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Avoid Period Stress At Your Next Big Event – 3 Ways to Postpone Your Period
June 22, 2022
It can happen before a big event, graduation, holidays etc. when changing pads/ cups or tampons becomes more of a hassle than usual!
But what do you do when worried that mother nature or ‘Aunt Flo’ will visit you the night before or the morning of your wedding/event?
We know this is already a potentially stressful day, so in this post, we’ll share some ways you can ensure the only mums and aunties that turn up are those you invited.
If you want to be sure you will not have a period during your wedding/ honeymoon, the safest option requires months of planning ahead.
Yes, you can use a method that starts working within a few days that we will describe below, but it may not necessarily be the safest for you.
If having a period-free wedding (event) even means so much – thinking ahead is key!
We will describe hormonal methods here, so please remember that they do all have side effects:
But does Norethisterone have any harmful side effects?
Yes, have a look below – and please make sure you read the information leaflet before taking this drug.
Norethisterone may cause breast tenderness, headache, dizziness, dry mouth, nausea, or acne outbreaks in some women. In addition, it might affect your mood and sex drive! It can also increase the risk of developing a blood clot.
You should not use this drug if you are pregnant, have any form of liver disease, or have had a blood clot in the past.
There are a few other conditions which do not go well with this drug, so ONLY use this medicine after you have seen your doctor to discuss your medical background.
You can expect your period to resume within 2-3 days of stopping the drug.
So these are the hormonal methods you can use to postpone the period before a big event.
If you think ahead of time, you can get a method that will suit you – please make sure you check it is safe to use.
Now two questions related to intentionally delaying your period:
None of these methods causes any permanent effect on fertility. Using NET, your periods and fertility resume as soon as you stop.
The same applies to taking the pill back-to-back. However, the depo shot can delay fertility for some time, so please note this for when you are planning to fall pregnant.
If you are using or plan to use the depo shot, you may experience a delay in fertility for up to 12 months after stopping, so factor this in when choosing.
This is a popular thing in some places; I heard someone sharing how to stop a period within minutes simply by taking Ibuprofen mixed with Jelly.
So essentially, it is the Ibuprofen effect they are looking for, clearly not the jello!
It is NOT recommended for some reasons.
Firstly, while a high dose of Ibuprofen may lighten heavy bleeding, it may not be able to stop it completely. However, there are some drugs similar to Ibuprofen, i.e. not hormonal, that we do use to treat heavy menstrual bleeding. This is not the same as postponing the period.
Secondly, Ibuprofen does have serious side effects. It is not meant for everyone – e.g. Asthmatics or people with acid reflux disease, or kidney disease.
It can irritate the bowel or stomach lining, leading to bleeding from the gut. It can contribute to kidney failure if taken carelessly.
Therefore, please avoid using Ibuprofen in high doses for this purpose; follow the advice of your GP and the drug information leaflet!
More Reading
Sources
Editing by AskAwayHealth Team
Disclaimer
All AskAwayHealth articles are written by practising Medical Practitioners on a wide range of health care conditions to provide evidence-based guidance and to help promote quality health care. The advice in our material is not meant to replace the management of your specific condition by a qualified health care practitioner.
To discuss your condition, please contact a health practitioner or reach us directly here
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