Periods are a natural phenomenon that happens to menstruating individuals every month. However, it may happen that your period’s date may coincide with an important future event such as a swimming competition. Consequently, you might want to delay your periods, either because you are a sanitary napkin user and don’t want to switch to a menstrual cup or a tampon, or, you don’t want to go through the excruciating pain of period cramps and the constant ooze down there.
Now, the question arises - how to delay your periods? Periods can be delayed by using contraceptive pills.
What are contraceptive pills?
Contraceptive pills contain certain man-made hormones that change the way your body works and prevent the uterus to shed its lining in order to release menstrual fluid. These are called birth-control pills but are also consumed for the purpose of delaying periods.
How does a contraceptive pill delay your periods?
During ovulation, the ovary releases an egg every month in order to get fertilized. A hormone called progesterone is also released by the ovary which starts preparing the uterus lining for fertilization. When there is no presence of sperm for fertilizing the egg, the progesterone levels fall and the uterus lining starts shedding, resulting in periods.
The contraceptive pill contains progesterone that thickens the uterus lining further and prevents its shedding to delay the periods.
Is delaying periods safe?
Delaying your period means that you are opposing the natural process your body goes through. The hormonal changes while delaying the periods can cause some side effects on your body. They include nausea, frequent mood changes, breast tenderness, spotting, and weight gain.
Spotting is an abnormal vaginal bleeding that happens on days when you are not menstruating. It happens when your body experiences some unusual hormonal changes.
If the contraceptive pills are consumed for a long period, they may cause some long-term side effects such as:
These side effects are life-threatening, therefore, you should avoid consuming any pills to delay your periods.
Prolonged consumption of progesterone pills can cause irregular periods at a later stage, resulting in the potential risk of PCOS. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a medical condition where the ovary is affected. The brain sends signals to start the ovulation process and periods, and delaying periods can affect the proper functioning of the brain, resulting in health issues.
You may also experience heavy bleeding after delaying the periods and that may cause more discomfort and excruciatingly painful period cramps.
If there is an important event and you wish to delay your periods, you should visit a gynaecologist and ensure that you are fit to take the proper medication. If your doctor approves it, you can go ahead.
Conclusion
Periods play a crucial role in maintaining the overall health of your body. However, there may be times when your important event coincides with your period cycle. You may wish to delay your periods in order to prevent the discomfort.
Periods can be delayed by using contraceptive pills that contain certain hormones like progesterone that affect the period cycle. Nonetheless, these pills can cause side effects to your body such as nausea, tender breasts, and spotting. If consumed frequently, these might cause life-threatening issues like heart attack and cancer. Therefore, it is safe to delay your periods only when your gynaecologist approves it and provides proper medication. To know more, visit the Pee Safe website.
This blog is written by Komal Gupta
