Should I see a doctor regarding my period?

You're not overreacting and this is a really common problem that a doctor should be able to help you with. In your teens periods are often very irregular until you finish going through the hormonal changes of puberty (some girls have this issue into their 20s) but if you are having very heavy bleeding (menorrhagia) you need to do something about it in the interim as otherwise you will develop anaemia (a low blood count). I'd suggest first port of call is to keep a period diary. There are a lot of apps that can help you do this. Write down any PMS symptoms and then how much you bleed. Is it spotting? Are you getting big clots? Has it flooded/leaked onto your clothes? Are you changing a soaked maxi pad every 2 hours or less? Keep it to show your doctor and tell your doctor if you are feeling tired/short of breath/dizzy too as these can be signs of a low blood count. Your doctor may want to do some blood tests to make sure that there are no other issues and if you are sexually active they may suggest that you are screened for infection.

Treatment options are not limited to contraception (although the combined pill and the junior Jayness coil are very effective) so if you're worried about starting hormones then you could try tranexamic acid when you're bleeding to lighten your flow.

A good family or sexual health doctor will talk through the risks and benefits of each of the treatments possible and then you can make an informed decision. The other comments are right in that you don't need an adult present to attend the doctor. You could try talking to your school nurse if you are struggling as he/she may be able to get you an appointment.

There are some good websites to help you think about the options in the mean time (sorry I'm UK based) http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/contraception-guide/Pages/contraception.aspx http://www.fpa.org.uk/ http://patient.info/health/heavy-periods-menorrhagia

Hope that helps.

/r/TheGirlSurvivalGuide Thread