Hormonal birth control offers a way to manage your menstrual cycle, providing flexibility and control. Discover how you can delay your period and whether it’s the right choice for you.
Do you ever wish you could skip your period for a vacation, special event, or simply for convenience? With hormonal birth control, it’s possible. Many women are unaware that monthly withdrawal bleeding while on birth control isn’t medically necessary. This article will explore how hormonal birth control can be used to delay or prevent menstruation, providing you with the information you need to make informed decisions about your cycle.
Understanding How Hormonal Birth Control Affects Your Period
Traditional hormonal birth control methods, such as combination estrogen-progestin pills, patches, and vaginal rings, are designed to mimic a natural menstrual cycle. A typical birth control pill pack, for example, contains three weeks of active hormone pills followed by a week of inactive or placebo pills.
Bleeding occurs during this fourth week of inactive pills, known as withdrawal bleeding. This is triggered by the drop in hormones when you stop taking the active pills. It’s important to understand that withdrawal bleeding is not the same as a true menstrual period. From a medical standpoint, neither withdrawal bleeding nor regular menstruation is required for your health while using hormonal birth control. This understanding opens up the possibility of using birth control to intentionally reduce or eliminate periods.
Continuous Use vs. Extended-Cycle Birth Control: What’s the Difference?
When it comes to using hormonal birth control to delay your period, there are two main approaches:
-
Continuous-Use Birth Control: This method involves taking active hormone pills continuously, without any breaks, for a year or even longer. By skipping the inactive pill weeks, you prevent the hormone withdrawal that triggers bleeding, effectively eliminating monthly withdrawal bleeding.
-
Extended-Cycle Birth Control: Extended-cycle regimens involve taking active hormones for longer periods than the standard 21 days, typically for several months at a time. These regimens include fewer inactive pill weeks throughout the year, resulting in fewer bleeding episodes, often about four times a year.
Hormonal Birth Control Methods to Delay Your Period
Several types of hormonal birth control can be adapted for extended or continuous use to delay menstruation. The best option for you will depend on your individual needs, health status, and preferences. Consider your goals – do you want fewer periods or to eliminate them altogether? Are you looking for short-term or long-term contraception? Consulting with your healthcare provider is crucial to determine the most suitable method for you.
Birth Control Pills for Period Delay
Both combination estrogen and progestin pills and progestin-only pills can be used to delay or prevent periods through extended or continuous use. The most common method is to simply skip the inactive pills at the end of your pill pack and immediately start a new pack. Your healthcare provider can guide you on the optimal pill schedule for your specific needs.
Specific birth control pill formulations are designed for extended cycles, including:
- Jolessa (generic Seasonale): This pill is taken for 84 consecutive days of active pills (12 weeks), followed by 7 days of inactive pills. This results in a period approximately every three months.
Image alt text: Packaging of Jolessa birth control pills, a generic version of Seasonale, designed for extended-cycle use to reduce the frequency of periods.
- Amethia, Camrese, and Simpesse (generic Seasonique): Similar to Jolessa, these pills involve 84 days of active pills (12 weeks), but are followed by 7 days of low-dose estrogen pills instead of inactive pills. The low-dose estrogen week is intended to minimize bleeding and side effects during the withdrawal week.
Image alt text: Box of Amethia birth control pills, a generic version of Seasonique, an extended-cycle contraceptive that uses low-dose estrogen in the withdrawal week.
-
Rivelsa (generic Quartette): Rivelsa is a 91-day regimen where active pills are taken for 84 days (12 weeks). The estrogen dose in the active pills varies throughout the cycle, starting at 20 mcg, increasing to 25 mcg, and then to 30 mcg. This is followed by a week of very low-dose estrogen pills, leading to a period about every three months.
-
Amethyst: Amethyst is a unique pill formulated for continuous use, taken every day for a year with no inactive pills. It contains low doses of both progestin and estrogen, aiming to eliminate scheduled withdrawal bleeding altogether.
Vaginal Ring (NuvaRing) for Period Delay
The vaginal ring, such as NuvaRing, can also be used in an extended or continuous manner to delay periods. Typically, NuvaRing is replaced monthly with a ring-free week to allow for withdrawal bleeding. To delay your period, you can insert a new ring immediately after removing the old one, skipping the ring-free interval. Some women choose to remove the ring for a week every three months to induce withdrawal bleeding and minimize potential spotting.
Image alt text: NuvaRing packaging, demonstrating the monthly vaginal ring contraceptive that can be used continuously to delay menstruation.
Birth Control Patch for Period Delay
Similar to combination pills and the vaginal ring, the birth control patch can be used continuously to delay menstruation. Patches are typically applied weekly for three weeks, followed by a patch-free week for withdrawal bleeding. To delay your period, simply apply a new patch each week without the patch-free week.
Hormonal Intrauterine Device (IUD) for Period Delay
Hormonal IUDs like Mirena, Liletta, and Kyleena are long-acting reversible contraceptives that release progestin into the uterus. While primarily known for contraception, hormonal IUDs often lead to lighter and less frequent periods over time. Higher-dose hormonal IUDs, particularly those containing 52 mg of levonorgestrel, are more effective at reducing or stopping menstruation. Many women using a 52-mg hormonal IUD experience significantly reduced bleeding or amenorrhea (absence of periods) after a year or two of use.
