What woman hasn’t checked her calendar mid-cycle, bemoaned the fact that she still has four days of bleeding and cramping, and wishes she could stop her period mid-cycle? Unfortunately, if things have already started, you don't have much choice but to stay the course. Let's be clear about this: No, once your period starts, you can't stop it. However, depending on the birth control method you use, you may be able to stop your period before it arrives - a practice called "menstrual suppression."
Is menstruation necessary? This question is actually the subject of much scientific debate. Do we really need them to stay balanced or healthy? Do they have any function other than shedding unused uterine lining and letting us know we're not knocked out? Many scientists believe this is not the case, although long-term absence of menstruation may have some health consequences. The science of menstrual suppression and periods is actually pretty interesting—as long as you're not squeamish about bleeding, birth control, uterine tissue, and the other wonderful aspects that come with periods, of course.
So here are some things you can do to stop your period before it starts. Sorry; if it happens the day before a huge project or a big appointment, it's left until it's over.
Why you can't stop a period that's already started
Frankly, once your period has started, you don't really want it to stop. Let's remember that menstruation is actually a shedding process in which the uterine lining is "renewed" because it has not yet hatched eggs. The mechanism of menstruation involves the expulsion of uterine tissue, and stopping the process midway can cause some of the expelled material to linger around causing problems.
But it's not just shedding. According to the NHS, your period starts because your hormone levels change; at the beginning of your cycle, when you ovulate, estrogen and progesterone levels peak, prompting the ovaries to start moving and the uterine lining to thicken to accommodate any potential eggs. But if pregnancy doesn't occur, hormone levels drop, causing the lining of the uterus to thin and shed. Physically stopping this process may require disrupting or confusing hormonal signals in some way. At this point in medical history, this seems impossible.
What you can do to delay your period
The concept of menstrual suppression is not widely publicized, but it is a well-known option among gynecological professionals. Many birth control methods allow you to "skip" your period. Probably the most familiar are the combination birth control pill (rather than the mini-pill); the combination pack usually contains a placebo or "sugar" pill for seven days, which lowers hormone levels and causes bleeding (which is called "sugar" pills, according to the Mayo Clinic Withdrawal bleeding" because this is not a true period but a drop in hormone levels caused by taking the placebo pill). If you don’t want to have your period, you can skip that month’s placebo pill and go straight to next month’s active pill. No bloodshed, no fuss.
There are actually some brands of full-cycle active pills, called "continuous birth control" pills, designed for women who want to go longer periods without a period - you take the active pill for three months, then take it for seven days Placebo pill to induce withdrawal bleeding. With this method, you only get your period four times a year.
That's not all; several other non-drug birth control methods offer the same options. For example, vaginal contraceptive rings often function like pills—the user leaves the ring in place for three weeks, then removes it on the fourth week until withdrawal bleeding occurs, and then replaces it with a new one. However, if you want to skip your period that month, you can just replace it with a new ring without taking a break. Other methods may cause your periods to almost disappear—hormonal IUDs, contraceptive implants, and birth control shots often prevent users from having periods while using them.
The biggest risk with this type of menstrual suppression is breakthrough bleeding when you are supposed to have your period. (In fact, the National Women's Health Network reports that women who take the pill continuously have the same number of bleeding days in the first year as women who use the combination pill; that's not a guarantee that all bleeding will stop.) Crucially, however, Yes, be aware that you can't use the "continuous dose" approach with every birth control pill; the pills you take should be monophasic, or have the same dose in each pill, according to the Mayo Clinic. The best way to make sure you can take your medication continuously is to ask your doctor.
Are there risks with menstrual suppression?
If you're worried that skipping one or more periods is unnatural, harmful, or will cause some kind of "blockage" or backup of uterine tissue, don't worry. Current science shows it's fairly risk-free, although more work remains to be done about its long-term effects on women's bodies, hormones, heart health and bone density. It's not "unnatural" - in fact, we don't actually know if monthly menstruation is necessary for a healthy body.
It is believed that the health risks - including blood clots, strokes and headaches - of using the pill for continuous contraception are the same as those of people taking a 21-pill, 7-pill placebo cycle of the active drug. Menstrual suppression is nothing new. For decades, gynecologists have used it to treat serious menstrual or reproductive conditions, such as endometriosis, which can cause excruciating pain during periods. (This phenomenon has been labeled "therapeutic amenorrhea" since at least the 1960s.) Cycling for long periods of time may actually make it harder to get pregnant while you're on birth control pills because it suppresses the follicles in your ovaries. growth and slow down your menstrual cycle. Ovulation risk. The Association of Reproductive Health Professionals notes that current science shows that menstrual suppression does not affect fertility in the long term.
However, one thing that menstrual suppression can affect is iron levels. Menstruation is a natural way for women to get rid of excess iron, and long-term avoidance of menstruation may mean that the body has too much iron. More research is needed to get an answer to this question. However, one problem that may not arise is having too much uterine tissue in the body. In fact, The Atlantic noted in a 2015 investigation of the issue that uterine tissue is more likely to build up when you 're not taking any hormonal contraceptives.
Either way, if you want to temporarily or temporarily stop your period, you'll want to talk to your healthcare professional or gynecological health specialist. Don't just throw away your seven placebo pills thinking it will protect you from pregnancy and save you your period; you're only setting yourself up for trouble.
This article was first published on April 12, 2016. Updated on August 14, 2019.
