Period Delay Treatments

For women who aren’t already taking the contraceptive pill and have no way of purposefully delaying their periods, taking genuine prescription medication to delay your period is a convenient lifestyle choice. If you would like to delay your period so that you can enjoy a weekend away, holiday or other special occasion, you may now do so with the help of prescription period delay treatments.

Learn about how to delay your period safely

It is easy to delay your period when you are on the pill – during your cycle, you simply skip the normal seven-day break in between packs and continue taking your new pack as usual – and you will not experience a period. However, for the many women who choose not to take the contraceptive pill for personal or medical reasons, a hormonal treatment that allows you to delay your period until a more convenient time is a popular choice.

The only period delay treatment available is Norethisterone, a female sex hormone medication that works by imitating the effects these hormones produce on the body in order to control your natural menstrual cycle and delay your period.

Other treatments provided by Norethisterone

Norethisterone is primarily used to delay your period. However, this medication provides treatments for various other conditions, each of which will be discussed below along with individual dosages according to each specific treatment.

To delay your period

As a period delay treatment, you can take one Norethisterone tablet three times a day, starting three days before you expect to start your period and continuing until you are ready for your period to return. It should never be used for longer than two weeks at a time.

To treat advanced breast cancer

If you have advanced breast cancer, taking eight to twelve Norethisterone tablets a day can help as an effective treatment for the negative effects of the cancer. You will take a full course of medication before you have a break, during which you will experience a withdrawal bleed between two and four days of taking your last tablet.

To treat heavy bleeding during periods

If you often experience heavy bleeding during your periods, or prolonged periods, you can take one Norethisterone tablet two or three times a day from days 19 to 26 of your menstrual cycle. The first day of your period should be counted as day one of your cycle.

To treat painful periods

Starting on the fifth day of your menstrual cycle, you can take one Norethisterone 5mg tablet three times a day, every day for 20 days to treat extremely painful periods. Then repeat this process for three or four cycles.

To treat pre-menstrual symptoms

To treat pre-menstrual symptoms, you must take two to three Norethisterone tablets a day, beginning on the 19th day of your cycle until the 26th day of your cycle, and continued over a period of several months. This will help to reduce the symptoms you experience before menstruation.

To treat abnormal or heavy uterine bleeding not related to a period

If you often experience abnormal, continuous or heavy bleeding from your uterus between periods, you can take one Norethisterone tablet three times a day for ten consecutive days. You will notice that the bleeding should stop within one to three days. Once you stop taking the tablets, you are likely to experience a two to four day withdrawal bleed, but this is perfectly normal.

To treat endometriosis

Endometriosis, a condition where cells grow in the tissue outside the womb, can be treated by taking two Norethisterone tablets per day from day five of your menstrual cycle and continuing for a few weeks. If you experience any spotting between periods, you may increase the dose to four or five tablets per day. However, once the bleeding stops you should reduce your dosage again. You can continue this treatment for four to six months at a time, and then take a one to two month break in between.