How to Delay Your Period

Using Birth Control Pills and Hormones

Mark on your calendar the dates you wish to not have a period and then look ahead to see if you expect your period at this time. For people with regular menstrual cycles, or who are already on the pill, they should know pretty much exactly when their next period is coming. You can then determine if your menstrual cycle will occur on the days you don't want it to. If a conflict exists, don't worry as you can avoid having your period on that day, as long as you plan for it in advance! Note that for women with irregular menstrual cycles, it is not always possible to know in advance when your next period will occur.

Use birth control pills to delay your period. Most birth control pills come in packs of 21 active pills (containing hormones), followed by seven inactive pills (placebo or "sugar pills"). The pills are packaged this way to help keep you in your "routine" of taking one pill a day, while allowing a withdrawal bleed (a period) during the days of inactive pills. You are then instructed to repeat the cycle every month: 21 days of active pills, followed by seven days of inactive pills. However, if you have an important sporting event coming up, or a reason you want to delay your period, you can use your birth control pills to do so. Here's how: It is not required that you follow the exact routine of 21 active pills followed by seven inactive pills. The ratio of 21 to seven is quite arbitrary. It was meant to mimic a person's natural menstrual cycle of approximately 28 days, but it is by no means essential to follow this ratio all of the time.

Take the "active pills" for longer than 21 days. For the duration of time you are on the active pills, your body should not have a period. This works most of the time for most people. However, do not count on it being 100% effective as some women's bodies don't respond to such a "sudden" change in their birth control regimen. If it is a "last-minute realization" that you want to delay your period, your best bet is to keep taking the "active pills" all the way from day 21 through to when the event is over. Then stop the active pills and take the seven inactive pills to allow a withdrawal bleed. If you do this, most doctors advise to throw out the partially used pack of birth control pills (the pack you took the "extra" pills from to get you through to the important event). This way, you will not lose count in future cycles of using the birth control pill. The way the pills are packaged (normally with 21 active pills and seven inactive ones) is key for most women to keep track of how many pills they have taken and when they are supposed to take each kind.

Adjust your birth control regimen earlier. A more "certain" way to delay your period would be to begin adjusting your birth control regimen earlier — as in, a few months before the event for which you are trying to avoid having a period. If you make the switch earlier (by taking more active pills in an earlier month and then continuing the once a month routine), you body will have plenty of time to adjust to the change. To do this, you will need to look at your calendar well in advance. If, for instance, you notice that in four months you need to delay your period by 10 days, extend the length of time you are taking your active pills by 10 days during your current cycle, instead of just during the month you need to skip your period. Then take the seven inactive pills. By making the change a few months in advance (for instance, competitive athletes may do this if an important event like provincials or nationals is coming up) you give your body the very best chance of adjusting and of not having any period concerns on your big day.

Try extended-cycle birth control pills. If you're interested in skipping or delaying your period for longer periods rather than just a week or month, some birth control pills are designed to lengthen times between periods. Most of them give you a period once every three months rather than once a month. These methods are called continuous dosing or extended cycle. Extended cycle birth control pills are meant to be taken continuously for a period of weeks. Most brands are taken for 12 weeks at a time. Because this does alter your hormone balance (having a period once every three months rather than once a month), it is important to speak to your doctor to confirm that this is a healthy choice for you. Generally speaking, there should be no problem if you have been approved to take the birth control pill in the first place.

Ask your doctor for a norethisterone prescription. If you're not comfortable taking birth control pills or are unable to do so, your doctor can prescribe a hormone tablet called norethisterone. You take norethisterone pills three times a day in the days leading up to your period. Norenthisterone is a progesterone hormone. Progesterone levels drop in the time leading up to your period, causing the lining of the uterus to shed and your period to begin. Keeping the levels high before your period can delay or stop menstruation. Side effects may include bloating, upset stomach, breast discomfort, and reduced sex drive.

Consider a progestin intrauterine device (IUD). If you know well in advance that you want to skip your period, you may want to talk to your doctor about a progestin IUD. Your doctor will insert the IUD — a small, plastic t-shaped device —into your uterus. The IUD will release progestin and may lead to your period being lighter or may stop it completely. IUDs last five to seven years.

Taking Precautions

Discuss any changes to your lifestyle with a doctor. If you're going to be altering your existing birth control plan or workout routine, always talk to your doctor ahead of time. For instance, it's usually safe to manipulate how you take your birth control to delay your period. However, you should ask your doctor about occasionally delaying your period when you are prescribed birth control, and see if they think it's safe for you given your health and medical history.

Make sure you're protected against pregnancy. Delaying your period is not a means to guard against pregnancy. Unless you are on birth control pills or have a device like an IUD, you are not protected against pregnancy because you managed to miss or delay your menstrual period. Use protection (like condoms) and know the common signs of pregnancy. If you deliberately delay or miss a period, it may be harder to tell if you're pregnant as a missed period is usually the first sign. Pregnancy can also be marked by breast tenderness, fatigue, and nausea. Watch for signs of pregnancy and take a pregnancy test if you have any symptoms.

Use protection for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Skipping the inactive pills if you're on a 28-day pack should not decrease the overall effectiveness of your existing birth control. However, birth control pills do not protect against STIs, so unless you and your partner have both been tested, you should still use condoms.