Guest guest Posted April 17, 2012 Report Share Posted April 17, 2012 Are bathroom habits part of her IEP at school? If not, it sounds like they should be if she is 12 and still needs assistance/reminders (and then the school legally has to be on board with doing their part or you can take action against them). IMO, it would be ideal if you and the school were able to work together to help her learn how to handle her bathroom habits and period needs as introducing any birth control (Depo, pill, etc.) has side effects. And if she's lucky enough to have a normal cycle, learning how to deal with it rather than altering it with prescription hormones would be great. I say this as someone who has been on birth control in one form or another since I was 12 as I wasn't lucky enough to have a normal cycle. And I definitely bear the scars of having so many years of so many prescriptions mucking about with my body. Of course, getting her to the point that she can handle it may not be possible in which case I would think you shouldn't have any problem getting a doctor to put her on the pill. My daughter is only 9 so we aren't experiencing this yet, but in my experience most doctors don't balk at all even in situations where there are no challenges That being said, I would run away from the Depo shot as fast as you can. I took it for a few years and, while it was convenient, it has caused all sorts of physical problems for me most of which continue to this day (despite my being off it for about 6 years now). Good luck to you and your daughter! Best, > ** > > > YSD came to me this morning and told me she had blood in her panties. > She's mid-range on the spectrum and she is also mildly MR. Mentally, she's' > probably more like an 8 or 9 year old than 12. I've gone over with her how > to use a pad and what a period is but I don't feel like I've done enough > and will definitely be going over it more in-depth now that it's suddenly > upon us. > > However, I'm seriously concerned about her ability to handle her period. > She isn't good about remembering to wipe well or at all after she uses the > bathroom despite several years of consistent and inconsistent work with her > in regards to this. Her mental health case manager has suggested we see > what we can do to get her on the Depo shot. I'm against putting her on it > because of the long-term and short-term side effects. She's already on the > verge of being over-weight because she's taking risperidone and I'm not > comfortable with the risk of calcium and bone loss. We'd definitely > consider other birth control. > > She seemed OK with the pad this morning but I'm guessing that the school > is going to freak when they find out she's started. They've been forever > harping on us about her bathroom habits despite us explaining to them that > they have to be on board with reminding her to clean herself after she > goes. I'm almost betting I get a call from her teacher today to come pick > her up for the rest of the day, which I can't do and neither can my > husband. > > Unfortunately, we lack many of the resources most parents and step-parents > of autistic girls have access. We live in a community of 1300 people; no > one is willing to step in and watch YSD when DH and I can't. Her mother is > in the picture somewhat but lives an hour and a half away and doesn't want > to deal with anything concerning YSD. > > How do you all do it? How to do you teach them how to change the pad and > to clean themselves? How hard is it to get a doctor to agree to put them on > birth control? I'm open to any suggestions. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 17, 2012 Report Share Posted April 17, 2012 ON the birth control aspect, I've spoke with my Pedi about it, and he is on board with it if we find a need. On the Depo.. I HIGHLY recommend you DO NOT use that form of birth control, I gained 110lbs (yes, 110lbs) in 6 months from that when I was 13 (my mom was paranoid) and I didn't have ASD, or was on any other medication. I would think maybe a pill, (she already takes a pill daily yes? What is the harm in adding one more? ) The pill form of BC has much much less side effects than others. When my Kendra starts, I have seriously considered doing the BC to kinda " control " when she menstruates, because BMs are a pretty big deal for her, I could only imagine how bad a period is going to be. Hopefully we still have time before that happens, but I don't know if her Dad can deal with that on his own (he is the stay at home Dad and I work) I don't know. I live in Sioux Falls now, which is a bigger city here in SD, but when I first moved to SD from Florida I lived in a little 800 person town, and you would have thought we were Lepers or something when It came to Kendra and her Disabilities. So I can definitely relate to the lack of resources. Good Luck! From: Autism_in_Girls_and_Women [mailto:Autism_in_Girls_and_Women ] On Behalf Of mstearns09 Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2012 8:40 AM To: Autism_in_Girls_and_Women Subject: Periods YSD came to me this morning and told me she had blood in her panties. She's mid-range on the spectrum and she is also mildly MR. Mentally, she's' probably more like an 8 or 9 year old than 12. I've gone over with her how to use a pad and what a period is but I don't feel like I've done enough and will