home links bulletin board about what now? make a comment
Help me please Asks...
Well i am going on holiday at the end of this week to a holiday village and there will be lots of fun water activities to do but i am due to start my period while on holiday and im worried about what to do. Do you have any advice?
What we suggest...
Hi 'help me please'.
Many thanks for contacting us with your enquiry. We understand that you are going on holiday and will be taking part in lots of activities but are worried as will be due to start your period on your holiday.
There are ways that you can actually delay your period coming on when you're on holiday but it is always advisable to seek medical advice first from your GP before doing this.
The most obvious way is through the contraceptive pill. We are unsure whether you are taking that at the moment or not. If you are already taking the contraceptive pill then it is much simpler to avoid a period at the due time. This is achieved by taking one packet back to back with another one. Realistically however the pill would really need to be started one to two months before necessary, to be really effective.
If you not on the contraceptive pill then the doctor may prescribe you this but this is generally prescribed for people who are or who are about to become sexually active or for those who have long, painful, heavy periods. Also if you were prescribed it then it may take a few months for your cycle to adjust so it may not keep your period away on the days you want there to be no bleeding. There are many advantages and disadvantages of taking the pill. You can look up more information on the different types of pill on www.netdoctor.co.uk or alternatively discuss the information with your doctor.
However you tell us in your email that you are about to go on holiday at the end of this week and this is when your period is likely to be due so there is not a lot of time to change things. However your doctor can prescribe you a treatment (which is not available over the counter) called norethisterone which will stop your period. It's to be taken three times a day, starting just before you are due and can be taken for as long as you want the period to be delayed for. Once you stop taking the treatment your period will begin. Both the pill and the norethisterone are available on the NHS but as we've stated, the pill really needs to be started much earlier. For more information on norethisterone you can also go to www.netdoctor.co.uk
However we will point out that both the contraceptive pill and norethisterone aren't prescribed for people who are going on holiday and don't want to have a period whilst there. They are generally prescribed for people with varying different health problems or as a form of contraception to help stop pregnancy. Therefore you may not be prescribed either by the doctor.
If it does result in you having your periods whilst on holiday, don't worry, once you have thought about the practical side of things you can still carry on with the holiday as you were before.
You mention that you will be participating in lots of water activities. If you do come on your period whilst doing them don't worry, there are many products on the market now that are so discreet no one else will ever know. Firstly you can use tampons as they are small enough to go inside you to collect the blood and are not visible to the naked eye. Alternatively if you are use to wearing sanitary towels then you can buy ones that are not as big or padded so less obvious. Pad/towels are now very thin, so no-one can tell if you're wearing one. They are also hygienic, and don't leak, as long as you change them regularly. These days they also come in a variety of forms - with wings (small adhesive flaps which help the pads stay in place in your pants), ultra thin (for day wear) and ultra absorbent (for night wear). Basically, you don't have to buy lots of different types, for different days, just experiment until you find a pad which suits you. Both tampons and sanitary towels can be bought at your local supermarket or chemist.
Therefore if you are going to wear a bikini or a swimsuit either a sanitary towel or a tampon can be used although some do claim that tampons are still better for discreetness. The same goes for evening wear - even if you are wearing something a bit more revealing either form of protection can be used. For further information on periods, sanitary towels and tampons go to:
www.likeitis.org/periods
You don't mention if your periods are heavy or normal? Usually at age 14 periods aren't a problem in terms of being heavy especially if you only started your period a few months ago or few years. However if you know your period is more heavy on one day than another perhaps try and plan other things to do that day such as walking or visiting other places if you are going to be self - conscious or make sure you regularly change the tampon / sanitary towel.
When women have periods they often have other symptoms such as cramping in the stomach or back - ache, sometimes feeling nauseous and / or tired and sometimes experience mood changes. Perhaps take some paracetomol if the symptoms become a bit unbearable or even do gentle exercise whilst on your period such as swimming as that helps.
For further information on periods you can go to:
www.whatnow.co.uk
www.nhs.uk/conditions/periods
We hope you have found this information useful and that you enjoy your holiday and the water activities. Please come back to us if you need any further advice on this or anything else.
Best Wishes
q2a
Expert advice and every precaution has been taken to ensure that the information on this page is trustworthy and reliable, but the publishers do not hold themselves responsible for any inaccuracy as information can go out of date very quickly. This page gives general guidance only and should not be treated as a complete and authoritative statement of the law. With regard to suggested weblinks given in this reply please note that Lancashire County Council is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
here's what i think about ...