Which Way Is Right For Me
If you want to cut down on the number of periods you have per year, then experts suggest standard birth control pills, patches, or the vaginal ring. To stop your period long-term, birth control shots, long-term pills, and the IUD typically work best. Speak with your doctor about it. Youâll work together to figure out which method is best for you.
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Remember: Everyones Cycle Is Different
No two menstrual cycles are exactly the same. Some periods can last one day while others last a week, and the time in between periods can vary too.
The average cycle lasts 28 days however, this doesnt mean that something is wrong if yours doesnt last that long.
Cycles can range in length from around 21 days to as long as 35 days.
Cycles shorter than 21 days typically signal that ovulation may have occurred earlier than normal or not at all.
Cycles longer than 35 days indicate that ovulation isnt occurring or its occurring irregularly.
A period thats longer than 7 days can also signal that ovulation hasnt occurred.
Now that you know the basics, youre probably wondering whats causing your period to be longer than usual. There are many different plausible causes, and theyre typically manageable.
How To Thin Your Endometrial Lining
Dieting and regular exercise can be hard habits to stick with. Good thing there are much easier, quicker, and more effective ways to try to shorten your period than changing your diet or activity level.
The most common approach many people take is to add in some additional hormones, usually in the form of hormonal birth control. Methods such as birth control pills, hormonal IUDs, the contraceptive implant, the birth control shot, patch, and ring all reduce the thickness of your endometrial lining.
One out of every five women with a progesterone IUD will stop having periods altogether within the first six months to one year. Other women choose to take only the active birth control pills and skip the placebo weeks when they would normally have a period. Even without skipping the placebo week, people taking birth control pills have lighter and shorter periods. Remember that none of these hormonal changes from birth control are permanent within 1-2 cycles of stopping most hormonal contraceptive methods, people will return to their normal flow and cycle length.
Social media, clean living, and holistic nutritional websites overflow with suggestions for particular foods, supplements, or herbal remedies that claim to make your period end faster. Unfortunately, more intensive scientific studies either have not been done or are inconclusive. Some of the more frequently recommended foods or supplements to try are:
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Birth Control Options Galore
Birth control isnt just for keeping your eggo not preggo. Hormonal birth control helps regulate your cycle. In addition to easing cramps and other messy menstrual symptoms, it helps shorten the duration of your period.
Some hormonal options, like the Depo-Provera shot, can stop your period for months at a time. Keep in mind, it can take a few months for the full effect to kick in. Definitely talk to your doctor about whats best for you.
Is It Safe To Make Your Period Shorter Or End Faster
It depends on how you try to make your period shorter or end faster. For most healthy, young menstruating people, using hormonal birth control is a safe and effective way to shorten their cycles or lighten their flow.
The other strategies or hacks suggested here are also safe for most people who menstruate who are otherwise healthy. You just might not see dramatic enough results to justify the effort it took to brew your own turmeric ginger tea three times a day for example. Trying to restrict your food intake or start an intense exercise plan in order to lose weight with the end goal of making your period shorter is not safe.
Amy Harris is a certified nurse-midwife with more than a decade of clinical experience in reproductive health clinics, hospitals, and private OB/GYN practices. Amy holds a Masters of Science in Maternal and Child Health from Harvard School of Public Health and completed her nursing and midwifery training at Yale School of Nursing and Boston University School of Public Health. Passionate about empowering women through health education, Amy puts her public health training to work as a dedicated womens health writer.
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How To Stop A Period Permanently
To permanently stop a period, you can have a surgical procedure to have your uterus removed, known as a hysterectomy. There is also a procedure that removes an internal part of the uterus, known as an endometrial ablation.
These procedures are permanent and therefore its important for a gynecologist to assess which method is best for you.
What Factors Influence How Long Your Period Lasts
It may take our bodies a couple of years after our first period to develop a regular, predictable menstrual cycle. Once-established, your cycle length remains pretty constant. The drivers of your cycle length are:
- Whether or not you are using any hormonal birth control
- Your body mass index or body composition
- Your physical activity level
- Your diet and nutrition
A note here about body weight, body size, BMI, and periods. It is true that people who have larger bodies and more body fat have heavier periods. This is because the fat cells in your body can make estrogen. Estrogen stimulates the growth of your uterine lining. So, the more fat cells a person has in their body, the more estrogen they have in their blood, the thicker the endometrium they grow each month, and the heavier or longer their periods.
