Nurse Gail Ingram answers the question, “How can I skip my period?” just in time for Valentine’s Day.
You’re expecting a call from Aunt Flo on Valentine’s Day? Don’t fear. There are ways to postpone her visit.
If You’re On Birth Control…
It has long been established that skipping periods while on the pill is safe. In fact, certain kinds of birth control pills are designed so the user won’t have a period for three months. For example, Seasonique users go for 84 days without a period. A period is scheduled at three months to ensure that users aren’t pregnant or having other health issues. Otherwise, menstruation is not biologically necessary. Women can go safely for years without having periods. So skip the sugar pills and go straight to the next pack. It won’t decrease the effectiveness of the pill and the only thing messing up those sheets on Valentine’s Day will be red rose petals.
If You’re NOT On Birth Control…
If you’ve been thinking about starting birth control, do it today. Your provider will have you take a pregnancy test, and if you aren’t pregnant, you can take the first pill, apply the patch, or insert the ring immediately. There is no need to wait until the first day of your next period. That is the “old fashioned” way of prescribing birth control and it’s not done like that anymore. Although back up barrier protection (ex: condom) is still recommended for the first week to prevent (a rare, but possible) pregnancy. But you’d be using a condom anyway, right?
If You Don’t Want To Start Birth Control…
In theory, the morning after pill should delay your period but this isn’t actually the case. Studies show that periods can come later, at the same time, or even earlier, which makes emergency contraception a bad choice for suppression of menstrual bleeding. If you can get your hands on them without a prescription, taking two birth control pills at the same time is known to delay or stop bleeding mid-menses. Unfortunately, there are side effects (nausea and vomiting among others) which will diminish the romance of a Valentine’s Day date. This method is unpredictable and may take a day or so depending on the kind of pill and an individual’s reaction. Of course, as a practitioner, I cannot recommend this. But I do recommend that you enjoy your Valentine’s Day regardless of your period.
Related reading:
- Morning After Pill Odds: Will it work every time?
- Listen to Aunt Flo: Better Than A Daily Horoscope
- Sex in the City Meets Nurse Gail | Antibiotic Resistant Chlamydia
The post Ask NurseGail.com: How Can I Skip My Period? appeared first on Nurse Gail.