Period Delay

Having your period on a special occasion like a wedding, while you are sitting exams or when you are on holiday can be inconvenient and frustrating. Fortunately though, there are ways to delay menstruation.

Periods are sometimes delayed naturally or accidentally. A change in routine, stress, illness, certain medications, weight problems and even excessive workouts can all lead to delays in the onset of menstruation. Missed periods can be a sign of pregnancy too. However, it is also possible to prevent a menstruation on purpose by turning to specific treatments.

If you want to delay menstruation and you are already taking a combined contraceptive pill, you may have the option of taking two pill packs back to back. How you do this will depend on the type of pill you are on. For example, if you are taking a monophasic 21-day contraceptive, simply start a new pack of pills immediately without having the seven-day break in between. If you are on an everyday pill, you should miss out the seven inactive pills at the end of your current pack and start the active pills in a new pack instead. It is a little more complicated if you are on a phasic pill because the mix of hormones in your tablets will vary according to the phase you are in. You can ask your doctor which pills you are able to miss out in order to postpone menstruation.

If you are not on a combined pill, you can consider taking the prescription treatment Norethisterone instead. This medicine contains a synthetic version of the hormone progesterone. It works by keeping your levels of natural progesterone up, stopping your womb lining from shedding and therefore delaying bleeding. To achieve the desired results, you should start the treatment three days before your period is due and you will need to take three tablets per day. Once you stop taking Norethisterone, you can expect to experience menstruation within two to three days.

We offer Norethisterone and if you would like to find out more about the treatment, or you have questions about this health issue more generally, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team. Our specialists are on hand to answer any queries you may have on this topic and you can contact us by phone or email.