How to delay your period

Many women wish to delay their period at some point, because their period would interfere with their plans. The most common reason why women choose to temporarily stop their period is because they are planning to travel. How you should delay your period depends on whether you are taking a contraceptive pill or not.

Period delay with a contraceptive pill

Women who are taking a combined contraceptive pill can delay their period by skipping the one-week pill break at the end of the three week course. Instead of taking the seven day break, you will need to start the new blister pack straight away. This way, your period will be delayed until the end of the second blister pack. Some women may experience breakthrough bleeding or spotting when delaying their period this way.

Delaying your period with norethisterone

Women who are not taking a contraceptive pill can use norethisterone tablets to postpone their period. Norethisterone is the synthetic version of a sex hormone which naturally occurs in the human body. It belongs to a group of hormones called progestogens, which are also found in minipills and combined contraceptive pills. However, taking norethisterone tablets to delay your period will not protect you against pregnancy, so you still need to use a method of contraception, such as a condom or a contraceptive diaphragm.

To delay your period, you need to take one tablet three times a day, beginning three days before you expect your period to start. Each tablet contains 5mg of norethisterone. You should aim to take the tablets at the same time every day, one in the morning, one around midday and one in the evening. If you forget to take a tablet, do not take two tablets to make up for the forgotten dose.

You will have your next period within three days of taking your last tablet. If you do not experience a period and have had sex in the meantime, you should see a doctor to check whether you are pregnant. We offer packs of 30, 60 and 90 pills, which last for 10, 20 and 30 days.

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Norethisterone Side Effects

Period delay pills can cause side effects and they are not suitable for everyone. You can not take tablets containing norethisterone if you:

• are pregnant or breastfeeding
• are allergic to norethisterone or any similar hormone
• suffer or have suffered from unexplained vaginal bleeding (other than a period)
• have a family history of blood clots or have had a blood clot in the past
• have liver problems
• have ever had a heart attack or suffer from angina
• have every had an itchy rash called pemphigoid gestationis or jaundice during pregnancy
• have the blood disease porphyria
• have severe itching called pruritus

Norethisterone tablets can cause side effects when taken to delay your period. Side effects are less likely to occur if the tablets are only taken for a short period of time and most women do not encounter any problems during treatment. Possible side effects include bloating, stomach problems and changes in libido. For more information about side effects read the patient leaflet supplied with your medication.

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Drug Interactions

Norethisterone can interact with other medications, which is why it is important that you tell your doctor about any medication you are currently taking or have recently taken. Like other hormone based medications, norethisterone tablets interact with the natural remedy St. John’s Wort. The tablets also interact with certain antibiotics, HIV medications, certain cancer medications and painkillers. You must also tell your doctor if you have been taking high blood pressure medications, ciclosporin or a medication called Aminoglutethimide before taking norethisterone.

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