definitely be going over it more in-depth now that it's suddenly upon us. However, I'm seriously concerned about her ability to handle her period. She isn't good about remembering to wipe well or at all after she uses the bathroom despite several years of consistent and inconsistent work with her in regards to this. Her mental health case manager has suggested we see what we can do to get her on the Depo shot. I'm against putting her on it because of the long-term and short-term side effects. She's already on the verge of being over-weight because she's taking risperidone and I'm not comfortable with the risk of calcium and bone loss. We'd definitely consider other birth control. She seemed OK with the pad this morning but I'm guessing that the school is going to freak when they find out she's started. They've been forever harping on us about her bathroom habits despite us explaining to them that they have to be on board with reminding her to clean herself after she goes. I'm almost betting I get a call from her teacher today to come pick her up for the rest of the day, which I can't do and neither can my husband. Unfortunately, we lack many of the resources most parents and step-parents of autistic girls have access. We live in a community of 1300 people; no one is willing to step in and watch YSD when DH and I can't. Her mother is in the picture somewhat but lives an hour and a half away and doesn't want to deal with anything concerning YSD. How do you all do it? How to do you teach them how to change the pad and to clean themselves? How hard is it to get a doctor to agree to put them on birth control? I'm open to any suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 17, 2012 Report Share Posted April 17, 2012 I agree with , The Depo is not a good thing... I took it for a year when I was 13, gained well over 100 lbs, and I now have hair on my chin, neck, and chest... It has way more side effects than any other form of BC... Re: Periods Are bathroom habits part of her IEP at school? If not, it sounds like they should be if she is 12 and still needs assistance/reminders (and then the school legally has to be on board with doing their part or you can take action against them). IMO, it would be ideal if you and the school were able to work together to help her learn how to handle her bathroom habits and period needs as introducing any birth control (Depo, pill, etc.) has side effects. And if she's lucky enough to have a normal cycle, learning how to deal with it rather than altering it with prescription hormones would be great. I say this as someone who has been on birth control in one form or another since I was 12 as I wasn't lucky enough to have a normal cycle. And I definitely bear the scars of having so many years of so many prescriptions mucking about with my body. Of course, getting her to the point that she can handle it may not be possible in which case I would think you shouldn't have any problem getting a doctor to put her on the pill. My daughter is only 9 so we aren't experiencing this yet, but in my experience most doctors don't balk at all even in situations where there are no challenges That being said, I would run away from the Depo shot as fast as you can. I took it for a few years and, while it was convenient, it has caused all sorts of physical problems for me most of which continue to this day (despite my being off it for about 6 years now). Good luck to you and your daughter! Best, > ** > > > YSD came to me this morning and told me she had blood in her panties. > She's mid-range on the spectrum and she is also mildly MR. Mentally, she's' > probably more like an 8 or 9 year old than 12. I've gone over with her > how to use a pad and what a period is but I don't feel like I've done > enough and will definitely be going over it more in-depth now that > it's suddenly upon us. > > However, I'm seriously concerned about her ability to handle her period. > She isn't good about remembering to wipe well or at all after she uses > the bathroom despite several years of consistent and inconsistent work > with her in regards to this. Her mental health case manager has > suggested we see what we can do to get her on the Depo shot. I'm > against putting her on it because of the long-term and short-term side > effects. She's already on the verge of being over-weight because she's > taking risperidone and I'm not comfortable with the risk of calcium > and bone loss. We'd definitely consider other birth control. > > She seemed OK with the pad this morning but I'm guessing that the > school is going to freak when they find out she's started. They've > been forever harping on us about her bathroom habits despite us > explaining to them that they have to be on board with reminding her to > clean herself after she goes. I'm almost betting I get a call from her > teacher today to come pick her up for the rest of the day, which I > can't do and neither can my husband. > > Unfortunately, we lack many of the resources most parents and > step-parents of autistic girls have access. We live in a community of > 1300 people; no one is willing to step in and watch YSD when DH and I > can't. Her mother is in the picture somewhat but lives an hour and a > half away and doesn't want to deal with anything concerning YSD. > > How do you all do it? How to do you teach them how to change the pad > and to clean themselves? How hard is it to get a doctor to agree to > put them on birth control? I'm open to any suggestions. