What Should I Know About Storage And Disposal Of This Medication
Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture .
Unneeded medications should be disposed of in special ways to ensure that pets, children, and other people cannot consume them. However, you should not flush this medication down the toilet. Instead, the best way to dispose of your medication is through a medicine take-back program. Talk to your pharmacist or contact your local garbage/recycling department to learn about take-back programs in your community. See the FDA’s Safe Disposal of Medicines website for more information if you do not have access to a take-back program.
It is important to keep all medication out of sight and reach of children as many containers are not child-resistant and young children can open them easily. To protect young children from poisoning, always lock safety caps and immediately place the medication in a safe location â one that is up and away and out of their sight and reach.
How Do Period Delay Tablets Work
Progestogen hormone, made naturally in the body, sustains the lining of the womb. Decreases in the blood levels triggers shedding of the lining, which causes a period. By taking Provera or norethisterone tablets, hormone levels don’t fall and a period won’t occur until 2-3 days after you stop taking them. The womb lining is then shed in the same way as in a natural menstrual cycle.
Ask Your Doctor About Hormonal Medication
If you’re not on hormonal birth control, you may be able to delay your period with hormonal medication containing norethindrone, which is a form of the hormone progesterone, the same active ingredient in hormonal birth control.
You need to start taking this medication a few days before the start of your period for it to delay your period. Note that you will probably get your period within a day or two of stopping it.
A small 2019 study found that people who took norethindrone to delay their period were less likely to experience irregular bleeding than those who tried to delay it with birth control pills. However, the study also found that those who took norethindrone were more likely to gain weight.
Visit your doctor for a prescription and check whether this option is suitable for you.
You May Like: Period Blood Stains On Sheets
Is There Anything Bad About Using Birth Control Pills To Skip My Period
There is nothing bad or harmful about using birth control pills to delay or skip your period, though it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor. And for those who are looking to skip multiple periods, there are different options for you.*
*Note: If you’re not taking birth control pills and are missing periods, you should consider asking your doctor about it. The Mayo Clinic recommends seeing your doctor if you’ve missed 3 menstrual periods in a row.
Skipping or delaying your period is not harmful. Some doctors even see skipping periods as beneficial, allowing women to avoid pain or the potential cost of a period. Other research has shown skipping multiple periods using birth control can actually limit your likelihood to develop certain cancers like ovarian cancer.
Given all this information, we hope you feel confident about choosing the best way for you to delay or skip your period.
Can Eating Gelatin Delay Menstruation
It is said that gelatin has anti-estrogenic properties, which causes period delay. There is no scientific research to either back this up or disprove it. It cannot be recommended as a way to delay periods, only direct hormonal treatments reliably do this. There is also no research to show that gram lentils or apple cider vinegar work either.
You May Like: 90 Day Probationary Period Form
Watermelon For The Win
Like cucumber, watermelon is believed by some to possess cooling properties that can keep bleeding at bay. As far as science is concerned, the jury is still out on this remedy.
However, there is evidence to support the diuretic effects of watermelon. So add watermelon to your menu if its bloating you want to escape rather than bleeding.
While science cant confirm the aforementioned natural remedies to put off your period, you can rely on good old Western medicine for proven results.
How To Delay Your Period For Your Holiday
Because the beach + period can be a faff
Technically speaking, you can do whatever you like when you’re on your period – from sex to swimming, you should never feel like anything is off limits to you because of your uterus. But between the cramps, the mood swings, the bloating, and obviously the bleeding, it’s also totes fair enough if your period and your holiday are not a match you want to make.
The good news is that with a bit of forward planning, it is possible to put your period off until bikinis and beaches are safely off of your schedule. What you need is a medicine called Norethisterone, which can give you up to 17 days delay.
“It comes in the form of tablets which you must start to take three days before your period is due,’ explains Dr Kieran Seyan, from the LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor Team. “You must then take three tablets a day during the time you wish to delay your period. You can take the tablets for a maximum of 20 days, which will delay your period by a maximum of 17 days.” When you get back from your break, you simply stop taking Norethisterone and your period should arrive 2-3 days later.
