Someone with abnormal uterine bleeding has periods that:

• Are very heavy or very light
• Last longer or shorter than normal (longer than 8 days or shorter than 4 days)
• Come more or less often than expected (more than every 24 days or less than every 38 days)

Heavy bleeding or more frequent periods can lead to anemia (too few red blood cells).

To start, your health care provider may ask you to help your child track their periods. If needed, there are ways to treat abnormal uterine bleeding.

• Help your child track periods on a calendar or a smartphone app. They should include:
  • When the period starts and ends
  • The amount of flow each day
  • Whether there are any blood clots
  • Whether they have cramps or other problems 
• Depending on the cause of the abnormal uterine bleeding, the health care provider may recommend:
  • Waiting to see if periods become more regular.
  • Managing stress by getting enough sleep and plenty of exercise, avoiding drugs and alcohol, and doing activities that are relaxing, such as yoga, meditation, or listening to music. Stress can cause periods to be irregular.
  • Taking medicines that can balance hormones, such as the birth control pill ("the Pill"), or using a birth control shot, a birth control implant, or an IUD.
  • Losing or gaining weight through changes in diet and exercise.
  • Seeing a doctor who specializes in female health (a gynecologist) or other specialist for more testing.
• Fill any prescriptions and be sure your child follows the health care provider's recommendations for taking medicines.
• Someone with abnormal uterine bleeding can still get pregnant if they have sex. Talk to your child about using condoms to protect against pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs, also called sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs).
• Follow up as instructed by your health care provider.

Your child:

• Has periods that last longer than 8 days or shorter than 4 days 
• Has very heavy periods that soak through a pad or tampon every hour
• Gets a period more than every 24 days or less than every 38 days
• Has bleeding between periods
• Got their first period more than 2 years ago and still has irregular periods
• Has signs of anemia, such as having headaches or being tired, pale, or dizzy

What causes abnormal uterine bleeding? Abnormal uterine bleeding in kids and teens is most often caused by:

• Changing hormone levels in the first few years after someone starts getting their period
• Hormone problems from medical conditions
• Being overweight or underweight
• Intense exercise
• Stress
• Fibroids or other growths in the uterus
• Medical conditions that make someone prone to bleeding
• Some medicines, including the Pill; also a birth control shot, a birth control implant, or an IUD
• Pregnancy
• Infection, including STIs