Some women are interested in stopping menstruation, at least temporarily, as they may want to avoid bleeding during a vacation or special event. It should be noted that stopping menstruation is not typically recommended by doctors, but that there are few surefire methods to do so. In fact, the most effective route typically must be started months ahead of time, as the combination birth control pill is often able to delay the period when two packs are used without a break. Some women choose to take a different kind of pill, called progesterone, to stop their period for a while. Additionally, certain herbs, such as Squaw Mint and Skevish, may be taken to try to delay the period.
The combination oral contraceptive pill is one of the only ways of stopping menstruation that is considered safe by doctors. This type of contraception usually features several pills with both estrogen and progesterone in them, as well as a few pills with just sugar. These are considered placebo pills, as they usually contain no hormones, allowing the period to arrive when they are taken. On the other hand, a woman may decide to just start the next pack of birth control instead of taking the placebo pills, which should result in the ability to skip that month’s period. In fact, some types of contraceptive pills encourage women to use this method of stopping menstruation often, resulting in only a few periods per year.
Those who are not already on birth control, yet want to skip their next period, may instead opt for progesterone pills. These tend to work on the same principle as the oral contraceptive pills, except of course they cannot prevent pregnancy. In fact, progesterone is the hormone that is produced just after ovulation, as well as in early pregnancy. When the egg is not fertilized, this hormone starts to disappear, which can allow the uterine lining to shed during menstruation. Thus, keeping progesterone levels high can keep the period at bay, though this hormone usually needs to be taken a few times daily to be effective at stopping menstruation.
Finally, some women prefer to use the most natural route possible when delaying their period, in which case they may be interested in herbs. For example, Squaw Mint has been used by Native American women to delay their menstrual cycle. It is an herb that is typically made into a tea. Another herb that has been taken for the same purpose is Skevish, though the ability to possibly delay the menstrual cycle is just one of many properties, and a woman should research either of these products thoroughly before using them.