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Sometimes that monthly reminder that everything is as it should be is completely inconvenient. So, why do women want to avoid having their period, how should you go about taking medication for period delay and what are the risks involved?
We’ve all been there, and it can be for any reason, from your outfit choice for a big night out or a holiday. A special occasion, like your wedding, is a day plenty of women would really rather not have their period. Maybe you have a long camping trip or a couple of months backpacking?
Other people find that having their period makes it difficult to concentrate so during those busy exam times at school and university it’s handy to avoid your period. Big sports tournaments are another time that plenty of women would rather not have their periods. Women who are working in a difficult environment, like offshore or at sea might prefer not have their period.
Even women in more extreme environments like the Arctic or Antarctic or even up in Space all might avoid having a period. For most of us, it’s for more everyday reasons, but it doesn’t matter what the reason is as they are all valid.
There are a few ways that you can avoid having your period. One way is if you are taking certain types of contraceptive pills you can take two packets back to back to avoid your period. You need to be taking what is known as a combined pill.
If you are taking a pill that has active and inactive pills, you will need to only take the active pills then throw away the inactive pills going straight onto the next packet of active pills. Unfortunately, if you are taking Progestogen-only pills, you cannot delay your period by taking two packets back to back.
There is medication that you can take that will delay your period. Known as Norethisterone, it is a hormone that will delay your period until 2 or 3 days after you stop taking the medication. You take Norethisterone three times a day starting 4 or 5 days before your period is due to begin.
Delaying your period should only be done occasionally, and you should speak to your doctor or pharmacist if you have any queries. There are side effects from taking two packets of the combined pill back to back. Many women will experience a small amount of vaginal bleeding, and you can also experience tummy pains and bloat.
When transferring to the combined contraceptive pill, you need to take it for several weeks before using it for period delay. If you have had blood clot before, then you should avoid taking Norethisterone. Side effects from taking Norethisterone can include headaches, nausea, bloating, breast tenderness, mood swings and disruption to your sex drive.
Delaying your period is something that should only be done occasionally, and the effectiveness of medications to do this can vary between women. Sometimes delaying your period is useful but you should be mindful of the side effects of doing so as they do include vaginal bleeding which is what you’re trying to avoid.