Females: Your Period / Question
Published: May 23, 2001
Dear TeenHealthFX,
Is there something wrong with me? I'm 16 and going to be 17 in under a month. I started my period when I was 11 or 12 and at first it was very heavy and didn't last very long. As I got older I noticed that the time between each period was getting longer, and before I know it I'm 16 going on 17 and my periods have the space of 5-6 months between them, are extremely heavy, last much longer than a week, and cause a lot of pain (walking becomes painful sometimes), but the pain comes about a day after it starts. While all the girls I know say, "It's that time of the month" I say, "It's that time of the year". I've never had sex or anything related to sex. I don't know what's wrong.
Signed: Periods Heavy, Painful And Infrequent
Dear Periods Heavy, Painful And Infrequent,
TeenHealthFX thinks that an evaluation by an Adolescent Medicine doctor or a gynecologist (a specialist in women's reproductive health) is a good idea. They can assess your periods and after talking with you, help you to decide how to best treat the pain and infrequency of your periods.
There was a time that pain associated with periods was accepted as a fact of life. Now we know that the pain can be treated effectively with a variety of methods including medication, diet and exercise.
Usually, girls' periods become "regular" after about 1 to 2 years. Regular means that there is about the same amount of time in between each period. Also, each period will last about the same amount of time. Typically, the time between periods can be anywhere between 21 and 45 days. This means you can count on your period to come roughly every 3 to 6 weeks and last for about the same amount of time each month.
While menstruating every few months and heavily may be normal for you, by talking with your doctor you can discover if this pattern is, in fact, normal for you or if you need to be evaluated further. Many factors, such as amount of exercise or weight, play a role in regulating periods. Also, there are several medical conditions/illnesses that can cause period problems.
So make an appointment with an Adolescent Medicine doctor or a gynecologist to have your concern evaluated. If you live in the Northern New Jersey area, you can contact the Adolescent/Young Adult Center for Health at 973.889.6350 or Girl's Street - A Young Women's Health Program at 908.522.2555 for an evaluation.
Signed: TeenHealthFX
Adolescents are more likely than young adults to become dependent on prescription medications.
