11 Y/o Daughter Complaining of Cramps

It could be bowel issues. My son needed to take first Miralax and now is on Fiberall. It really helped. The stomach pain was crippling and now bothers him much less or most days not at all. Doesn't taste bad. D. G

Welcome her with loving arms into womanhood.

Hi yes this could very well be the start of her cycle. The hormones can sometimes start at age 9 but age 11-13 are the average time for a girl to get her monthly. Pay attention when she is complaining about the cramps and your own cycle they will try and be on the same cycle. My daughter is 16 and her cycle is making mine come early or late. The female body tends to try to regulate the cycles close together or the same. Before a young girl first gets her period she can have symptoms of the flu then get it the next day. If it is her cycle try banana's they help take the cramps away. Or
Did your daughter pull any muscles it can be painful. Have you spoken to your daughter is there anything bothering her? Kids say mommy my tummy hurts when something is bothering them (stress). Is she regular in the bathroom? Try lots of water and prunes it could help to empty her system if she is constipated. Different things to find out about your daughter. Good luck.
Patti

there are several homeopathic remedies for cramp, but the use of each one depends on symptoms not mentioned in the e-mail i.e. does she "bend double", does she draw legs to chest, does the area feels better for warm or for cool applications etc. it can be somethig as easy as Mag Phos or something not as widely used. depending you your medical outlook she may also benefit from any other energy medicine.
Good Luck with the material medical approach as well!
V.

I started my period at that age and so did my mother. Maybe she's headed that way.

Sounds like it but like someone else said, it could be constipation, block bowels, so I would have a doctor checked it out.

PLEASE, do not get the Gardasil shots that they will try to give. These shots have been having many side effects with many of them permanent. Do the research and if you need me to forward some onto you, just ask.

The Gardasil vaccines is suppose to protect against only 4 of the more than 90 strains of the virus of which your own immune system will take care of the virus on it's own in at least 90% of the time. To catch the cervical cancer that they claim is caused by the HPV virus (which is not proven yet), get a yearly pap smear, to catch the 10% of the time it is not healed by your own body.

The vaccine is good for only 5 years, injects a tremendous amount of aluminum and they are finding a connection to girls with any type of allergies in the FAMILY having more severe reactions. Seizures, chronic fatigue,gential warts, Epstein Barr /mono, lethargic, paralysis, and death have been some of the symptoms.

btw - my daughter started her period at 11 1/2. She is turning 13 this week and I am very proud of how well she has adapted to her monthly cycle. Now if we could only get a handle on those moods!

My daughter experiences a lot of cramps--especially during exercise. I took her to the dr. and it is digestive related. She doesn't eat enough fiber. (I give it to her, but she doesn't eat it). Does your daughter get enough fiber? Is she regular? Does she eat healthy, or junk?
Also, a friend of mine who is a dr. told me that a girl begins to develop breasts and pubic hair before starting the period.

It could be the beginning. I would get her in immediately because it sounds very serious. That shouldn't be happening and I am not a Dr. plus it could turn into something worse. C. M.

I would have her checked out for a back up, like Jennifer's daughter had. But I would bet that Aunt Flo is on her way to make her monthly visit.

It sounds like she is about to start her period. Some girls start as young as 10. But if your really concerned you should probably take her to a doctor. Just in case it could be a bladder infection which can cause side pains. Hope you get good advice. Sandy

Hi this happened to my 10 yr old niece and she actually had blocked bowels - the drs did an x-ray and prescribed Miralax (?) - some sort of fiber powder to help her "go"

Did anyone read that it has been going on for about two weeks? Menstrual cramps??? I doubt it. Sounds like something else is wrong. Getting cramping after exercise isn't a symptom on a period. Any discharge?
hope your doctors appointment gives you some answers. If you feel that more testing could be done, please don't be afraid to open your mouth. Doctors tend to be lazy.
Good luck to you.

well i know when i was about that age i had the same problems but it turned out it was my period like a few days after that happened and i was hitting puberty

Hi there,
my daughter starting cramping at about 11 or so, she turned 12 in April. This is the beginning sings of mentruation. I have given her motrin, seems to help you can also give her midol or pampring, but the one without caffeine, if you wish. this one has helped her more with her cramping. My daughter also tells me that the cramping is worse during PE. I don't know for how much longer she'll be cramping before her period starts, but it's been almost a year. I do remember cramping alot before I started mine, but can't recall for how long. I hope this helps.

Dear V S: my daughter started her menses at age 11, so if this is something that is going to happen soon with your daughter I suggest you and her go to a Mom and daughter class given by perhaps St. Joseph's or a community center in your area.
To address you question of cramps, please go to Mother's Kitchen or a Health Food store and buy Dom Quai, it is excellent, along with that some Flexseed oil caps will also do wonder for her and you as well.
The best to you both
I.

first off i want to start by reminding everyone that starting your period is NOT the beginning of puberty, puberty starts WAY before your period does. usually a few years, your period is one of that LAST things to show up.

some signs of puberty are:

growing really fast
getting breasts
growing body hair
a more "womanly" shape
increased sweating
oily skin and hair
"discharge"

all these usually come before the actual period

by the sound of the cramps, it might be pretty intense, i remember my first period i keeled over in pain from the cramps! after the first one though the pain died down considerably. or maybe i got used to it.

though cramping is usually a sign of low potassium levels, seeing as how it is in her abdomen and not her extremities, it sounds more like it has to do with her menstrual cycle.

however, please take her to the doctor as soon as you can and they can examine or ex ray to make sure it isnt something more serious!

