How to Shorten Your Period
Use contraception., Continuous-use oral contraceptive., Other female contraceptives., Non-hormonal medication.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Use contraception.
Female contraceptives can shorten the length of a period over time.
Some can shorten the length of bleeding and result in a lighter flow.
Others can reduce the number of periods you have in a year.
Oral contraceptives (OC, The Pill).
When you take oral contraceptives, you typically take one active pill a day for 21 days.
Active pills are made up of the female hormone estrogen or a combination of estrogen and progesterone.
Then you take a placebo pill for 7 days.
There are no hormones in the placebo pill, and that's what allows you to get your period during this time.
The most common way to reduce or suppress menstruation is to skip the placebo week and immediately start a new pack of pills.
Without the placebo week, your body won't have the opportunity to start a period.
This works best if you're on an oral contraceptive that combines estrogen and progesterone and offers the same dose of hormones in each active pill each day.
This is called a monophasic combined oral contraceptive (COC).
There are a number of monophasic combined oral contraceptives on the market including Ovral, Ovcon, Ogestrel, Nordette, Levora, Levlite, Apri, Alesse, Brevicon, Levlen, Loestrin, Norinyl, Ortho-Cept, Ortho-Cyclen and Ortho-Novum.
Oral contraceptives are available by prescription only, so you must see your doctor.
Let him or her know how you plan to use the Pill so they can choose the right one for you.
Oral contraceptives may cause some minor side effects such as headaches, nausea, breast tenderness, slight weight gain and slight 'spotting' of blood between the periods.
Their use has been linked to blood clots, heart attack and stroke, especially in women who smoke, are overweight, have high blood pressure or are over the age of
35.
OC's do offer some health benefits: women who use them have a lower risk of developing endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer. -
Step 2: Continuous-use oral contraceptive.
Some oral contraceptives are intended to reduce the number of periods a woman has in a year, typically to four.
These pills work by providing an 84-day series of active pills followed by 7 days of placebos (or 7 pill-free days), during which time you will have a period.
A number of studies have demonstrated that continuous OC use is safe and eliminates menstrual periods in 53% of women by 12 months of use.
One disadvantage of a continuous use OC is that you are likely to have break-through bleeding during the first few months, but this should stop one your body acclimates to the pill regimen.
Popular continuous-use OC's include Seasonale, Seasonique and Lybrel.
Women who use Seasonale will have a menstrual period that is about 7 days per cycle once every three months; women who use Seasonique will have a period that is only about 4 days long every three months.
Like traditional OC's, continuous-use oral contraceptives must be prescribed by a doctor. , Like the Pill, contraceptive patches (i.e., Ortho Evra®), vaginal rings (i.e., NuvaRing®) can be used in an extended regimen to suppress menstruation and shorten bleeding duration.
Similarly, the intrauterine device Mirena® and the injectable hormonal contraceptive Depo-Provera® can be used to suppress menstruation.
These contraceptives require a prescription.
See your doctor, talk to him or her about your period and your plans to use these contraceptives for extended use.
They can provide you with complete instructions for how to do so. , Lysteda is an FDA-approved, non-hormonal drug that treats heavy menstrual bleeding.
It works by stabilizing a protein that helps blood to clot.
The medication is typically taken three times a day for up to five days during monthly menstruation. -
Step 3: Other female contraceptives.
-
Step 4: Non-hormonal medication.
Detailed Guide
Female contraceptives can shorten the length of a period over time.
Some can shorten the length of bleeding and result in a lighter flow.
Others can reduce the number of periods you have in a year.
Oral contraceptives (OC, The Pill).
When you take oral contraceptives, you typically take one active pill a day for 21 days.
Active pills are made up of the female hormone estrogen or a combination of estrogen and progesterone.
Then you take a placebo pill for 7 days.
There are no hormones in the placebo pill, and that's what allows you to get your period during this time.
The most common way to reduce or suppress menstruation is to skip the placebo week and immediately start a new pack of pills.
Without the placebo week, your body won't have the opportunity to start a period.
This works best if you're on an oral contraceptive that combines estrogen and progesterone and offers the same dose of hormones in each active pill each day.
This is called a monophasic combined oral contraceptive (COC).
There are a number of monophasic combined oral contraceptives on the market including Ovral, Ovcon, Ogestrel, Nordette, Levora, Levlite, Apri, Alesse, Brevicon, Levlen, Loestrin, Norinyl, Ortho-Cept, Ortho-Cyclen and Ortho-Novum.
Oral contraceptives are available by prescription only, so you must see your doctor.
Let him or her know how you plan to use the Pill so they can choose the right one for you.
Oral contraceptives may cause some minor side effects such as headaches, nausea, breast tenderness, slight weight gain and slight 'spotting' of blood between the periods.
Their use has been linked to blood clots, heart attack and stroke, especially in women who smoke, are overweight, have high blood pressure or are over the age of
35.
OC's do offer some health benefits: women who use them have a lower risk of developing endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer.
Some oral contraceptives are intended to reduce the number of periods a woman has in a year, typically to four.
These pills work by providing an 84-day series of active pills followed by 7 days of placebos (or 7 pill-free days), during which time you will have a period.
A number of studies have demonstrated that continuous OC use is safe and eliminates menstrual periods in 53% of women by 12 months of use.
One disadvantage of a continuous use OC is that you are likely to have break-through bleeding during the first few months, but this should stop one your body acclimates to the pill regimen.
Popular continuous-use OC's include Seasonale, Seasonique and Lybrel.
Women who use Seasonale will have a menstrual period that is about 7 days per cycle once every three months; women who use Seasonique will have a period that is only about 4 days long every three months.
Like traditional OC's, continuous-use oral contraceptives must be prescribed by a doctor. , Like the Pill, contraceptive patches (i.e., Ortho Evra®), vaginal rings (i.e., NuvaRing®) can be used in an extended regimen to suppress menstruation and shorten bleeding duration.
Similarly, the intrauterine device Mirena® and the injectable hormonal contraceptive Depo-Provera® can be used to suppress menstruation.
These contraceptives require a prescription.
See your doctor, talk to him or her about your period and your plans to use these contraceptives for extended use.
They can provide you with complete instructions for how to do so. , Lysteda is an FDA-approved, non-hormonal drug that treats heavy menstrual bleeding.
It works by stabilizing a protein that helps blood to clot.
The medication is typically taken three times a day for up to five days during monthly menstruation.
About the Author
Gregory White
Creates helpful guides on cooking to inspire and educate readers.
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