Ways To Decrease Menstrual Flow
Many of our USC Fertility patients ask me if there are ways to decrease their menstrual flow. Here are some tips to help get you started:
1. Ibuprofen Ibuprofen is one of several medications classified as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug . These drugs work by reducing your bodys production of inflammatory elements called prostaglandins. Prostaglandins have important actions on the blood vessels in the inner lining of the uterus, thereby affecting the amount of bleeding that occurs during a menstrual period.
Using an NSAID at the time of a period can decrease the amount of bleeding by 20-40%, and sometimes by even more if a woman normally has very heavy periods. NSAIDs also work great for relieving menstrual cramps.
2. Birth Control PillsEven if you do not need to take the pill for birth control, a great advantage of the pill is the reduction in heavy menstrual bleeding.
Birth control pills contain two hormonesestrogen and progesteronethat are similar to the hormones your body normally produces throughout the menstrual cycle. The progesterone part of the pill thins the inner lining of the uterus, which results in up to 40% less bleeding during the menstrual period. There is also the option to take continuous birth control pills, which can reduce the frequency of your periods to once every 3 months or even once a year!
Is It Safe To Try And Stop Your Period
Whether its for a week, a month or even long-term, its possible to stop your period.
Some people want to stop or delay their period because of special events like a wedding or honeymoon. For others, the desire to stop their period stems from a medical reason like:
- Heavy bleeding.
- Uterine fibroids.
While its safe to stop your period, remember that your body is normally on a cycle, which ranges from 21 to 35 days. And it all has to do with hormones.
Estrogen is the hormone that makes tissue build up in your uterus, which provides a nice cushiony lining for a pregnancy to implant, says Dr. Jhaveri. If you dont get pregnant, that tissue needs to shed, and thats your period. After you ovulate, another hormone, progesterone, is released and helps to keep you pregnant. But if you dont get pregnant that cycle, the progesterone goes away and thats when the period comes.
That decrease in progesterone causes your uterus sheds its lining, which results in a period.
If you can prolong the progesterone, thats the most effective way to stop your period, says Dr. Jhaveri. Youre faking your body into thinking youre pregnant.
Is It Safe To Reduce Heavy Period Flow With Ibuprofen
First and foremost, touch base with your doc to make sure it’s safe for you to take high doses of ibuprofenfor any reason. Once you get that OK, the recommended dose to reduce heavy period flow is between 600 and 800 mg of ibuprofen once a day , starting on the first day of bleeding. This daily dose can be continued for four or five days, or until menstruation stops, says Dr. Lewin.
Keep in mind: Ibuprofen won’t totally eliminate period blood flow, and the research backing the method is super limited. A 2013 review of studies assessing the management of heavy menstrual bleeding, published in the medical journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, suggests that taking NSAIDs may reduce bleeding by 28 to 49 percent for those who experience a heavy period flow . A more recent review published online in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews found that NSAIDs are “modestly effective” at reducing heavy menstrual bleeding, noting that other medicines commonly used to alleviate heavy period flowincluding IUDs, tranexamic acid , and danazol are “more effective.” So, while taking ibuprofen to reduce heavy period flow isn’t necessarily a foolproof method, it could be a good option for those who experience occasional heavy menstrual bleeding and cramping.
Also Check: 90 Probationary Period Employment Form
Q: Is This Something Youd Recommend To Patients
A: I have not seen this proposed in any medical journals, and I would not advise patients to try this on their own.
If you want to delay your period, your doctor can instead prescribe the hormones progesterone or estrogen, or a combination of the two. Some formulations can delay a period by a couple of weeks others for only a few days, depending on your needs.
Other options include birth control medications that suppress periods for a couple of months.
A non-hormonal medicine is also available. However, it only decreases blood flow by about 50%.
Tips How To Delay Periods For Few Days Naturally At Home
Menstruation is a natural phenomenon occurring every month in every lady between the ages of 15 and 50. This physical condition makes them different from male. However, during the periods, different women face different levels of pain and other problems. Actually, there are many occasions when you and other women wish to delay periods for few days. And, in this article, Healthy Guide will show you some of the natural ways on how to delay periods for a few days that you can consider applying at home.
- How to Prevent Miscarriage Naturally in Early Pregnancy 41 Tips/ List Of 30 Healthy Food For Pregnant Women During Pregnancy
List Of 36 Natural Ways On How To Delay Periods At Home Naturally:
The following remedies are natural and do not cause any side effects. However, an excessive use of these remedies could lead to an imbalance in your menstrual cycle therefore, it is not recommended. Also, you should consult a physician before applying any of these techniques to postpone your periods.
You May Like: Primosiston To Stop Period
How To Make Your Period End Faster
It is never easy for women to deal with their period, which often makes you look for ways to stop or even shorter the periods. It is obvious that your plans to travel, have sex, or even participate in sports will suffer a lot if you have your period. Even if you’re staying at home, it is quite annoying to deal with unpleasantness that comes with menstruation, such as back discomfort, cramping and headaches. No matter what makes you think about ending or shortening your period, the good thing is that you can actually find many answers to how to make your period end faster.
Very Heavy Menstrual Flow
When periods are very heavy or you are experiencing flooding or passing big clots you have what doctors call menorrhagia. The purpose of this article is to define normal and very heavy menstrual bleeding, to explain what causes heavy flow, and to show what you yourself can do in dealing with heavy flow.
