How to stop your period

There’s two main ways to stop your periods:

• Period delay tablets, like norethisterone

• Hormonal contraception, like the pill
  

You can use period delay tablets to stop your period from coming for as long as you need to, up to 30 days at a time. This can be useful if you’re going on holiday or for any other reasons that you might want to push back getting your period.

You can also stop your period using a few different types of hormonal contraception. Some are more likely to stop your period than others though, and generally they aren’t for short-term use.

Hormonal contraceptives that can stop your periods include:

• The combined contraceptive pill – can stop your period over a longer period of time but you can get light bleeding (spotting) if you don’t take a break every month. So if you want to guarantee no period bleeding, you’ll need to have a 7-day break every month when you might sometimes have period-like bleeding.

• The mini pill – can stop periods over a long period of time, but there is still some risk of light bleeding (spotting).

• The hormonal coil – can stop your periods, but it takes a few months before they stop.

• The contraceptive injection – about half of people who use the injection will stop having periods.

• The contraceptive implant – about a third of people with the implant stop having periods, but this only applies from one year after getting the implant.

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What do period delay tablets do?

Period delay tablets are a treatment used to stop your period for a set amount of time (up to 30 days with norethisterone). Period delay tablets are not contraceptives, so you can’t use them to protect against pregnancy.

There’s 2 main types of period delay tablet available in the UK:

• Norethisterone 5mg (brand name Utovlan)

• Medroxyprogesterone 10mg (brand name Provera)

Both of these types of period delay tablets use a version of the hormone progesterone. This hormone is used by your body to help time your periods. Basically when the level of progesterone in your body drops, that’s the signal to start another period. If you’re taking progesterone tablets then you trick your body into waiting a little longer before starting the next period.

Norethisterone is licensed specifically for period delay, but medroxyprogesterone technically isn’t. This doesn’t mean medroxyprogesterone isn’t safe, though. From a doctor’s point of view they’re both safe to use for period delay.

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Can you get period delay tablets on the NHS?

Yep – if you want to go through your GP to get period delay tablets you can. You’ll need to make a usual appointment and your GP will talk you through your options and prescribe the best treatment for you. Then you can take the prescription to get filled at most pharmacies.

Full price or NHS prescription? – norethisterone for period delay is not a ‘blacklisted medication’ which means a GP can give you an NHS prescription for it. But, not all GPs will definitely do this. If your GP does give you an NHS prescription then you will only have to pay the flat NHS prescription charge. If not, you’ll get a private prescription and you’ll have to pay full price for your tablets.

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Can you get period delay tablets over the counter?

No, period delay tablets are prescription-only. There are some serious health risks for certain people if they were going to take progesterone medications like period delay pills. So it’s important that a doctor can check to make sure they’re safe for you to take.

Although you need a doctor to check you for period delay treatment, you don’t have to do it face-to-face. With services like Superdrug Online Doctor, you can get checked online instead using a quick and easy healthcare question that one of our doctors checks for you.

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What is norethisterone?

Norethisterone is a man-made version of the hormone progesterone. Progesterone is used by your body to do a few different things, including controlling your periods. Norethisterone is used in a few different medications, including:

• Combined pills:

  • Brevinor

  • Loestrin

  • Norimin

  • Norinyl-1

  • Synphase

• The mini pill – Noriday

• Period delay pills – Utovlan

Norethisterone can be used to delay periods from coming because it stops your progesterone levels dropping after one cycle, which normally triggers the next period. It can also help protect against you getting pregnant if you don’t want by making it harder for an egg to get fertilised and cause a pregnancy.

But, it’s important to remember that you shouldn’t rely on Norethisterone to avoid pregnancy if you’re using it for period delay. You need to use contraception as well if you don’t want to get pregnant.

Please note that period delay is an ‘off-label’ use for Norethisterone. All medications we offer are fully licensed within the UK. Some medications, such as this, we prescribe for conditions, or circumstances that are outside of the licence also known as ‘off-label’. Prescribing ‘off-label’ is common practice by healthcare professionals to ensure a medication can safely benefit as many patients as possible. This is always based on updated information and evidence since the product first became available.

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What are reviews of norethisterone like?

You can see reviews of norethisterone (called norethindrone here) on Drugs.com. There are only reviews available for contraception and not for period delay. Generally our patients rate our norethisterone tablet service highly – you can see TrustPilot reviews further down this page.

Hormonal medications like norethisterone affect different people differently, so it’s hard to predict how you will react. If you have any problems or concerns about your period delay treatment, you should get in touch with your GP or message a doctor directly through your account if you ordered online.

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How to take Norethisterone

Take norethisterone tablets for period delay using these 4 easy steps:

1. Start taking your tablets 3 days before you want to stop your period

2. Take 3 tablets a day – morning, midday, and evening

3. If you forget a dose, take it as soon as you remember

4. Your period should come back about 3 days after you stop taking your tablets

If you had sex during your treatment and your period doesn’t come back after 3 days then you should take a pregnancy test and see your GP.

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Norethisterone side effects

Like any medication, norethisterone can cause side effects for some people. Make sure you stop taking your tablets and get emergency medical help if you get:

• Symptoms of an allergic reaction

• Symptoms of a blood clot in the lungs or brain

• Symptoms of deep-vein thrombosis

See your doctor as soon as you can if you get:

• Yellow skin

• Migraines for the first time

Other side effects that norethisterone can cause include:

• Effects on your genitals or breasts

• Effects on your nerve system

• Effects on your stomach and gut

• Effects on your liver

• Cysts and tumours

• Effects on your metabolism

• Effects on your heart and blood supply

• Effects on skin and hair

• Others effects that aren’t covered above

For detailed info on norethisterone side effects, please check the patient information leaflet that comes with your tablets.

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Drug Interactions

Birth Control (2018). What birth control stops your period? [online] Available at: https://www.birthcontrol.com/what-birth-control-stops-your-period/ [accessed 28th November 2018].

Pfizer Limited (2018). Utovlan ® 5 mg tablets. [online] Available at: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/files/pil.1717.pdf [accessed 2nd August 2019].

Pfizer Limited (2016). Provera® 2.5mg, 5mg and 10mg tablets. [online] Available at: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/files/pil.3547.pdf [accessed 2nd August 2019].

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