However, it might seem like a magical solution to all of your period-based problems, but as with any medication, Norethisterone is not without its caveats: Dr Kieran notes that it can cause side effects, and very rarely these can be serious – including increased risk of blood clotting, stroke, acne, fluid retention, headache and nausea.
Also Check: 90 Day Employment Probationary Period Template
Can Exercise Delay Periods
Exercise, of course, has many benefits, one of which is to subside cramps and other period pains, but it does not affect the timing of your period.
It is also commonly known that for some women, excessive exercise or low-calorie intake can altogether skip their period, but this causes other health problems and is not advised to delay your period.
What Do Period Delay Tablets Do
Period delay tablets are a treatment used to stop your period for a set amount of time . Period delay tablets are not contraceptives, so you cant use them to protect against pregnancy.
Theres 2 main types of period delay tablet available in the UK:
-
Norethisterone 5mg
-
Medroxyprogesterone 10mg
Both of these types of period delay tablets use a version of the hormone progesterone. This hormone is used by your body to help time your periods. Basically when the level of progesterone in your body drops, thats the signal to start another period. If youre taking progesterone tablets then you trick your body into waiting a little longer before starting the next period.
Norethisterone is licensed specifically for period delay, but medroxyprogesterone technically isnt. This doesnt mean medroxyprogesterone isnt safe, though. From a doctors point of view theyre both safe to use for period delay.
Also Check: Dark Brown Discharge Instead Of Period
Can You Get Period Delay Tablets On The Nhs
Yep if you want to go through your GP to get period delay tablets you can. Youll need to make a usual appointment and your GP will talk you through your options and prescribe the best treatment for you. Then you can take the prescription to get filled at most pharmacies.
Full price or NHS prescription? norethisterone for period delay is not a blacklisted medication which means a GP can give you an NHS prescription for it. But, not all GPs will definitely do this. If your GP does give you an NHS prescription then you will only have to pay the flat NHS prescription charge. If not, youll get a private prescription and youll have to pay full price for your tablets.
Norethisterone: What Are The Side
As with any medication, Norethisterone carries some side-effects for some people. Make sure you stop taking your tablets and get emergency medical help if you get:
- Symptoms of an allergic reaction
- Symptoms of a blood clot in the lungs or brain
- Symptoms of deep-vein thrombosis
See your doctor as soon as you can if you get:
- Yellow skin
- Migraines for the first time
Other side effects that norethisterone can cause include:
- Effects on your genitals or breasts
- Effects on your nerve system
- Effects on your stomach and gut
- Effects on your liver
- Effects on your heart and blood supply
- Effects on skin and hair
- Others effects that arent covered above
For detailed info on norethisterone side effects, please check the patient information leaflet that comes with your tablets.
If you’re already taking the combined contraceptive pill then you don’t need to buy the period delay pill.
Instead of taking the seven day break, you will need to start the new blister pack straight away.
This way, your period will be delayed until the end of the second blister pack. Some women may experience breakthrough bleeding or spotting when delaying their period this way.
You May Like: Primosiston To Stop Period
So Why Would You Want To Induce A Period
As above and according to doctor Deborah Lee of Dr Fox Online Pharmacy, there are loads of reasons as to why.
“You’re bound to feel anxious if your period is late, or if you are missing periods. Why? Well, a regular period is a sign of being in good reproductive health, and when things start to go wrong, this can result in confusion and concern,” she explains.
According to Cheryl Lythgoe, matron at Benenden Health, for those who have heavy, frequent, or irregular periods, the need to induce that’s bring on a period can be really important. “You can want to induce periods for medical, social, or personal reasons. Providing a thorough clinical review has been carried out and a doctor considers it safe, then there are many options for inducing periods,” she shares.