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 17, 2012 Report Share Posted April 17, 2012 Hi All....I have a 22 year old with severe autism.....the GYNO also recommended DEPO....she said she gave all her mentally challenged patients that. NO WAY!! has ENOUGH of problems without that CRAP. When she reaches a certain weight her periods stop. So we try to keep her leaner...she is far from lean....she may have PCOS....so that in and of itself is another problem....NO DEPO please....Simply because of the side effects. Re: Periods Are bathroom habits part of her IEP at school? If not, it sounds like they should be if she is 12 and still needs assistance/reminders (and then the school legally has to be on board with doing their part or you can take action against them). IMO, it would be ideal if you and the school were able to work together to help her learn how to handle her bathroom habits and period needs as introducing any birth control (Depo, pill, etc.) has side effects. And if she's lucky enough to have a normal cycle, learning how to deal with it rather than altering it with prescription hormones would be great. I say this as someone who has been on birth control in one form or another since I was 12 as I wasn't lucky enough to have a normal cycle. And I definitely bear the scars of having so many years of so many prescriptions mucking about with my body. Of course, getting her to the point that she can handle it may not be possible in which case I would think you shouldn't have any problem getting a doctor to put her on the pill. My daughter is only 9 so we aren't experiencing this yet, but in my experience most doctors don't balk at all even in situations where there are no challenges That being said, I would run away from the Depo shot as fast as you can. I took it for a few years and, while it was convenient, it has caused all sorts of physical problems for me most of which continue to this day (despite my being off it for about 6 years now). Good luck to you and your daughter! Best, > ** > > > YSD came to me this morning and told me she had blood in her panties. > She's mid-range on the spectrum and she is also mildly MR. Mentally, she's' > probably more like an 8 or 9 year old than 12. I've gone over with her > how to use a pad and what a period is but I don't feel like I've done > enough and will definitely be going over it more in-depth now that > it's suddenly upon us. > > However, I'm seriously concerned about her ability to handle her period. > She isn't good about remembering to wipe well or at all after she uses > the bathroom despite several years of consistent and inconsistent work > with her in regards to this. Her mental health case manager has > suggested we see what we can do to get her on the Depo shot. I'm > against putting her on it because of the long-term and short-term side > effects. She's already on the verge of being over-weight because she's > taking risperidone and I'm not comfortable with the risk of calcium > and bone loss. We'd definitely consider other birth control. > > She seemed OK with the pad this morning but I'm guessing that the > school is going to freak when they find out she's started. They've > been forever harping on us about her bathroom habits despite us > explaining to them that they have to be on board with reminding her to > clean herself after she goes. I'm almost betting I get a call from her > teacher today to come pick her up for the rest of the day, which I > can't do and neither can my husband. > > Unfortunately, we lack many of the resources most parents and > step-parents of autistic girls have access. We live in a community of > 1300 people; no one is willing to step in and watch YSD when DH and I > can't. Her mother is in the picture somewhat but lives an hour and a > half away and doesn't want to deal with anything concerning YSD. > > How do you all do it? How to do you teach them how to change the pad > and to clean themselves? How hard is it to get a doctor to agree to > put them on birth control? I'm open to any suggestions. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 17, 2012 Report Share Posted April 17, 2012 yes, i have to think about this soon. my daughter will leave school at the end of the year, then i need to get her into some program if i can, so she isn't sitting around here all the time.My only fear is, that one day, something could happen, i have heard horror stories, of our girls being taken advantage of. i hate the thought of having to put her on the pill, but i might have too,just for peace of mind.......got alot to figure out this year. Cheryl S [chez] To: Autism_in_Girls_and_Women From: paganmom2003@... Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:31:52 -0500 Subject: RE: Periods ON the birth control aspect, I've spoke with my Pedi about it, and he is on board with it if we find a need. On the Depo.. I HIGHLY recommend you DO NOT use that form of birth control, I gained 110lbs (yes, 110lbs) in 6 months from that when I was 13 (my mom was paranoid) and I didn't have ASD, or was on any other medication. I would think maybe a pill, (she already takes a pill daily yes? What is the harm in adding one more? ) The pill form of BC has much much less side effects than others. When my Kendra starts, I have seriously considered doing the BC to kinda " control " when she menstruates, because BMs are a pretty big deal for her, I could only imagine how bad a period is going to be. Hopefully we still have time before that happens, but I don't know if her Dad can deal with that on his own (he is the stay at home Dad and I work) I don't know. I live in Sioux Falls now, which is a bigger city here in SD, but when I first moved to SD from Florida I lived in a little 800 person town, and you would have thought we were Lepers or something when It came to Kendra and her Disabilities. So I can definitely relate to the lack of resources. Good Luck! From: Autism_in_Girls_and_Women [mailto:Autism_in_Girls_and_Women ] On Behalf Of mstearns09 Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2012 8:40 AM To: Autism_in_Girls_and_Women Subject: Periods YSD came to me this morning and told me she had blood in her panties. She's mid-range on the spectrum and she is also mildly MR. Mentally, she's' probably more like an 8 or 9 year old than 12. I've gone over with her how to use a pad and what a period is but I don't feel like I've done enough and will definitely be going over it more in-depth now that it's suddenly upon us. However, I'm seriously concerned about her ability to handle her period. She isn't good about remembering to wipe well or at all after she uses the bathroom despite several years of consistent and inconsistent work with her in regards to this. Her mental health case manager has suggested we see what we can do to get her on the Depo shot. I'm against putting her on it because of the long-term and short-term side effects. She's already on the verge of being over-weight because she's taking risperidone and I'm not comfortable with the risk of calcium and bone loss. We'd definitely consider other birth control. She seemed OK with the pad this morning but I'm guessing that the school is going to freak when they find out she's started. They've been forever harping on us about her bathroom habits despite us explaining to them that they have to be on board with reminding her to clean herself after she goes. I'm almost betting I get a call from her teacher today to come pick her up for the rest of the day, which I can't do and neither can my husband. Unfortunately, we lack many of the resources most parents and step-parents of autistic girls have access. We live in a community of 1300 people; no one is willing to step in and watch YSD when DH and I can't. Her mother is in the picture somewhat but lives an hour and a half away and doesn't want to deal with anything concerning YSD. How do you all do it? How to do you teach them how to change the pad and to clean themselves? How hard is it to get a doctor to agree to put them on birth control? I'm open to any suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 Thanks for all the wonderful replies, ladies! She seemed to handle the first day pretty well. Bathroom habits are not written in her IEP; that's been the least of our concerns where the school has been concerned. I used to work in the same district she attends and it's pulling teeth to even get the most basic of accommodations in place but they've been really great to help her without it written in her IEP so we've left it alone for the most part. We are 100% against her getting Depo even though her mental health case manager insists it's the route to go. I now work in the medical/healthcare sector and I know how risky Depo is. YSD12 is already per-disposed to be on the heavier side and she's gained quite a bit of weight already just taking risperidone for her behaviors so I'm not willing to risk putting her on a form of birth control with documented cases of weight gain along with the other serious side effects and risks. She needs extensive assistance with changing her pad but when I was able to help her this morning, she knew the basic steps and seemed to do okay with someone there with her. The end of school is rapidly approaching and there are so many activities at school and within our family right now that I think we'll ride this out until the summer when we can consider our options of getting her in to see a GYN for birth control. I would think that it would take us a couple of months to see how well she handles this before we make a definitive decision. I'm going to sit down with her this evening and talk with her about it more. We did what little prep work we could with her before it happened and to her credit, she was amazingly calm about it happening. Ironically, her sister (my OSD14) started almost exactly a year ago. However, OSD14 has Asperger's and ADHD and getting her to maintain any sort of personal hygiene is a fight everyday, despite us using several interventions like " The Care and Keeping of You. " I'm hoping YSD12 doesn't follow her sister's suit. Luckily, both SDs live with my husband and I full-time with twice a month visits with their birth mother. We're concerned how their mother is going to respond to this; she herself has some sort of mental disorder and doesn't like having to take care of YSD12's needs. This is going to be a serious wake-up call to her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 1, 2012 Report Share Posted May 1, 2012 Have you looked into uterine ablation? This is