This, and the article called Managing MenorrhagiaEffective Medical Treatments for your doctor or health care provider, are to help you avoid surgeries for heavy flow (
You May Like: Brown Stuff Instead Of Period
How Can I Find The Right Solution For Me
Different women experience their periods differently, and the amount of menstrual blood they lose can vary naturally from month to month. But the amount of stress caused by heavy periods can only be determined by the woman herself: Whereas some women who have heavy periods may not think its a big problem, others already feel very uncomfortable with less heavy periods.
Its important to first have a doctor look for possible causes of the heavy periods. In most cases you can then take your time to decide whether to start treatment and consider which of the treatment options is right for you. If you’re not sure, it may be a good idea to get a second medical opinion especially if a hysterectomy has been recommended. Our decision aid may help here. It briefly summarizes the main pros and cons of the different treatments.
When To Worry About Your Menstrual Flow
How long your period lasts or the amount of your flow can change over the course of your lifetime. Most of the time these changes are nothing to worry about, but you might want to check in with your gyno if you notice any of the following:
- Flow so heavy that you are changing a tampon or pad every hour, for several hours at a time, or having to change your large menstrual cup much frequently.
- Bleeding for longer than 8 days every menstrual cycle
- Having heavy periods and noticing signs of iron deficiency anemia
- Bleeding or spotting irregularly, in between your periods
- Bleeding after sex, especially if sex is also painful
- Skipping periods and having longer cycles
It is normal to have some change cycle to cycle and also over time as you age in the amount of flow and how long your period lasts. There are, however, several health conditions like PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids, pelvic inflammatory disease , and blood clotting disorders that can cause heavy, long periods. Talk with a healthcare provider about whether or not they think you should be tested for any of the conditions. Your menstrual health is an important part of your overall well-being. Use a menstrual cup to help you stay on top of what is normal for your body.
Recommended Reading: New Hire 90 Day-probationary Period Template
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.
Can You Stop Or Shorten Your Period
Many women may want to shorten their periods or stop them altogether because they experience painful periods. If your pain is so bad that it stops you from completing normal daily tasks then you dont have to live with it, you can talk to your GP about your period symptoms. They may be able to offer you advice and treatment to help relieve your symptoms. There are many ways that you can skip, shorten or stop your periods, whether you chose to take medication or try a more natural way.
Recommended Reading: Period Blood Stains On Sheets
I Tried To Speed Up My Period And This Is How It Went
Do you ever have one of those months where the week that your period comes is incredibly inconvenient? Well, it feels like every month for me. But this month was particularly inconvenient for because I was visiting the guy that Im dating and obviously I needed to not be on my period for that. In an attempt to make my period happen faster so that I would be blood-free when I visited, I tried all the make your period go faster tricks that Google produced. My period usually lasts the full seven days, so that meant I needed to knock off two days so that I wouldnt be bleeding when I went home. The methods that I tried included: exercising, using heat pads and taking hot baths, masturbating, taking Advil or Ibuprofen, and using pads instead of tampons. I rated each method under the description of how it went based on accessibility, time consumption, ease, and obviously how well it worked. Heres how my week went!
1. Exercising
Rating: 9/10
2. Heat
Rating: 7/10
3. Masturbating
Rating: 10/10
4. Taking blood thinners
Rating: 9/10
5. Not using a tampon
Rating: 8.5/10
There you have it. The not-so-crazy things that I did to see if I could shorten my period. Remember if youre going to try anything to shorten your period make sure that you are doing it safely and after doing your research on the method. If youre wondering if I stopped bleeding in time for me to go home and see the guy Im dating, the answer is yes!
Take Time To Menstruate
Sure, it sounds corny to take a few days off from your usual life just to sit on the couch and bleed, but sometimes its just what your body needs. Susun Weed calls it Crones Time Away, and its all about acknowledging the changes your bodys going through. As you take time off from your usual routine or duties, make space to ponder the meaning of your fertility cycle and how its end will change you, for whether you will it or not change is coming. For me, that kind of time is bittersweet. I relish the time when my life is no longer dominated by the hormonal ups and downs of fertility, yet I grieve the passing of my child-bearing years just as well. Flooding, as much as I wish Id never experienced it, gives me time and reason to acknowledge my grief then tip the emotional scales in the direction of moving into my Elder Years free of regrets over what might have been.
Don’t Miss: Usaa Grace Period
Reasons To Stop Your Period
During menstruation, your breast may feel tender. You may also notice bloating around your abdomen or mood swings. Other symptoms will include acne, cramping, and sleep issues.
With such symptoms, some people may choose not to have their period altogether. Medical experts say that there is no harm in skipping your period. Stopping your period, therefore, does not harm your general health or fertility.
So what are some of the reasons you would wish to stop your period? You might opt out of your monthly vaginal discharge if:
- Youre an athlete or are set to perform some strenuous activities
- You experience heavy flow
- You will need to change your gender, this is an example in cases where you are assigned a female birth, but that does not reflect your true gender identity.
- You h a ve serious condition such as endometriosis, a condition where the tissues lining your uterus grow outside. This may make your period painful.
- You are tired of buying a sanitary towel
- You would wish to stop premenstrual syndrome symptoms such as nausea, cramp and mood swings
- You simply do not want to have your periods!
How To Stop Periods Permanently
The period or menstruation cycle is normal and harmless. Your period is a natural way to cleanse your reproductive system. When occurring irregularly, it can be a sign of an underlying condition. Stopping your period permanently is a serious decision that needs lots of consideration. This is not to say that you cannot stop your period permanently.
If your reasons for stopping your period are not a medical emergency, then you might want to reconsider such a decision, especially for a young girl. You might opt for semi-permanent methods such as using contraceptives and other natural methods.
If you are, however certain that you would wish to stop your period permanently, then you can try the following:
You May Like: 90 Day Probationary Period Form