How Birth Control Can Squash Your Periods
Lets take it back to health class: Your ovaries naturally produce progesterone and estrogen, hormones that help keep the lining of your uterus in place, making it a cushy spot for an embryo to chill, says Mary Jane Minkin, MD, clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at Yale School of Medicine. But if no sperm hook up with your eggs, your ovaries stop making those uterine-stabilizing chemicals and the lining sheds. Cue tampon being passed under stall door.
When youre on birth control containing synthetic progesterone , your hormone level stays steady. If youre using combined oral contraception , the vaginal ring, or the patch, this keeps your uterine lining in place until you hit your placebo week or remove your ring or patch during week four of your cycle. When levels dip, the lining destabilizes and you get your period, says Dr. Minkin. But if you continue to take your daily dose, your period never happens.
The same goes for postponing your cycle. If you continue a routine use of the pill, vaginal ring, or patch until youre ready to begin your placebo week or week off, you can choose to delay your period for one week, one month, three monthsreally, for however long youd like, says Florencia Polite, MD, chief of general obstetrics and gynecology at Penn Medicine. Score!
Read Also: 90 Day Probationary Period Letter
Reasons For A Late Period
Now that weve explained what qualifies as a regular menstrual cycle, lets go over why some people have late or irregular periods.
During the early stages of puberty, its common to have irregular cycles. Its normal for adolescents to have irregular cycles for the first three years after they get their period. This is because the ovaries may not be releasing an egg every month yet, since hormone levels are still changing. However, for people who are already past that phase, there are lots of other things that can cause a late period and irregular periods.
Here are eight common causes of a late period:
Medroxyprogesterone May Cause Side Effects Tell Your Doctor If Any Of These Symptoms Are Severe Or Do Not Go Away:
- breasts that are tender or produce a liquid
- changes in menstrual flow
- irregular vaginal bleeding or spotting
- acne
- growth of hair on face
- loss of hair on scalp
- difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
- drowsiness
- difficulty breathing or swallowing
- swelling of the hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs
Some laboratory animals who were given medroxyprogesterone developed breast tumors. It is not known if medroxyprogesterone increases the risk of breast cancer in humans. Medroxyprogesterone may also increase the chance that you will develop a blood clot that moves to your lungs or brain. Talk to your doctor about the risks of taking this medication.
Medroxyprogesterone may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.
If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online or by phone .
Read Also: Donating Blood While Menstruating
The Combined Oral Contraceptive Pill Or The Pill
The combined oral contraceptive pill may be a good option for some, provided its started in time. If an event is a few months away, it may be possible to start the pill in advance and then try skipping the sugar pills . For many women, this will prevent a period. It doesnt always work, so its a good idea to try it out ahead of the event or holiday. But if contraception is also needed, its certainly worth considering. A doctor or online doctor can go through a series of questions to make sure its a safe and suitable option.
So Should I Induce A Period
It’s up to you and totally dependant on your body, period, and cycle.
Whether its to ensure your sporting event, wedding day or holiday goes off without a hitch, thanks to modern technology and a shift in how doctors approach female health issues, period induction is now something that you can definitely have done, with your GPs support, according to the matron.
The take-home message for inducing your period? “Any controlling of your time of the month – whether that be inducing, delaying or totally omitting – isnt an exact science,” explains Lythgoe. “Natural remedies are not recommended and can have their own consequences, so if controlling your periods is of interest, do talk to your GP, make sure you give yourself planning time and dont despair: the vitamin C and orgasm regime isnt your only option,” she concludes.
Doctor Lee asks you to think before you make any rash decisions. “Ask yourself, why do you feel like you need to bleed? Perhaps you feel that once you’ve bled, all will be well? In my opinion, forcing yourself to bleed is not the answer. When you think about it, just making yourself bleed does not explain what’s been happening.”
Book a GP appointment and see what they have to say. They’ll be able to guide you from there.
Follow Ally on .
The latest issue of Cosmopolitan UK is out now and you can .
Like this article? to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox.
Recommended Reading: 90 Day Probationary Period Template