DMPA Injection (Depo-Provera) for Period Delay
Depo-Provera is a progestin injection administered every 90 days. It is a long-term contraceptive method that is also highly effective at reducing or eliminating menstrual bleeding. A significant percentage of Depo-Provera users experience amenorrhea after one year of injections, and the likelihood of stopping periods increases with longer-term use.
Benefits of Delaying Your Period
Delaying menstruation can offer various benefits, particularly for women experiencing:
- Menstrual-related disabilities: For women with physical or mental disabilities, managing menstruation with sanitary products can be challenging. Period delay can significantly improve quality of life.
- Conditions worsened by menstruation: Conditions like endometriosis, anemia, or menstrual migraines can be exacerbated by monthly periods. Delaying periods can help manage symptoms and improve overall health.
- Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS): Many women experience bothersome PMS symptoms such as breast tenderness, bloating, and mood swings in the days leading up to their periods. Reducing the frequency of periods can lessen the impact of these symptoms.
- Menstrual symptoms during withdrawal bleeding: Some women experience headaches or other menstrual-like symptoms even during withdrawal bleeding on birth control. Continuous or extended use can alleviate these symptoms.
- Heavy, frequent, prolonged, or painful periods: For women with menorrhagia, polymenorrhea, or dysmenorrhea, delaying periods can provide significant relief and improve overall well-being.
Beyond medical reasons, delaying periods can also be desirable for lifestyle reasons, such as avoiding menstruation during exams, athletic events, vacations, weddings, or honeymoons.
Potential Drawbacks of Delaying Your Period
The primary disadvantage of delaying periods with hormonal birth control is the increased likelihood of breakthrough bleeding or spotting, especially during the initial months of continuous or extended use. Breakthrough bleeding is unscheduled bleeding that occurs between expected withdrawal bleeds. While it can be bothersome, breakthrough bleeding usually decreases over time as your body adjusts to the altered hormone regimen.
Another consideration is that delaying periods can make it more challenging to recognize pregnancy. If you experience pregnancy symptoms like morning sickness, breast tenderness, or unusual fatigue, it’s important to take a home pregnancy test or consult your healthcare provider to rule out pregnancy.
Managing Breakthrough Bleeding
Breakthrough bleeding is often temporary and manageable. Here are some strategies to minimize it:
- Adhere to your birth control schedule: Missing pills, delaying ring replacement, or late Depo-Provera injections can increase the risk of breakthrough bleeding. Consistency is key.
- Track your bleeding: Keeping a calendar or diary to track breakthrough bleeding can help you monitor patterns and see if it’s improving over time.
- Consider a break: If breakthrough bleeding is persistent and bothersome, discuss with your doctor whether taking a scheduled break to allow for withdrawal bleeding might be helpful.
- Quit smoking: Smoking is associated with a higher incidence of breakthrough bleeding. Quitting smoking can improve overall health and potentially reduce breakthrough bleeding.
For those using combination pills or the vaginal ring, briefly stopping hormones for 3-4 days (after at least 21-30 days of continuous active hormones) can sometimes help reset the cycle and reduce breakthrough bleeding. However, it’s crucial to resume your birth control method afterward to maintain contraception and period delay.
Importantly, breakthrough bleeding does not indicate that your birth control is ineffective. Continue using your chosen method consistently, even if you experience bleeding. If breakthrough bleeding becomes heavy or lasts for more than seven consecutive days, consult your healthcare provider.
Is Delaying Your Period Safe?
For most women who are eligible to use hormonal birth control, delaying periods is considered safe. However, it’s essential to discuss your individual health history and period delay goals with your healthcare provider. While many doctors may not routinely suggest period delay, they can provide guidance and recommendations if you inquire about it. If hormonal birth control is deemed safe for you, using it to delay your period is generally also safe.
Conclusion
Delaying your period with hormonal birth control is a safe and effective option for many women seeking greater control over their menstrual cycles. Whether for medical, lifestyle, or convenience reasons, various hormonal birth control methods can be adapted for continuous or extended use to reduce or eliminate monthly bleeding. While breakthrough bleeding is a potential side effect, it is often temporary and manageable. Consulting with your healthcare provider is the first step to determine if delaying your period is right for you and to choose the most appropriate method for your needs.
References:
- Kaunitz AM. Hormonal contraception for menstrual suppression. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Oct. 7, 2024.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Clinical consensus No. 3: General approaches to medical management of menstrual suppression. Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2022; doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000004899.
- Edelman A, et al. Evaluation and management of unscheduled bleeding in women using hormonal contraception. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Oct. 7, 2024.
- Cason P, et al., eds. Combined hormonal contraceptives. In: Contraceptive Technology. 22nd ed. ProQuest Ebook Central. Jones & Barlett Learning; 2025. Accessed Oct. 7, 2024.
