How To Stop Your Period Early
Women go through that phase of the month when we have to deal with mood swings, cramps, back pain, bloated stomach and other discomforts. Depending on your health, lifestyle, diet and other factors, your menstrual period can last anywhere from three to seven days.
But menstruation and all its aches and irritations can come at the very worst times, like if youre going on a vacation, have an important meeting to attend or planning a romantic weekend getaway.
Luckily, there are several ways to reduce the length of your period as well as the discomforts of premenstrual syndrome and menstruation.
Here are the top 10 ways to stop your period early.
Contents
If You Want Your Period To Come Sooner Or Later Than Usual Your Only Option Is To Manipulate It With Certain Types Of Hormonal Birth Control
First, an important disclaimer: Birth control, like any medication, should be taken as directed by the prescribing information and your doctor. If youre interested in messing with your birth control in order to change your period in some way, thats something you should talk to your doctor about, because it will likely vary depending on a few specific factors. Below, we spoke with several experts about how birth control can be used to change your period, but this information should not be considered a substitute for personalized medical advice. Its always smart to talk to your doctor about your unique situation before messing around with your birth control method, especially if its your primary method of pregnancy prevention. This particularly applies if you’re new to taking the pill. “I probably would counsel folks who have just started the pill not to do these manipulations just because they aren’t experienced and may well forget pills or get disorganized,” Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology and reproductive sciences at Yale Medical School, tells SELF.
But Regular Or Irregular Sometimes You Want Your Period To Just Hurry The Eff Up And Get Here
First things first: Ask yourself why you’re so eager for your period to show up in the first place. If it’s because you’ve got a vacation planned, sorry, but you’re sh*t out of luck.
Yes, a quick internet search will turn up a long list of remedies claiming to induce your period: vitamin C supplements, aspirin, ginger, turmeric, parsley tea, relaxation techniques, sex or a warm compress or bath, to name but a few. But while youll probably be able to find someone who can anecdotally attest to each of these methods doing the trick, the science is just flat-out not there.
There is simply no scientific data which shows that any of these methods will induce your period, says Davood. In fact, Davood advises against trying to make your period come faster without first being evaluated by a qualified professional.
But, if you’re waiting for your period to make its entrance because it’s been MIA for a few months , then your doctor might be able to help.
There are some hormonal medications that can be used to induce menses, but these should only be used if they are deemed necessary by your physician in very specific situations, she says.
Take someone with PCOS, for example-their physician may prescribe a medication to induce a period for health purposes: “We may consider inducing a cycle as prolonged periods without a menses may increase risks of abnormal thickening of the lining,” says Davood. But again, this is something that needs to be discussed with your ob-gyn
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When To See Your Doctor
If the early period persists and you are in serious pain or discomfort, you must visit your gynecologist. Also, if you have had a history of a miscarriage, consult your doctor for immediate medical help.
We now know the basic facts regarding getting an early period. Let us move on to explore the natural methods of inducing an early period.
Your Periods Have Stopped
Periods coming to a halt is not at all an abnormal issue. As women age, their menstrual cycle gets disturbed and eventually, they stop ovulating altogether, but the age of the woman matters a lot.
Stopping ovulation at the age of 30 is a far more serious issue than stopping ovulation at the age of 50. If you have stopped getting periods at an early age, you should definitely consult a doctor for advice and remedies.
In the case of women athletes, exercising is the primary cause of periods getting delayed or missed.
Exercising increases the levels of Androgen and Testosterone hormones and reduces the levels of estrogen and progesterone hormones in women. Due to their reduction, women stop getting periods.
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Pump The Brakes On Parsley
You may have come across parsley tea recipes to hasten menstruation. While the vitamin C and apiol content found in parsley may help stimulate uterine contractions, certain amounts of apiol are toxic and dangerous for pregnant women.
Parsley apiol in large doses can cause severe stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and even death.
Drink Plenty Of Water
Drinking a lot of water and other healthy fluids will help shorten your period as well as reduce discomforts, such as bloating and cramps. Water intake helps the fluids run faster through your body.
