My 13 yr. old daughter has been having very irregular periods, with spotting for about a week before her period actually starts. She has now been on her period for 10 days and the bleeding is heavy…about 3 to 4 hours to saturate a pad. Should we be concerned?

When girls first starts menstruating, their periods are expected to be irregular with episodes of heavy bleeding. Her periods should become regular within 1 year. Women and children with persistent heavy and/or irregular menstrual periods often find relief with low dose oral contraceptive pills to regulate their menstruation. In addition, iron supplementation is warranted in all women because of their monthly blood loss due to menstruation. If your daughter’s periods do not normalize or become worse, an evaluation by her pediatrician or a gynecologist is warranted to explore options of controlling her menstruation.