Are there ways to delay menstruation?

Posted by Master, Doctor Vu Duy Thai - Obstetrician and Gynecologist - Obstetrics Center - Vinmec Times City International Hospital

Menstruation is a normal physiological phenomenon in women and occurs regularly every month, however, during travel or business trips, many people fear that the coming period will cause inconvenience. Therefore, now some women have used the method of delaying menstruation by using pills.

Menstruation is a periodic shedding of the uterine lining due to hormonal changes that cause bleeding from the uterine cavity to the vagina. The menstrual cycle of each person usually has a cycle, an average of 28 days.

Menstrual delay pills can be used to delay menstruation. Accordingly, pills that delay menstruation are drugs that contain the hormone progesterone.
Mechanism for drugs containing Progesteron to work to delay menstruation because in a normal menstrual cycle, the first half of the cycle will be affected by the hormone estrogen to stimulate the growth of the uterine lining, but the second half Menstrual cycle is affected by a hormone called progesterone and this is also the reason why doctors choose progesterone over estrogen. In the last days of the cycle, progesterone levels decrease, leading to the shedding of the uterine lining causing menstrual bleeding. The use of progesterone-containing delaying pills prevents the lining of the uterus from being shed, thereby delaying menstruation.

In most cases, the use of menstrual delay pills is effective and safe, but the results are dependent on the individual and should not be abused regularly because this drug inhibits the hormone cycle body's natural. Therefore, it is best in new "reluctant" cases to use and need to return to a normal menstrual cycle as soon as possible.

Any medicine has unwanted effects. The side effects of this drug, as well as side effects from excess progesterone, include bloating, acne, and mood swings caused by hormone imbalances.

Depending on the location of each person, the time to get the period back will be different, but usually this time period is from 10-15 days. In some cases, menstruation may appear immediately within a few hours of stopping the pill.

With any drug should not be used arbitrarily. To ensure safety and effectiveness, consult a specialist for appropriate examination and indication. You should consult your gynecologist at least 1 week or 10 days before your period.
In the course of using the drug, if you experience any unusual signs, you should contact your doctor as soon as possible. After stopping the pill for 15 days without seeing a period again, it is necessary to see a doctor to find out the exact cause.
How to use and dosage of the pill to delay the menstrual cycle is as follows:
If you use a daily birth control pill to delay your period, you can apply the following method to bring about the effect. For a daily pill of 21 pill pack, you only need to take 21 pills as usual, but instead of taking a 7 day break and then starting a new pack, you continue to use a new pack of pills in a row without taking a day off. again. If you want to delay your period to travel for a few days, you will take a new pack equivalent to that number of pills (For example, if you want to delay the red light day by 4 days, take 4 birth control pills). The way to delay menstruation for 1 month is to take the entire pill pack every day. For the daily pill pack of 28 pills, you only need to take all 21 pills and skip the 7 brown pills called "placebo". Then take flight attendant number 1 of the new pack and maintain normal intake to delay that month's period.

If you are not using oral contraceptives every day, delaying your period with progesterone should be taken at least 3-4 days before your period and regularly until you want to have your period again. But with this use, it is necessary to have specific instructions from a specialist. Because the dose of this medicine depends on your weight and current health condition, thanks to direct examination, the doctor will prescribe the most appropriate prescription. With this method, it is possible to have a period immediately after stopping taking the drug, but there are some cases of female hormone disorders that need 7-10 days to appear again. The use of menstrual delay pills is quite safe and effective, but you should not abuse it. Instead, you should go to medical centers that specialize in obstetrics for advice and instructions on how to use it effectively.
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