Almost that time - Autism Spectrum Message Board

blessedmom · 02-05-2008, 05:51 PM

I need to hear from anybody out there that have girls with autism. My daughter has autism and down syndrome, she is 11 years old and is almost 12. I know it is getting near that time for her menstral cycle and I want to know what are some alternatives or what anybody else has tried. I have a doctor's appointment for her on the 21st to discuss what to do when this happens. My daughter is not talking and definitely can't take care of herself and a lot of times she put her hand down in her pants to scratch because she is now growing pubic hairs. I am not going to entertain the thought of surgery right now but I want to know what may be the best thing to try. She is very strong and I know I won't be able to get shots every couple of weeks so is there anything out there that is long term to stop periods other than birth control pills. Any info would be appreciated.
Angela

Ocallaghan212 · 02-16-2008, 07:19 PM

My daughter is 11 and has had her period for 1 1/2 yrs. She did have a hard time with it becuase of her age. SHe would flow for weeks and had to be in a diaper all the time. We finally went to a Gynecologist who suggested the depo shot uterine abaltion ( that makes her sterile) and the Pill. I was all for the ablation becuase my daughter is limited with her communication and on the moderate to severe side with her autism. the ablation didnt go thru due to her age but I will definatly revisit when she is older. We did put Sarah on the pill and it is working awesome She is very regular and it only last about 4 or 5 days, and her flow is light to moderate not bad at all. She does need constant supervision because she has tried to taste it a few times but for the most part she is doing great. I will say that her aggression has increased since puberty, but that is a separate issue and I need to deal with it. But Im here if you have any questions. Good Luck~!
Rachel

blessedmom · 02-16-2008, 09:42 PM

Thanks Rachel

I really am not looking forward to it but I feel like it is close. Alisha is a little more aggressive and it seems as if her frustration level has risen. I know I have to decide what to do and we have our doctors appt on Thursday. I just want to have something in place beforehand. Did you have any tell tell signs before it happened to your daughter. There was a doctor that told us that when we started to see signs of puberty(hair and breast) that it would be about 2 years before she start her period. I don't know if I can count on that since you said your daughter has been on for a year and a half. How is she taken care of in school when this happens. I'm afraid she will see it and try to take her clothes of no matter where she is. Well thank you for your reply.
Angela

Ocallaghan212 · 02-17-2008, 01:11 PM

Sarah is helped at school by her teachers and aides, she is in a self contained class and always has a 1 on 1 with her. As for when I knew it was time for her to get it, Im not sure she had pubic hair since she was 8 1/2 or 9 and she had been wearing deoderant since she was 8 I really never expected it would come when she was 10 and 3 months. My older daughter who is 1 1/2 yrs older than Sarah got it 3 months earlier. I myself was dreading the day it would come but she has adjusted to it really well, I never thought she would becuase if the way she is. Its just one of those part of life things that arent as bad as you think it might be. I bet you will be surprised how well your daughter handles it when it does come. It really is just another hurdle for us to go thru, but it will be ok its just scary waiting for it to happen~!! Dont worry You will get thru it

by for now~!

elizabeth37 · 02-18-2008, 10:23 AM

My daughter who is now 11(and is moderate to severely autistic), started her periods at age 9. The whole situation was extemely difficult for her. Because she is nonverbal, she couldn't tell us that she hurt and would pinch her chest and arms until they were black and blue. Also, she wouldn't keep her clothing on. She would stay in the bathtub crying all of the time. We went to a gynocologist in our area that has experience with special needs children. We tried the depo shot but she had major side effects. We finally had to make a difficult decision. Last May, she had a partial hysterectomy. It was probably one of the hardest decisions we have ever had to make. However, after seeing the outcome of the situation, I don't regret the decision.