Menstruation is one of the most difficult times for women, which they experience every month for 3-5 days. For some women it turns out to be a big nightmare, who suffer from PMS, Dysmenorrhea (Excessive pain and cramps during menstruation), Menorrhagia (Heavy bleeding) etc.
Periods not only affect the physical health of a women but it also affects her behavior and her emotional state for certain days. Some of the troubling symptoms which 90% of the women experience during periods are:
- Anger
- Depression
- Frequent mood swings
- Irritability
- Fatigue
- Bloating etc
Menstruation is a body’s natural process but because of the discomfort it carries, it become very inconvenient to do certain activities during periods especially going for a holiday trip or attending a function etc. To avoid these circumstances many a women now days are choosing to delay their periods.
How to Delay Periods?
Nowadays there are so many options available to help women in delaying her menstruation but how to choose which one is convenient, which one is helpful, which one has no side effects, who can use which method. So let’s go through the number of options available to delay menstruation:
- Norethisterone Pill
- Combined Contraceptive Pill
- Mini Pill
- Phasic Pill
- Herbal Solutions and Home Remedies
Delaying Periods using Norethisterone?
Norethisterone is a synthetic hormonal tablet, made up of the female hormone Progesterone. This hormone is responsible for maintaining the uterine lining. But few days before periods, the progesterone hormone level starts reducing which leads to the shredding of uterus lining in the form of menstruation. These Norethisterone tablets artificially increase the level of progesterone in female body and hence periods won’t start till you take these medicines.
How Can I take Norethisterone?
Norethisterone is also known as Period Delay Tablets, which you need to start three days before the due date of your periods. One tablet per day is required to consume daily until you want your periods to be delayed. Your periods will start usually three days after you stop taking these pills.
Is it safe to delay my period using Norethisterone?
Norethisterone 5mg is sufficient to delay your periods and is safe for women to use on occasional basis. You can use this medicine to delay your periods to a maximum of 20 days.
Though Norethisterone is safe to use for few women, but it may produce side effects in others depending on certain factors like, for how many days you are delaying your periods including your previous medical history. Moreover there are some other health and safety concerns with respect to adolescents and young girls taking these medicines. That’s why most of the doctors do not recommend suppressing menstruation or delaying periods with Norethisterone.
Side Effects of Norethisterone:
- Headaches, Nausea and Dizziness
- Spotting or Bleeding between Periods
- Bloating of stomach with fluid retention
- Allergic skin rash and itching
- Tenderness of Breast
- Loss of Sleep
- Depression
- Weight Gain
- Increased Blood Pressure
- Breathlessness with Chest pain
- Hair Loss (alopecia)
- Excessive Hair Growth (hirsutism)
Also Note Norethisterone is only a Period Delay Tablet and should not be confused with a Contraceptive pill and treatment for painful and heavy menstruation. For all these conditions, please consult your doctor.
Delaying Periods using Combined Contraceptive Pill?
Combined Contraceptive Pill is a combination of two hormones i.e. estrogen and progesterone. It helps in delaying periods for several days but you need to start this medicine several weeks before the due date of your periods. But this is not the suitable way for delaying periods for everyone.
How Can I take Combined Contraceptive Pill?
For contraception purpose, one packet of combined contraceptive pill which contain 21 tablets need to be used for 21 days followed with a gap of 7 days which leads to withdrawal bleeding when you stop the medicine. For delaying periods, you need to take two packets back to back without a break.
Is it safe to delay my period using Combined Contraceptive Pill?
Delaying Periods using two back to back packets of combined contraceptive pill comes with a risk of few side effects.
Side Effects of Combined Contraceptive Pill:
- Nausea
- Headache
- Leg Cramps
- Heaviness of Breast
- Weight Changes
- Mood Swings
- Intermenstrual Bleeding
- Facial Pigmentation
Is it safe to delay my periods using Mini Pill?
Progesterone only Pill is the other name for Mini Pills. It is an Oral Contraceptive Pill which also delay your periods till the time you take these pills. But theses pills are not advisable to use without doctor’s recommendation as they are responsible for amenorrhea (complete absence of menstruation) in approximately 20% of women even after discontinuing these pills.
Side Effects of Mini Pill:
- Acne
- Decreased Sex Drive (libido)
- Ovarian Cyst
- Amenorrhea
Is it safe to delay my periods using a Phasic Pill?
It is an Oral Contraceptive pill which contains both estrogen and progesterone hormones. This is the newest approach where the levels of estrogen and progesterone have been altered all through the month to avoid overdosing and hence eliminate undesired side effects.
But its role in delaying menstruation is still under consideration as levels of both hormones vary in each tablet. Hence taking Phasic Pills without doctor’s guidance is not advisable.
You should not delay your periods using medicines in following conditions:
- Planning for Pregnancy
- Breastfeeding
- Abnormal Vaginal Bleeding
- History of Jaundice
- Liver Problems or any history of Liver Cancer
- Blistering Skin Rash
- History of Heart Attack or Stroke
- History of Deep Vein Thrombosis, Pulmonary embolism
Due to unavoidable side effects and so many considerations while using medication to delay menstruation. It is better to use Herbal solutions and home remedies like there are so many foods and also workouts available which help in delaying periods naturally and have no adverse affects on your health.
