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First Period and Crohn's??

C

Chantel

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Hi there guys! My daughter is a little sad and is 12. She was diagnosed at 10 or 11 with Crohns. She was noticing her friends starting to get their periods and she's been wondering when you'll get your period if you crohns?
 
UnXmas

UnXmas

At 12, she doesn't need to be worried if her periods haven't started yet. However, any kind of physical stress can stop menstruation, as can weight loss, which can occur with Crohn's. Even if she is not losing weight, if she is not gaining weight as fast as expected at her age, that could prevent her periods starting. Another factor may be medications.

Check her BMI is healthy, and keep track of her growth in height and weight to make sure she is within normal ranges, and monitor for other signs of puberty. As long as her weight and growth are ok, don't worry if her periods don't start for a few years yet. Check with her doctors about whether her medications can affect puberty.

Just try to keep her as healthy as possible, but Crohn's does not usually prevent periods from starting. Even if she starts later than her friends, it's probably not because of Crohn's. She is still very young!
 
SupportiveMom

SupportiveMom

My kid was diagnosed at 12, before she got her period. For the 1st year she struggled with growth and delayed puberty a bit. Is she showing other signs of puberty (hair growth, breast growth)? If these are appearing the period will come. If not talk to your pediatrician. He/she should be tracking her growth & crohns certainly causes some growth delays, and in some cases like height, stops growth.

Chances are once her meds regulate, her disease is under control puberty will appear. I know its hard for kids to be on the late side of things with this. This is the age of comparing everything with your peers and it relates to self esteem.

In the end, my teen was about 8 months later than her sister was, about 1 year later than I was. Still within normal range.
 
SupportiveMom

SupportiveMom

UnXmas it is amazing how young the girls get it now. 10-11 is now becoming common. Its scary! When I was a kid 12 was young when I got it. My teens peers all seemed to get it right in the 11-13 range. Scary these kids grow up too fast!
 
UnXmas

UnXmas

SupportiveMom said:
UnXmas it is amazing how young the girls get it now. 10-11 is now becoming common. Its scary! When I was a kid 12 was young when I got it. My teens peers all seemed to get it right in the 11-13 range. Scary these kids grow up too fast!
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That is scary. I was always told 13 - 14 was average, and that you shouldn't worry until you're 16 (which was when I started worrying because I hadn't started). I knew one girl who started at 11, and the rest of us were quite shocked by that. And this wasn't even that long ago!
 
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