something I would love for my daughter but she is too young. There are 2 kinds of ablation heat or cold. Basically they take a balloon and place it in the uterus, fill it with either heat or freeze it which scars the lining of the uterus. This will make her sterile though, but should completely stop the periods. Some say you can still get a very light period but mostly it is stopped for good. I wish I could have this done for my daughter who also has severe autism and is NOT handling the whole period thing well at all. She keeps wiping and touching it, refuses to wear a pad. The school is now demanding she stay home when she has it. They won't even teach her how to care for herself! I have tried but she just gets angry. I tried the birth control pill WHAT A DISASTER!!! She developed crazy anxieties and her hair started to break and fall out! She was on it for 3 months....big mistake. I will NEVER give her Depo....like you said, she has ENOUGH problems, I don't want to add any more!!!Tina Re: Periods> > Are bathroom habits part of her IEP at school? If not, it > sounds like they> should be if she is 12 and still needs assistance/reminders > (and then the> school legally has to be on board with doing their part or you > can take> action against them).> > IMO, it would be ideal if you and the school were able to work > together to> help her learn how to handle her bathroom habits and period > needs as> introducing any birth control (Depo, pill, etc.) has side > effects. And if> she's lucky enough to have a normal cycle, learning how to > deal with it> rather than altering it with prescription hormones would be > great. I say> this as someone who has been on birth control in one form or > another since I> was 12 as I wasn't lucky enough to have a normal cycle. And I > definitely bear the scars of having so many years of so many > prescriptions mucking> about with my body.> > Of course, getting her to the point that she can handle it may > not be> possible in which case I would think you shouldn't have any > problem getting> a doctor to put her on the pill. My daughter is only 9 so we aren't> experiencing this yet, but in my experience most doctors don't > balk at all> even in situations where there are no challenges That being > said, I would> run away from the Depo shot as fast as you can. I took it for > a few years> and, while it was convenient, it has caused all sorts of > physical problems> for me most of which continue to this day (despite my being > off it for about> 6 years now).> > Good luck to you and your daughter!> > Best,> > > > On Tue, Apr 17, 2012 at 9:40 AM, mstearns09 > wrote:> > > **> >> >> > YSD came to me this morning and told me she had blood in her > panties. > She's mid-range on the spectrum and she is also > mildly MR. Mentally,> she's'> > probably more like an 8 or 9 year old than 12. I've gone > over with her > > how to use a pad and what a period is but I don't feel like > I've done > > enough and will definitely be going over it more in-depth > now that > > it's suddenly upon us.> >> > However, I'm seriously concerned about her ability to handle > her period.> > She isn't good about remembering to wipe well or at all > after she uses > > the bathroom despite several years of consistent and > inconsistent work > > with her in regards to this. Her mental health case manager > has > > suggested we see what we can do to get her on the Depo shot. > I'm > > against putting her on it because of the long-term and short-> term side > > effects. She's already on the verge of being over-weight > because she's > > taking risperidone and I'm not comfortable with the risk of > calcium > > and bone loss. We'd definitely consider other birth control.> >> > She seemed OK with the pad this morning but I'm guessing > that the > > school is going to freak when they find out she's started. > They've > > been forever harping on us about her bathroom habits despite > us > > explaining to them that they have to be on board with > reminding her to > > clean herself after she goes. I'm almost betting I get a > call from her > > teacher today to come pick her up for the rest of the day, > which I > > can't do and neither can my husband.> >> > Unfortunately, we lack many of the resources most parents > and > > step-parents of autistic girls have access. We live in a > community of > > 1300 people; no one is willing to step in and watch YSD when > DH and I > > can't. Her mother is in the picture somewhat but lives an > hour and a > > half away and doesn't want to deal with anything concerning YSD.> >> > How do you all do it? How to do you teach them how to change > the pad > > and to clean themselves? How hard is it to get a doctor to > agree to > > put them on birth control? I'm open to any suggestions.> >> > > >> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]> > ------------------------------------> > The Power Pumper makes physical therapy fun! Plus, funding > sources are> available to provide a free Power Pumper to anyone who needs > it. > ------------------------> http://www.powerpumper.com/friends/jrox.php?uid=bridalsh> ------------------------> Autism_in_Girls_and_Women-subscribe > ------------------------> Autism_in_Girls_and_Women-unsubscribe@...! > Groups Links> > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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