It is not true, however, that if a person who menstruates loses weight, their periods will automatically shorten or become lighter. In fact, if a person severely restricts their food intake or begins an extremely-intense exercise regime, they stop having periods altogether .
Talk with a doctor, midwife, nutritionist, and even an exercise trainer to learn more about what might be the ideal weight, diet, and exercise routine to optimize your menstrual health. While losing some weight might shorten your period slightly, starting a crash diet or signing up for a marathon is not a quick, easy, or guaranteed way to spend fewer days menstruating.
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Who Should Consider Menstrual Suppression
Any girl, teen or young woman with menstrual periods can consider using medication to safely reduce or stop their periods. Sometimes doctors suggest menstrual suppression for medical reasons like heavy periods, painful periods or endometriosis. Menstrual suppression can also help with other medical conditions that may get worse during menstrual periods such as headaches, seizures, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and chronic pain.
Young women with physical or developmental disabilities may prefer to not have periods if personal hygiene is difficult. Finally, some may choose to have fewer or no menstrual periods because it is their personal preference to not experience menstrual bleeding each month.
Eating And Drinking Differently
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Can Anything Stop Your Period Once It Starts
Once a period has started, it is not possible to stop it. Some home methods may help reduce the amount of bleeding that occurs for a short time, but they will not stop the period altogether. People who are interested in preventing their period for medical or personal reasons should talk with their doctor.
Which vinegar stops your period?
Drink one tsp of apple cider vinegar mixed in water daily for 10 days before your periods to delay them. Drinking apple cider vinegar has so many benefits and some of the few involve getting rid of excess fat and toxins from the body.
Can I eat chips on my period?
Foods containing a high amount of sodium should also be avoided during the monthly menstrual cycle. Taking food containing a high amount of sodium can make the bloating and water retention in your body even worse. Stay away from chips and french fries.
How can I end my period in 4 days?
4 ways to end your periods faster, naturally!
How To Have Sex During Your Period
If none of the ways on how to stop your period to have sex works, since the ways offered above are not guaranteed, you may want to look for alternative methods, such as having sex whilst on your period. If this is your choice, the following suggests will be needed.
1. Talk to Your Partner
It takes two to tango, so you need to make sure your partner is happy with having sex while you are on your period. Talk about the issues before hand and make sure you are both acceptable and comfortable with the idea. Only go ahead if both of you feel you really want to. Of course, being on your period does not have to stop you and your partner from engaging in other, non-penetrative sexual activities.
2. Know Its Safe
Many people feel a bit strange about having sex while on their period, thinking it might be dangerous or dirty. This stigma comes mainly from religions, but actually, while it can be a little messier than normal, having sex while on your period is perfectly natural and safe. There is no medical reason to prevent you from having sex while on your period.
3. Know the Benefits
4. Minimize the Mess
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Treatment Options: Can You Fix Irregular Periods
If stress is a possible culprit in your irregular cycle, try stress management techniques, such as meditation, yoga, tai chi, visualization, cognitive behavioral therapy, and biofeedback. Avoid over-exercising, and try not to diet excessively. If you need help figuring out whats best for you, contact a registered dietitian. For all medical issues, consult your healthcare professional.
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S Of Menstrual Suppression
| What to expect after the first 3-6 months | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pill | Take 1 pill every day |
|
| Vaginal ring | ||
|
||
| Doctor places inside the uterus IUD works for 5 years |
|
|
| Doctor places under skin of arm implant works for 3 years |
|
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How Can I Stop Prolonged Periods Naturally
Heavy periods may be a sign of some underlying health condition. You must consult your doctor if you get prolonged or heavy periods or if there is a sudden increase in blood loss during your periods. Quite often, heavy and prolonged periods may be a result of nutritional deficiencies. There are a few home remedies for a heavy period. However, you should consult with your doctor before trying any of these remedies. Most of these remedies lack medical or scientific evidence. Some home remedies for managing prolonged periods include
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Drink Red Raspberry Leaf Tea
Raspberry Leaf is said to help ease heavy menstrual bleeding while improving egg qualityso its a win-win for the present and the future.
It contains something called fragarine, an alkaloid found in raspberries, which is known to help tone and tighten muscles in the pelvic region .