Also, drinking sufficient water improves the bodys metabolism and keeps you hydrated.
To help you figure out how much water you should be drinking, simply divide your current body weight by two. Thats how many ounces of water you should drink a day. For example, if you weigh 140 pounds, you should try to drink 70 ounces of water on a daily basis.
Drinking green tea, fresh fruit and vegetable juices, and coconut water are also good options to increase your fluid intake.
Stay away from caffeine, alcohol and carbonated drinks, which can be dehydrating and can cause menstrual problems.
Additional Tips
Resources:
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Fyi: You Definitely Dont Want To Play Around With Progestin
The progestin-only birth control pill doesnt contain estrogen so it really relies on progestin to thicken cervical mucus and thin the uterine lining to prevent pregnancy, according to the Mayo Clinic.
There are two reasons why you shouldnt try to work this period magic with the minipill. First, the minipill comes with 28 active days and no placebos. That means theres not even a placebo week for you to take earlier than scheduled to make your period arrive. Second, since the minipill doesnt have estrogen and also contains a lower dose of progestin than combined pills, you have to be really on top of taking your pills at the same time every day if you want your best odds of avoiding pregnancy, the Mayo Clinic says. That means you definitely shouldnt skip a week just to try to get your period earlieryoud be putting yourself at a huge risk of unintended pregnancy.
Warm Compress Or Bath
A warm bath can do wonders for relaxing tight muscles and relieving emotional stress. Perhaps this is the reason for anecdotal reports that this can help to bring on your period.
Try adding some relaxing scented oil to a bath for added effect. You could also try using a warm compress such as a hot water bottle by applying it to the abdomen.
The heat isnt only relaxing. It may also increase blood flow to the area, thus gently accelerating the menstrual cycle.
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Skip Your Placebo Week Of Oral Contraceptives
Some types of birth control pills come with three weeks of active pills and one week of placebo pills. If you skip the week of placebo pills and start a new pack of active pills, instead, then the hormones in the active pills will prevent you from bleeding that week.
However, it’s important to note that if this is your first time skipping a placebo week you may experience some irregular bleeding or light spotting, says Ross.
After two to three months of skipping your placebo week, you should see little to no spotting. Therefore, Ross recommends planning several months ahead if you know your period will coincide with a big upcoming occasion.
Moreover, you can get birth control pills in packs that last 28 days, 90 days, and even 365 days. That’s right, you can go a year without your period while on the pill.
“Being able to stop your period completely is one of the most beneficial side effects associated with the pill and it’s completely safe,” says Ross.
Get Up And Do Light Exercise
Another unexplained way to get your period started is exercise. It’s most likely due to blood flow and muscle contractions that come with simple exercises.
Keep in mind that too heavy of exercise can have the opposite effect, but a workout that’s slightly higher in intensity than what youre used to can get the blood circulating, reduce stress, and possibly even get your period started. Maybe consider yoga that targets blood flow to the pelvic region for an extra boost.
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Okay Weird Question: Can You Make Your Period Come Faster
Without fail, periods always seem to show up at the most inopportune times…like the day before you leave for a weeklong vacation.
In moments like those-you know, after you curse those menstrual goddesses-you might think, damn, if only I could will my period to come when I wanted it to. But, real talk, can you do that? It definitely sounds crazy, but is there any way to hurry things up if you want your period to come, like, now?
Herbs To Make Period Come Faster
Black hollyhock to induce menstruation is it a good method? Here, the answer is not as straightforward. Natural medicine points out numerous herbs that affect the length of menstruation, the amount of bleeding, and which relieve the perimenstrual symptoms. One of such herbs is the said black hollyhock flower.
This herb is said to be capable of making menstruation shorter or longer. Black hollyhock flower has estrogenic and antispasmodic effects. How to prepare a black hollyhock infusion? You can just take a spoon of dried black hollyhock flower and pour 1.5 glass of boiling water over it and wait half an hour, then boil the infusion for 3 minutes and wait 15 minutes for the infusion to cool down. Drink half a glass of the infusion three times a day for two weeks.
