years ago so I wouldn't think 10 is particularly young. They're triggered when girls reach a certain weight and body fat% combination and the age at which girls reach that has been decreasing steadily for quite some time due to improved nutrition.

If her flow is that heavy it mightn't be a bad idea to get her checked, as others have said, but it might also be that the pads she's wearing just don't suit her and she's getting leaks because the pads are ill-fitting rather than because they're full. Maybe try a few different makes, shapes and sizes.

lucalux

I started at 11 too and mine were very irregular and heavy with spotting in between.

Period pants would have been a godsend in school as pads didn't always fit well or scrunched up, and I would also get flooding. Tampons have always been impossible for me.

Once she's chill about it you're doing well. I use a period tracker, maybe she would like to use one to keep track of her cycles and see when it might be coming if possible...and it would help you to give the right info to the GP should you need to, depending on any worries you have now.

I've used the 'Clue' app since it launched, it's free and I find it great

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

Dial Hard wrote: »

I was 11 when I got my period and that was 27 years ago so I wouldn't think 10 is particularly young. They're triggered when girls reach a certain weight and body fat% combination and the age at which girls reach that has been decreasing steadily for quite some time due to improved nutrition.

If her flow is that heavy it mightn't be a bad idea to get her checked, as others have said, but it might also be that the pads she's wearing just don't suit her and she's getting leaks because the pads are ill-fitting rather than because they're full. Maybe try a few different makes, shapes and sizes.

That’s really interesting. I didn’t know that! I was 11 too. I was a slip of a thing at that age so is it an optimal weight/body fat percentage combination, rather than, say, having above average body fat?

Dial Hard

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts wrote: »

That’s really interesting. I didn’t know that! I was 11 too. I was a slip of a thing at that age so is it an optimal weight/body fat percentage combination, rather than, say, having above average body fat?

Yep, it's basically reaching 17% body fat (which is actually quite low) that triggers it. Obviously there are other factors involved (one being weight, which isn't as clearly understood yet) and a genetic element to it it too, but that's the main one.

It is actually really interesting to read about, some links if anyone wants to:

Body weight and the initial onset of puberty - National Library of Medicine
Genes link puberty timing to body fat in women - Science Daily