There are medications called Norethisterone and Medroxyprogesterone to delay your period. Norethisterone is licensed for delaying periods but Medroxyprogesterone is not. The advantage of Medroxyprogesterone is that is has a lower risk of blood clots which is especially important if you are overweight as being overweight already increases your risk of a clot.
Start taking the medictaion you are prescribed 3-4 days before your period is due. You can stop it when you are happy to have a bleed. Please note taking these medications does not always stop or prevent all bleeding. Your period should arrive 2 to 3 days after you stop taking the medication.
Norethisterone and Medroxyprogesterone do not act as a contraceptive when used in this way, so you could still get pregnant.
You'll need to use another type of contraceptive, such as a condom.
These medications may not be suitable for everyone, for example if you have breast cancer or a history of blood clots.
How well it works in delaying periods also varies between women.
Some women taking these medications have reported side effects, such as:
- irregularities in menstrual cycle
- breast tenderness
- nausea
- headache
- disturbances in mood and sex drive
Signs and symptoms of a blood clot include a swollen leg, shortness of breath, chest pain or coughing up blood. If you had any of these please seek urgent medical attention.
If you take a combined contraceptive pill, you can delay your period by taking the packets back to back.
How you do this will depend on the type of pill you take.
Examples are:
- monophasic 21-day pills, such as Microgynon and Cilest – you take a combined pill for 21 days, followed by 7 days without pills, when you have a bleed (period). To delay your period, start a new packet of pills straight after you finish the last pill and miss out the 7-day break.
- everyday (ED) pills, such as Microgynon ED and Lorynon ED – you take a combined pill every day. The first 21 pills are active pills and the next 7 pills are inactive or dummy pills, when you have your period. To delay your period, miss out and throw away the dummy pills, and start the active pills in a new packet straight away.
- phasic 21-day pills, such as Binovium, Qlaira and Logynon – the mix of hormones in each pill is different, depending on which phase you're in. You need to take these pills in the correct order to have effective contraception. Speak to your pharmacist, community contraception clinic or GP surgery for more information before taking phasic pills back-to-back.
Taking your contraceptive pills in the ways described above will not affect how they work as contraceptives.
If you're not sure which pill you're on, which pills in the packet to miss out, or you need advice, speak to your pharmacist, community contraception clinic or GP surgery.
Taking the combined pill can cause side effects, such as:
- feeling sick (nausea)
- headaches
- mood swings
- breast tenderness