>> Oftentimes teens can experience really painful period cycles that they don't always talk about
with their parents or their doctor, but the conversation is really important to have.
They don't have to suffer in silence. There is help available. Here to talk about how we can
support our girls and get them the help they need is Dr. Rosemary Claire Roden,
Director of Adolescent, Gender, and Sexual Health Services at Penn State Health. What causes young
girls to get these painful periods? >> Hello. So we used to say that
younger -- younger people would have more painful periods because they had more, like,
emotional stuff related to their periods. Like, they'd fear their period so they get really
anxious and then they probably have some other emotional thing going on so it hurts more. We know
that's not true. That's not true at all. Younger bodies tend to produce both more pain molecules
and pain molecule receptors which means that the experience of having menses is more painful
in a younger body. It's just physiology. So we can use medications to help younger people experience
less pain during this part of life. >> I think girls often, like, kind of,
suffer through it. At what point should they start seeing a doctor about their periods?
>> So the -- the rule of thumb that I use is that you should see a doctor about your periods if it's
keeping you from living your life. So if you're missing your school, if you're missing out on
sports stuff, not being able to do stuff with your family or your friends because you're worried that
you're going to bleed through your clothes. You're worried that it hurts. You're so nauseated you
can't get out of bed. You know, people who have periods have fought for a millennia to be able
to participate in public life, so if your period is getting in the way of that, you should come see
me and let me help you -- me or my colleagues. >> Well, you mentioned medication. And how
young is too young for medication when dealing with these painful periods?
>> It depends on the medication. I will say that hormonal medication can be used in anyone
who is having menses. So I would not use hormonal medication in a person who has never had a period
because then I don't know what I'm doing with that. And medications like ibuprofen or naproxen
can be used in people of almost any age. But, really, if a person is having painful periods,
if you're old enough to have a period you're old enough to have your life
get interrupted by your period. So there's not, like, a younger limit or an older limit
for needing help. >> That's a really good
point. Let's say a doctor does prescribe maybe birth control or the HPV vaccine.
Can that change a young person's behavior? >> Oh, my God. No. So here -- the short version
is no. The long version is I'm a pediatrician. Right? So, like, I care about keeping my
patients safe first and then happy, healthy, and functioning second. I mean, kind of at the
same time. So most pediatricians -- we really care about that. So we've done a lot of research into
how do our interventions change behavior. And the short version is that I am neither
powerful enough nor cool enough to change your kid away from the person you raised them to be.
So we know that if I give your kid HPV vaccine and you raised that child a certain way, there's no
chance that something that I do one or two times is going to make them into a different person.
Like, they just care so much more about your opinion than mine, frankly.
>> Do you hear that concern from probably moms mostly? Do you hear that concern?
>> I hear that a lot. So I hear that a lot from moms, dads, grandparents. Like, anybody who's
an adult who brings their kid in to see me. I certainly hear that concern. There's always a
certain amount of anxiety about, like, if I give my kid the pill, will she become promiscuous or,
like, will she ever be able to have children after if we do this now and she's so young, etc.?
One of the reasons I really love my job is because it gives me the opportunity to take
care of reproductive health within the context of the family and, like, evaluate what this family's
values are, what their priorities are, how we can help everyone move forward towards the common
goal of the child being able to live a happy, healthy, functioning life. So there's not, like,
one right answer for every family. There's several right answers for each family. And my job is to
help people figure out how to navigate that. >> It's really nice to hear you say that you're
really kind of caring for the whole family here. You want what's best for the whole family. So
what other advice do you have for parents who might be dealing with issues like this?
>> Take ten deep breaths. There is help available. That's the first piece of advice. Second piece of
advice is, you know, listen to your daughter or your son or your child. Whenever it comes
to reproductive health, everyone has reproductive organs and they may require care. I also take care
of boys, for example. But the first step is listen to your kid. If your kid is being made miserable,
right -- like, if your kid has to go to the hospital for a blood transfusion every time they
have their period. If your kid is just doubled over in pain and crying and can't go to school.
If your kid is vomiting all the time. If your kid is so embarrassed. If your kid can't do sports. If
your kid's mood just tanks, like, every month, then, you know, they don't have to feel that
way. Right? Like, they just need to function and live and if they need help to function
their doctor can help them. >> And you could be that
doctor. Thank you so much. >> I'd love to. It's my favorite.
>> Thank you. Thank you. >> Also, my colleagues in my department are
equally well-versed so anyone over in Adolescent Medicine, like, all we want to do is help you
have a happy, healthy, functioning kid. >> That is just terrific. Thanks so much again.
>> You're very welcome. Thanks for having me. >> You are welcome.