How to induce your period
Periods can be managed. Call them ahead of schedule, for example, so that the first and most difficult days of the cycle do not coincide with an important event such as a competition or wedding. Or still provoke their onset, when they are delayed not because of pregnancy (such experiments during pregnancy are dangerous), spoil plans and make you nervous. But even if you are not pregnant, think again about whether the game is worth the candle.
How to induce menstruation
To understand this, it is important to understand how menstruation works.
While the female body is experiencing ovulation , the uterus is preparing to receive a fertilized egg and create the most comfortable conditions for it to further divide and grow. Under the influence of hormones (mainly estrogen and progesterone), the lining of the uterus – the endometrium – becomes thicker, softer, looser so that the egg can latch onto and find nutrition.
If the egg is successfully fertilized, it descends into the uterus and settles in the prepared loose endometrium – fetal development begins.
If not, the egg dies. The thickened endometrium is no longer needed, and the body gets rid of it. First, the level of progesterone , on which the nutrition of the mucous membrane depends, sharply decreases . Due to a lack of nutrients, the endometrium withers and atrophies. The vessels that connect it to the uterus become thinner and eventually rupture. The bleeding that begins washes away the unnecessary layer of mucous from the uterus.
Around the same time, estrogen levels rise . In this case, it forces the uterus to contract, pushing out everything unnecessary.
If you take this into account, it turns out that you can induce menstruation in only two ways:
- Hormonal, that is, taking hormonal-based drugs that will create conditions for mucosal rejection. This option is suitable if you are preparing for some important event and have a couple of months left.
- Non-hormonal, that is, creating conditions under which the vessels connecting the endometrium with the walls of the uterus rupture. But by artificially causing mucosal rejection, you risk damaging large vessels and causing uterine bleeding. Especially if there is a possibility of pregnancy .
Before you try to induce your period, be sure to take a pregnancy test. If it is positive, do not risk it and go to the gynecologist!
Even if the test is negative, it is better to consult a doctor, especially if your period is constantly delayed . This may be caused by certain medical conditions that need to be treated.
How to induce menstruation hormonally
The most effective and safe way to get your period when you need it is to prepare for it in advance.
If you have an important event coming up, such as a vacation or competition, start taking hormonal birth control (combined oral contraceptives, or COCs) a couple of cycles before it. Naturally, those that the gynecologist recommends to you.
A couple of days before the day on which you would like to schedule your period, simply stop taking the drug (or switch to dummy pills, if they are provided for in the release form). Your hormonal levels will change and cause menstruation, or rather withdrawal bleeding, ahead of schedule.
The second option is to start a new pack without a break (without taking a placebo), and then quit at the right time.
Ksenia Gogichashvili
Obstetrician-gynecologist W Clinic
It is better to take care in advance and start using hormonal contraceptives several months before the moment when you need to delay your period. Why? Because in the first three months, adaptation to taking COCs occurs and intermenstrual bleeding may be observed. If the menstruation that needs to be delayed is already this month, then the COC method most likely will not work.
Both of these options are not dangerous. But taking birth control pills has contraindications. And you shouldn’t quit the drug whenever you want, because side effects may occur : the menstrual cycle will begin to go wrong, PMS symptoms will appear, and your periods may become longer and heavier.
Ksenia Gogichashvili
Obstetrician-gynecologist W Clinic
There are a lot of contraindications for oral contraceptives, which is why the drug is prescribed only by a doctor. First, they carefully collect anamnesis and fill out a questionnaire.
The main contraindications include pregnancy, the postpartum period, breastfeeding, smoking in combination with age over 35 years, cardiovascular diseases, thrombosis and known mutations in the blood coagulation system, migraine with aura, some rheumatic diseases, breast cancer.
It is important to note that some contraindications have explanations or clarifications on timing. If COCs are not suitable for a woman, then you can choose a hormonal contraceptive method without estrogen; discuss this with your doctor.
How to induce menstruation using non-hormonal methods
Let’s repeat the important thing: if the pregnancy test shows you two lines, go to the gynecologist. The doctor will tell you what to do next so as not to harm your health.
If there is no pregnancy, but there is a delay, do not panic. In addition to diseases, there are a dozen reasons why menstruation may occur later. Among them are stress, acclimatization, diet, fatigue, physical overexertion. These conditions affect hormonal levels and sometimes delay the onset of menstruation. So, perhaps you just need to wait: within a few days, menstruation will come on its own.
But if there is neither pregnancy nor time, you can try to speed up the process. However, none of these methods have been scientifically proven to be effective.
1. Drink ginger or parsley tea
Boil a small piece of peeled and finely chopped ginger root in a glass of water for 5-7 minutes. Strain, add sugar or honey to taste.
You can also make parsley tea: pour 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh herbs with a glass of boiling water and let it brew for about 5 minutes.
Both drinks can cause mild uterine contractions. And this may speed up the arrival of your period.
2. Take a hot bath
Firstly, high temperature will improve blood circulation, including in the pelvic organs. This means that the risk of uterine contractions and the chances of a rapid onset of menstruation will increase.
Secondly, a hot bath relaxes and helps relieve stress , which sometimes slows down your period.
You can also apply a warm compress to the lower abdomen. Use a heating pad, or if you don’t have one, use a plastic bottle with hot water.
3. Relax properly
The point of this is to relieve the same stress. Take a day off, relax on the couch with a book, do yoga, do breathing exercises , or use any other relaxation technique .
If you are actively involved in sports, reduce the load: overexertion can also cause a delay in menstruation. Give your body a rest.
4. Exercise
Your choice is exercises that will increase blood circulation in the pelvic area. Just don’t overdo it, otherwise you’ll get the opposite effect.
5. Have sex
Firstly, you will speed up blood circulation in the uterine area. Secondly, you will relieve stress.
6. Try eating oranges
Or any citrus fruits, as well as other fruits and vegetables that contain vitamin C in abundance: black currants, broccoli, spinach, Brussels sprouts, red and green peppers…
There is an opinion that ascorbic acid can increase estrogen levels and reduce the amount of progesterone. That is, perhaps the endometrium will begin to die, and the uterus will actively contract. And menstruation will come faster. True, the effect of ascorbic acid was studied not on humans, but on rabbits, and it is not yet clear whether these data can be transferred to women.
When to urgently seek medical help
If your induced periods are too heavy and you feel like you are losing a lot of blood, call an ambulance immediately.
Also, be sure to consult a gynecologist if you find large blood clots on the pad or menstruation continues for several days and its intensity does not decrease. This may be a sign of various disorders that will require treatment.