DD14 doesn't feel good when she eats (during her period)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD is 14 and she's been getting her period for two+ years. She sometimes gets terrible stomach aches, especially when she has her period. But they don't seem like cramps, or just cramps, it seems like a gastro issue. When she feels like this, if she eats, it's a lot worse. So she just won't eat. And she's a very active kid so obviously that worries me. This also happens when she is not on her period, but less frequently. I convinced her to take one adult tylenol and she said it helped her feel better "for like 15 minutes." Any ideas, advice? I haven't experienced this so I appreciate your thoughts.

Maybe clean up her diet and work on food choices. Could be too many carbs.

She's a pretty healthy eater but reducing carbs is worth trying. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

I'm going to zag and suggest a different POV ...

I think you should try not to pathologize this too much. She's going to have her period for a LONG time. It's worth telling her that there are certain aspects that she will just have to get used to. She can experiment with what foods make her feel better or worse, but it's not OK to stop eating for two days every time you have your period.

I agree with keeping her meals light and nutritious. And of course, she should take whatever pain relief you deem appropriate.

But I think with girls, sometimes anxiety over food snowballs very quickly. It's OK to acknowledge not feeling perfect while still encouraging her to figure out ways to work through it.

[Anonymous]

I don't know why I waited for so long to see a gastroenterologist for my not-that-severe digestive issues. She may benefit from a visit. They can check for celiac, gut infections like h pylori, etc. that you may have never suspected.

My GI has actually been the most comprehensive dr I have found. Example: my iron was too high after supplementing but my ferritin was still too slow (iron wasn't initially tested by GI. Other Dr just told me to cut down on how much iron I take but never wondered why I couldn't absorb it properly).

I told GI this (high iron but low ferritin, which suggests low adsorption). They immediately put in a lab request to have my iron tested again in a few months plus other inflammatory markers to monitor.