There are many reasons why you might want to delay or stop your period altogether. No matter how predictable your period is, there are times when having your period can be embarrassing.
Although some women advocate taking salt water, vinegar water or ibuprofen to try to stop or delay their period, there is currently no scientific evidence of its effectiveness. of these methods.
Nevertheless, it is possible to delay your period with some forms of hormonal birth control (pill, implant, injection or IUD) but that's about all that will actually have an effect on your menstrual cycle.
How To Delay Your Period With Hormonal Contraception?
Stopping your period is mainly based on birth control methods that use hormones. No method can completely delay your period since potential breakthrough bleeding or white discharge before period can always occur.
The taking of some hormonal contraceptives can help delay menstruation:
- oral contraceptive pill
- Intrauterine device (IUD)
- Hormonal injection
- contraceptive patch
- Contraceptive vaginal ring
- contraceptive implant
Solutions To Delay Menstruation With Hormones
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Birth Control Pills
To not trigger your period, it is possible to delay or prevent menstruation with prolonged or continuous use of any estrogen-progestogen combined birth control pill. Combined birth control pills are the most common method of delaying your cycle. When you take birth control pills, you can delay your period for a full cycle so you don't have a period for a month.
To do this, you need to take two packs of pills, one after the other, that is, you just take one pill from the new pack immediately after finishing the previous one. By taking two strips in succession, without taking a break, your period will not start. Estrogen and progesterone levels will remain elevated, preventing the lining of the uterus from shedding.
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Continuous Use Contraceptive Pill
The continuous use birth control pill keeps you off your period for several months because it keeps progesterone and estrogen levels high and prevents the lining of the uterus from coming loose. Taking birth control pills isn't the only way to delay your period. Other options can be considered.
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Intrauterine device (IUD)
An intrauterine device or IUD is inserted directly into the uterus. The release of hormones helps prevent a possible pregnancy by preventing sperm from reaching and fertilizing the eggs. The use of an intrauterine device leads to a reduction in the frequency and volume of periods, or even a no rules (amenorrhea). This is a preferred method in the case of very profuse periods.
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Hormonal Injection
The hormonal injection is a hormonal contraceptive method that contains only one hormone, progesterone (no estrogen). The injection of progesterone, which must be repeated every 3 months, helps prevent pregnancy from occurring by inhibiting ovulation.
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The Contraceptive Patch
The contraceptive patch works by releasing hormones daily. The contraceptive patch must be renewed on the skin once a week for 3 weeks. The fourth week is usually without a patch to trigger menstruation. To prolong the cycle and delay menstruation, a new patch can be applied directly during the fourth week.
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The Vaginal Ring
A vaginal ring is a flexible ring placed in the vagina for 3 weeks. The vaginal ring releases a combination of hormones (estrogen and progestin) which aims to block ovulation. At the start of the 4rd week, the ring must be removed, which causes the onset of menstruation. To delay menstruation, simply skip the hormone-free week and insert a new ring immediately.
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The contraceptive implant
L'contraceptive implant is a small rod placed under the skin of the arm by a gynecologist. The contraceptive implant releases progesterone which increases the thickness of the mucous membrane and stops ovulation. It is generally effective for 3 years.
Why Isn't It Possible To Stop Periods That Have Already Started?
It is not possible to stop a period that has already started since the process of eliminating the uterine lining has already started. This process occurs towards the end of the menstrual cycle, when estrogen and progesterone levels drop, causing the lining of the uterus to shed, causing the bleeding that occurs during menstruation.
How to Delay Periods Naturally?
Personalized menstrual cramps, mood swings, headaches or rashes, having your period can often be quite uncomfortable. Although hormonal contraception remains the best solution to delay your period, there are foods, natural techniques and even grandmother's recipes to delay your period for a while. Although these methods are safe, they have not been scientifically studied. Therefore, their effectiveness remains to be demonstrated.
Solutions to delay your period without medication
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Cider vinegar
Although there isn't much scientific evidence that apple cider vinegar can delay your period, it is the new star of holistic health. It is known to regulate blood flow during menstruation. A recent study suggests it may also help restore ovarian function in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). But this study actually found that apple cider vinegar could promote regular menstruation instead of inhibiting it.
Vinegar being a very acidic food, ingesting too much is not very pleasant for the mouth and throat. If you want to try, be sure to dilute it in water instead of drinking it straight.
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Lemon juice
Thanks to its acidity comparable to apple cider vinegar, lemon juice is recognized as a natural way to delay menstruation. It would also make it possible to facilitate the circulation of the blood or to relieve the possible complications related to the rules by attenuating, for example, premenstrual syndrome pain that some women know. Nevertheless, do not forget that excessive consumption of citrus fruits or acids can lead to deterioration of the gums, teeth, irritate your stomach or intestines.
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Lentils
Consuming lentils in the days before your period could also help you to delay your period. You can also buy lentil flour to consume the powder in a smoothie or soup. However, consuming a large amount of fiber can cause stomach upset, flatulence, bloated stomach or bloating.
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Gelatin
A mixture of a sheet of gelatin and a little water would help delay the onset of menstruation. This is a Chinese technique to delay menstruation from a few hours to several days. This technique consists of slowing down the menstrual cycle to postpone the rules.
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To exercise
Intense physical exercise could delay the onset of menstruation. Women practicing a sports activity or making an effort in the days preceding their period would have noticed a late period. This would be due to low energy availability. When your body has used a large part of its energy to play sports and recuperate, then it would no longer have sufficient resources to start the menstrual cycle.
Either way, if you want to delay your period or even stop it altogether, it's best to talk to your gynecologist or doctor so they can advise you on the best course of action.
