Anonymous wrote:You could also try CBD oils. They do help with cramps and physical issues, but don't have the side affects that the pill has. The pill may be the best solution though.

Why give a 14 year old with a developing brain something that isn't regulated by the FDA and doesn't have research to back up its efficacy?

OP, you said it happens only some periods.

Is she constipated?

My cramps are always excruciating when I am less regular.

Before birth control I would try:

Daily multivitamin
anti-inflammatory meds a few days before
menstrual heat pad to wear - heat makes a huge difference for me. If I can get submerged in a hot bath ASAP, then I can usually avoid the vomiting from the pain.

At 18 I was put on a low hormone pill, but my reactions put me at risk for a heart attack or stroke. I was pulled off. My cousin died in her late 20's from a blood clot, shortly after a birth control change. Might be more of a family issue for us though, but I would try alternatives first to see if they worked.

After my first child this went away for years. In my 40's it is creeping back.

Acupuncture diet and yoga. Will help her in long run with this, body image, overall hormonal balance and mitigate infertility

I’m considering this for my teen dd also. She misses on average one school Day every month or two because she is throwing up and is in bed with cramps. She can’t take NSAIDs because she has chronic gastritis (inflamed stomach lining and ulcers). My hesitation is the blood clot risk.

My DD has PMDD. She started BC as a freshman. HUGE difference for her. She takes Seasonale so gets a period once every three months. Has made huge difference in her life.

Anonymous wrote:I had cramps like that and very heavy periods. Birth control pills helped enormously. I wish I'd had them earlier.

Me too. Just the same way too - not every period, just 3-4 times a year. Going on the pill in college made such a difference and if one of my daughters had the same issue I'd get her on the pill earlier.

Anonymous wrote:I had cramps like that and very heavy periods. Birth control pills helped enormously. I wish I'd had them earlier.

+1000.

I don't think bc pills are a bad idea. I missed a day or two each month for menstrual cramps. Things were way better when I started bc at 16.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went on BC when I was 14 and it helped me so much. I missed at least one day of school a month.

Another option is to start an anti-inflammatory drug like Motrin a couple of days before her period is supposed to start. My OBGYN made that suggestion when I went off the pill.

See the bold. This is what our ob/gyn suggested for teen DD and it was a huge help. If the periods are very, very irregular it's harder to do this, but otherwise, it can really help and it's a solution you don't have to remember every single day, day in and day out, indefinitely.

I agree with another PP who said: Why are the period cramps so severe only certain months and not every time? I'd look at what other factors may be part of this before starting BC. You and she and the doctor may be able to track down what's going on if there is something besides menstruation in play. Yes, absolutely and totally, BC can regulate periods and reduce or stop problems like cramps and I'm not denying that at all; however, BC does pump hormones into the body daily for years on end, and though the low-dose pills now in use are indeed much less than the older, high-dose pills, it's still giving a developing body a lot of very long-term hormones. Our ob/gyn says this -- it's not just me. I'm not anti-pill at all and was on them for decades but would not just put my DD on them unless the bleeding was severe and/or the pain debilitating and clearly tied to periods. Your DD's is clearly related to periods, but I'd still want to see if there were something else going on in conjunction with that.

It may be only during ovulatory cycles. Anovulatory cycles don't produce the same hormones, which can result in less severe or no cramping. Anovulatory cycles are common the first two years after a girl starts menstruating.

You could also try CBD oils. They do help with cramps and physical issues, but don't have the side affects that the pill has. The pill may be the best solution though.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18803452

RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS:
Potent prostaglandins and potent leukotrienes play an important role in generating primary dysmenorrhea symptoms. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most common pharmacologic treatment for dysmenorrhea. A loading dose of NSAIDs (typically twice the regular dose) should be used as initial treatment for dysmenorrhea, followed by a regular dose until symptoms abate. Adolescents and young adults with symptoms that do not respond to treatment with NSAIDs for three menstrual periods should be offered hormonal treatment such as combined estrogen/progestin oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) for three menstrual cycles. If dysmenorrhea does not improve within 6 months of treatment with NSAID and OCPs, a laparoscopy is indicated to look for endometriosis. The goal of pharmacological treatment for endometriosis is to block its abnormal positive feedback loop. The abnormal loop consists of high local levels of estrogen in the lesions, which induce transcription of COX-2 and synthesis of prostaglandin E(2.) This results in further expression and activity of aromatase and a further increase in estrogen.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IUD. Eliminates the need to remember to take a pill every day at the same time.

Oh god no. Way too traumatic for a 14 yo.

I agree. I've had IUDs and loved them, plan on getting one for my daughter at 18, but I think 14 is too young for the pain of insertion. And if there are any issues, it's not easily stopped like the pill. You can have it removed, but it's a doctor's visit, and you've just wasted a good bit of money (at least I did since insurance didn't cover mine).

I'd give the pills a try. If it's not having the effect you hoped for, she can simply stop taking them.

Anonymous wrote:I went on BC when I was 14 and it helped me so much. I missed at least one day of school a month.

Another option is to start an anti-inflammatory drug like Motrin a couple of days before her period is supposed to start. My OBGYN made that suggestion when I went off the pill.

See the bold. This is what our ob/gyn suggested for teen DD and it was a huge help. If the periods are very, very irregular it's harder to do this, but otherwise, it can really help and it's a solution you don't have to remember every single day, day in and day out, indefinitely.

I agree with another PP who said: Why are the period cramps so severe only certain months and not every time? I'd look at what other factors may be part of this before starting BC. You and she and the doctor may be able to track down what's going on if there is something besides menstruation in play. Yes, absolutely and totally, BC can regulate periods and reduce or stop problems like cramps and I'm not denying that at all; however, BC does pump hormones into the body daily for years on end, and though the low-dose pills now in use are indeed much less than the older, high-dose pills, it's still giving a developing body a lot of very long-term hormones. Our ob/gyn says this -- it's not just me. I'm not anti-pill at all and was on them for decades but would not just put my DD on them unless the bleeding was severe and/or the pain debilitating and clearly tied to periods. Your DD's is clearly related to periods, but I'd still want to see if there were something else going on in conjunction with that.

Anonymous wrote:I went on BC when I was 14 and it helped me so much. I missed at least one day of school a month.

Another option is to start an anti-inflammatory drug like Motrin a couple of days before her period is supposed to start. My OBGYN made that suggestion when I went off the pill.

My daughter's pediatrician made the same recommendation. If she has fairly regular periods, the day or two before she's likely to start have her start on pain reliever. That way she's not trying to get the pain under control, she's managing the pain before it begins.

My daughter has decided that's insufficient and she'll be talking to a gynecologist about birth control pills.