Antispasmodic effects on the uterine muscles, but also diastolic effects on the blood vessels are also demonstrated by other herbs, such as St Johns wort, common yarrow, ginger, and pot marigold. Father Grzegorz Sroka and Czesaw Klimuszko well-known monks specializing in herbalism recommended using herbal mixtures to induce menstruation, which consisted of rue leaves with painkilling, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic properties. Apart from rue, the mixture to make period come faster consists of:
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chamomile,
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St. Johns wort,
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pot marigold.
Father Grzegorz Sroka recommended infusing the mixture for 30 minutes and drinking the infusion before sleep.
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You Are Experiencing Excessive Pain During Your Periods
It is normal for women to experience body aches and headaches during their periods. However, sometimes, the pain can be so intense that they are not able to do their daily activities.
Body pains are caused due to uterine contractions during periods. If you experience excessive pain during periods, and you consult a doctor, he or she will most likely give you Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs .
These drugs curtail the production of prostaglandin hormone by our bodies that cause uterine contractions. Thus when uterine contractions stop, women are relieved of body pains during their periods.
Is It Okay To Skip My Period With A Pill
According to studies, there are no additional risks associated with using a pill to suppress menstrual periods .
In a national survey conducted by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, nearly 100 percent of female obstetricians-gynecologists said menstrual suppression was safe for their patients. However, no long-term studies have been conducted to investigate the safety of repeatedly skipping the period. Medical consequences can take longer to emerge and/or require a larger population sample size.
Three benefits of skipping periods with the pill include:
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Why Your Period Might Be Mia
The typical menstrual cycle is 21 to 35 days. In a nutshell, menstruation happens when your body sheds its uterine lining.
That lining is packed with nutrients, so when youre pregnant, your body holds onto it to nourish the fetus. If an egg isnt fertilized during a cycle, the body flushes it out along with the unused uterine tissue.
If your period is late, there are several possible explanations, including:
- stress
- menopause
- pregnancy
If you havent had a period by age 16 or have missed three or more periods, you may have whats called amenorrhea.
The most common cause of secondary amenorrhea is pregnancy.
Take Your Birth Control
If youre on the pill, you can manipulate when youll get your period and when you wont. According to Dr. Valerie French, if you want to get your period sooner, then just switch to your placebo pills. If you want to skip your period all together, go straight into the hormonal pills instead of taking your placebos the week youre supposed to take them. While this might throw your period for a bit of a loop during the next month, as it will mess with your 28-day schedule, as long as you keep track and are armed with panty liners for possible accidents, youll be fine. You shouldnt have to have an important event or holiday ruined because you have your period and all the possible side effects that come with having it: cramps, bloating, irritation, and the rest of it.
But its worth noting that when you do switch around your pills, there can be other side effects. Jumping to placebo earlier than planned could lead to headaches, Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi, an OB/GYN based in Los Angeles, tells Bustle. This is because pills that contain estrogen keep your hormones at a certain level, so when theyre taken away headaches and mood swings can possibly follow. But thats a small price to pay so you dont have your period while backpacking through Indonesia.
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Get A Prescription For Birth Control Pills
Birth control pills are probably the most effective way to take control of your cycle and decide when to have your periods.
If you go to the doctor for a menstrual issue, this is most likely going to be the first thing they mention about controlling your cycle. Plus, this method can make the periods you do have lighter, and the cramps way more tolerable.
However, to control pregnancy effectively, you have to be very committed to taking the active pills when prescribed. Even just taking it an hour late can result in spotting or pregnancy, depending on the pill.
Taking too many packs in a row can result in unpredictable spotting. Be sure to get to know your body and the pill once you start so you know how it affects you and whether or not this is the right choice for your body.
Everybody is different, and you may have a bit of trial and error before you find the routine that works best for your cycle.
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