At the end of my 5th grade year when I was 11 I was out of school for 2 weeks due to these cramps. I went to the emergency room 2 times as mine seem to give me the most problems at night. What fun! 3 months later I "became a woman." I know of several other women who did the samr thing. Do check it out with a doc just in case and get her and yourself ready. Its tough having to deal with this when you are really young. I remember feeling embarassed because I was the only one of my friends that young. Make sure you start talking about it. (when it happend my dad gave me a little coming of age thing. I dont remember what it was but i remember the gesture. make it special) good luck!

Sure it could be the beginning of it, but usually the menses is seen after breasts begin to bud and hair develops. Have you noticed any of that? Oilier skin? Another thing that pops in my mind is growing pains. Some people say they don't exist, but others do. 2 weeks seems to be a bit much for menstrual and because she says it's worse with physical activity I am suspecting her joints/muscles more than menstrual.

This happened to my 9 yr old. Cramps on & off throughout the day for over 2 weeks, with it slowly getting worse. When I took her into the doctor, they did X-rays. Turns out her pipes were backed up! She had been eating the same amount of fruits & veggies as she normally did, but it wasn't enough. Whew, right? At first we had to give her fiber in a glass, you know, the kind of powder ones you mix with water. Now we have no problems because she eats TONS of veggies, fruits, & high fiber foods. I told her, you don't want those cramps to come back, do you? Now it's a non-issue. Make sure the doctor does an x-ray & good luck!

My daughter is the same age (turns 12 in February) and a couple of months ago she suddenly turned really mean and cranky (unlike herself)...sure enough a few days later she started her period. So, I think it's likely this is the same with your daughter. Still, it's probably a good idea that you called your doctor. It's odd that the cramping gets worse during physical activity.

After reading the response from Arlyn S, it also made me think that you might want to ask your daughter if she is having a problem with bullying. I volunteer at my daughter's school once a week, and the girls, in particular can be something awful about being bullies at this age. Especially at P.E., as I remember from middle school, there is more opportunity for bullying in P.E. than in the classroom

I started my period at 10 before any boobs or hair down there came around. Luckily, my mom had talked to me when I was 8, so I knew what was coming.

If it's not that, it could be a hernia, too.

Hi,

I'm a middle school teacher. Your daughter's cramps maybe related to hormonal changes in puberty, but it might be caused by outside factors. Is she worried about something? Is someone bothering her at school. I see it everyday with my students that when they have a problem home-related, school-related, etc., it sometimes manifest into a physical illness. Because if it is her period, exercise should help relieve the cramps. If it's happening during soccer, is she enjoying soccer? Does she want to be there? Does she have friends? If it's happening during P.E., does she want to be in P.E.? Are the activities (like running the mile) too difficult for her? Is she being bullied in anyway?

If the cramping continues, you may want to take her to the doctors. But try to also investigate if the cramping is caused by emotional factors or outside stress.

Well, duh, don't you think it's her period? I had terrible period cramps when I was in middle school. They told me, wait, it will be so much easier after you've had your first baby. That didn't happen until 25 years later! I used to go lay down in the nurses office until someone could come and pick me up. I even fainted sometimes. Ah, so glad to be menopausal. Good luck, I think it's time for THE TALK, if you haven't had it yet.

Hi VS,

If you haven't had the "period" talk with your daughter I would and soon. I was in fourth grade and nine years old when mine started. Obviously I had no curves or any other indicator. I was scared to death because my mom had not explained anything to me yet. Of course I do not blame her because who would have thought one could start so young.

Every now and then, I hear of someone else who has started as young as I have. I guess some of us are luckier than others- LOL :)

Knowledge is power so even if you give your daughter just the basics she will not be caught off guard if she starts her period. Puberty can happen sooner than you think.

Good Luck

C.

Hi! My 11 year old( just turned 4/22) daughther has been complaining of cramps since December and I figured it was puberty and sure enough it was. She got her first period on 5/4. When she started having these cramps we talked about periods and "girl stuff" and now she knows why. She only had bleeding for two days but I'm sure that is what is was. Good luck with this.

i have a friend who's daughter just went thro the same experience. She took her daughter to the doctor, they basicly blew it off as nothing. It is now a year later and she is scheduled for surgery next week due to a cysit the size of a golf ball in her abdomen. The doctor didnt think any thing of it because it is rare for girls this age to experience this. She is 14. It started with cramps. I hope that I didnt scare you, but all possiblities need to be explored. If this had been caught sooner she wouldnt have to experience the trama of surgery.
Good luck to you and your daughter

Besides looking into the physical issue, you might ask if anything else happened at school or during soccer practice that would make her want to skip practices, i.e., did she have an argument with a teammate?

db

One lady commented before about getting enough fiber. That might help (it would help all of us) but your daughter might also be lactose-intolerant. I did not realize I was LI until I was in high school, but once I did I noticed how if I ate ice cream before I went to bed, I would have cramps in the morning. If I had cereal with milk for breakfast, I would be cramping by lunchtime. Try removing all dairy for a couple of days and see if she responds positively. When you reintroduce it, she will learn how much she can take. For example, I only drink lactose-free milk. (Ralph's carries an organic 1% called Organic Valley. Otherwise you can find Horizon 2% and fat-free and Lactaid brand at other stores) but I can eat most cheeses without any problems. Yogurt is okay for me as long as I don't have cottage cheese later or vice-versa. Studies show that most Latinos are lactose-intolerant as are most nationalities that don't rely on farming cows. Puberty can change one's tolerances to certain foods. It probably is a combo of PMS and food intolerance. Good luck!