The tea is also high in tannins which is believed to strengthen the uterus and reduce heavy and irregular bleeding during your cycle.
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Is It Safe To Skip Periods Forever
Like most medical decisions, choosing a treatment to stop periods requires some cost/benefit analysis.
There are risks and side effects for the medications listed above. These include:
People who dont want to use hormonal treatments or are looking to stop periods with a single procedure may choose a surgical option like endometrial ablation or hysterectomy.
Is It Safe To Stop Your Period
There are some studies being done on reducing the amount of periods a woman has in a year from once per month to once every four months. This can be beneficial for women who experience debilitating symptoms with their period, like cramps, heavy bleeding, and fatigue, which can arguably improve a womans quality of life.
However, all the outcomes of having less periods are still not completely known. Menstruation serves to shed endometrial cells from the uterine lining each month, and delaying or reducing the frequency of this process on a regular basis may have negative health effects in women.
Therefore, it is best to adhere to a monthly period and to skip it only for special occasions, like a wedding or athletic event.
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Downsides Of Delaying Your Period
Some of the natural methods for delaying a period can cause side effects. Lemon juice and ACV may irritate sensitive tissues in your mouth and throats. They can also weaken enamel on your teeth. Gelatin and gram lentils may cause bloating and discomfort in your stomach.
Both natural and chemical remedies for delaying a period may not work. If they dont, you could have a period anyway. Irregular bleeding or spotting might also happen, even when theres not a full period.
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Is It Safe To Stop Or Shorten Your Period
In most cases, using these strategies to help stop or shorten your period every now and then is safe. But if your periods are heavy and you experience other uncomfortable symptoms such as painful cramps its probably a good idea to visit a health care provider.
There are certain underlying health conditions that could cause longer periods, and its important to receive a medical evaluation so these conditions can be ruled out.
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Phases Of The Menstrual Cycle
Understanding your menstrual cycle, and where your period falls within it, can help you better anticipate and prepare for your monthly cycle.
The menstrual cycle has four phases, beginning with the menstrual phase, when your period occurs. The four phases are as follows:
- menstrual phase
Tracking your period can help you follow your cycle more closely.
Dont You Wish Your Periods Could Be Shorter And Lighter Well It Can Be Made Possible
Every month as you deal with cramps during periods, all you want is for the dreaded five days to pass in a blur. But not every wish comes true, right? Wrong. While its not practically possible to put on a fast-forward mode, you can make your periods end faster than usual.
Here are 4 simple ways to do that:
Exercise regularly
According to a report published in LiveStrong, exercise can have a significant impact on your menstrual cycle. By keeping fit and maintaining a regular exercise routine, you may shorten and lighten your menstrual flow. Moreover, its going to make your period cramps go away. It also reduces stress, and even alleviates mood, because of the release of happy hormones called endorphins.
Bank on vitamin C
According to a report published in the blog Menstrual Cycle Calculator, If you take this vitamin in right amount, it can reduce the level of progesterone inside your uterus and help to shed the walls of your uterus a lot quicker. This will help to end your menstrual cycle faster than normal. However, make sure you drink lots of water and consult a doctor before taking in large doses of vitamin C.
Have Lots of Sex
Use sanitary napkins instead of tampons
So there you go ladies, happy periods!
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What Are The Options For Using An Iud For Menstrual Suppression
The progestin-containing IUD is a common choice for menstrual suppression and there are two different options for how we can place it. The first and most common option is to insert it during a procedure in the office. For this type of insertion, your doctor would first perform a pelvic exam, then place the IUD inside the uterus. Before choosing to have an IUD placed in the clinic, we explain the IUD insertion procedure and let you decide whether youre comfortable doing it this way. Patients usually experience some cramping and moderate discomfort during the procedure, and cramps may continue for several hours to follow.
Another option for IUD placement is to have it done while you are asleep, under anesthesia, in our procedure or operating room. Placing an IUD under anesthesia greatly reduces and usually eliminates any pain or cramps typically associated with the procedure done in the office. When the patient wakes up after the procedure, they may have some moderate cramping or none at all. A procedure to insert an IUD under anesthesia is scheduled for a specific date and time by our surgery scheduling team. With advance notice, we are often able to coordinate with other services, such as dental cleaning or MRI tests.