Pat's Answer

Hi there, welcome to Ask Alex. Thank you for getting in touch with us. 

It sounds like you may have a medical issue that is causing you concern as you say that you’re bleeding, and you’re scared you might die. This can be a scary thing to deal with especially as you say you are 10 years of age, so we’re glad that you were able to be brave and contact someone for help. We’re not sure exactly what has caused this bleeding for you, but it is concerning and would require some medical attention, just so you can make sure you are safe and well. Have you considered talking to your parent or guardian about this? Talking to someone about intimate things concerning your body may be difficult to do, but your parent/guardian has a duty of care to look after you and to seek medical attention for you to ensure you are kept healthy. If you feel that wouldn’t be an option for you then reaching out to another trusted adult in your life may be worth considering, someone like a teacher or extended family member, who might be able to help you in getting medical attention or in contact with your GP. It may feel like it’s too difficult to speak to someone about your body, and that is completely understandable, but remember there are people around who can help you and keep you safe. This is your body, so you have the right to make those decisions yourself – at Childline we don’t tell young people what to do.

If you feel that this medical issue happened because you are in an unsafe situation or have been harmed in any way, you have the right to report that to someone who can help to keep you safe. The Gardai and Tusla have a duty of care to protect young people and to ensure their safety, they would also have to investigate if young people are in unsafe situations. If you feel you are unsafe or that you are not being taken care of properly, you can contact Tusla Child and Family agency for help by visiting their website: www.tusla.ie. You can also contact emergency services such as Gardai or Ambulance by calling 112 or 999 or present to the A&E department at your local hospital if you are worried that you’re at risk. 

If you feel you’d like to talk to someone you don’t know about what’s going on for you, you can always contact our Childline listening services. You can freephone us on 1800 66 66 66, text us at 50101 or chat with us online through www.childline.ie. All our services are free, confidential and non-judgemental and we don’t tell you what to do. We give young people a safe space to talk through their thoughts and feelings and these services are available 24 hours a day, every day.  

We hope this answer helps you in progressing forward with your issue and we also hope you are proud of the brave steps you’ve already taken. 

Take care, 

Alex.