Girlstuff Trouble

October 8, 2009 10:11 PM

[FemaleFilter]: Help me get my period early. I'm going to visit my boyfriend in three weeks. [more inside]...

For obvious reasons (to some) I do not want to be having my period when I go visit my boyfriend in three weeks. I am due to start the day before I arrive. What are some natural (or hormonal) ways I can induce my period to come earlier than usual?

To be clear, I am not looking for responses that tell me that there is a natural cycle to things and that I shouldn't mess with it, etc. I know all of that. It's just that this is a new(ish) relationship and I just don't need the hassle of this difficulty on my visit.

Thank you.

posted by hapax_legomenon to Health & Fitness (30 answers total)

Are you on the pill? Isn't it as simple as continuing with the pill instead of taking the placebo pills when you should have your period. That's what most people I know do when they want to skip the odd period. You just throw out the placebos, and continue with the next months pills.

Obvs. IMNAD.
posted by lottie at 10:22 PM on October 8, 2009

Oh, and if you're not on the pill, I would think you could start, and try the approach I mentioned anyway.
posted by lottie at 10:24 PM on October 8, 2009

Call your ob/gyn. One way or another you're messing with hormones: you need to get an authoritative answer from the appropriate kind of professional.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 10:30 PM on October 8, 2009 [1 favorite]

In the past I have just started a new pack of pills right away and skipped the period (sometimes very light spotting). IANAD but this has worked for me.
posted by saradarlin at 10:43 PM on October 8, 2009

FYI, when I tried the skipping the placebo pill week to skip my period, I just ended up having my period for a month. YMMV.
posted by greta simone at 10:51 PM on October 8, 2009

If you're not on pills now, you can't start a new pack until the first day of your period, so I don't think that will help you. And yes, if you're already on pills now and you skip the placebo week, it could backfire on you and just extend your period for weeks. It depends on what you're taking and how long you've been taking them.
posted by amethysts at 10:56 PM on October 8, 2009

Call your doc and ask about the right way to take your pills to skip a period. Or call Planned Parenthood, if you don't want to pester your doc.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 10:56 PM on October 8, 2009

Also, here's another thread on this topic.
posted by amethysts at 10:58 PM on October 8, 2009

Response by poster: Additional info: I am not currently on the pill, although I have taken it (or its equivalent: Nuvaring, etc.) in the past. I do know that I could start taking it, at any time (with the newer dosage pills you don't have to start taking it on day one of your period) -- I was more just curious if anyone had alternative methods of dealing with the issue I described.
posted by hapax_legomenon at 11:12 PM on October 8, 2009

In short of sacrificing to the fertility goddess, I am pretty sure there is no natural method to trump nature in this case. The fail safe (well, mostly) bet is to pop a NuvaRing in about a week so you'll postpone your period for the weekend after your visit. Due to your 3 week window there's no way to make it come early with this method, so I would just go with later. You get the added bonus of contraception plus you don't have to skip your period, which seems more potentially harmful than just delaying it. I'm currently in your exact situation and this is what I'm doing and have done before, so just speaking from experience.
posted by Juicy Avenger at 11:44 PM on October 8, 2009

The Instead menstural cup can be worn during sex.
posted by Oriole Adams at 12:12 AM on October 9, 2009 [2 favorites]

If you're not on the pill, ask your doctor for seven days of progesterone. Tell her you're looking to force a period -- brides are often prescribed this, so invoke the idea of a honeymoon if you need to.

If you take them daily, and then stop, you'll have just enough time to get everything finished inside of three weeks.
posted by Sallyfur at 12:39 AM on October 9, 2009 [1 favorite]

Room with your close friends whose cycle is earlier than yours?

You might have more luck delaying it. Start exercising more than normal?
posted by salvia at 12:51 AM on October 9, 2009

Not exactly what you're probably looking for, but there was a recent thread discussing sexy times + period.
posted by kthxbi at 12:58 AM on October 9, 2009

i've always suggested white pants and a public speaking engagement.
posted by nadawi at 1:25 AM on October 9, 2009 [30 favorites]

You *could* try eating lots of high-GI food (jacket potatoes, rissotto rice etc). In some people this affects their hormonal balance, and can postpone ovulation, and therefore your period. IANAD either.
posted by low_horrible_immoral at 1:51 AM on October 9, 2009

Best answer: The only herbal thing I know that might help with this would be parsley tea and high doses of Vitamin C. (Obviously, IANAherbalist and IANAD.) Parsley is supposed to help induce uterine contractions that will slough off the linining and high doses of Vitamin C supposedly starve the body of progesterone and tell it it's time to have a period!

I don't know about this method's effectiveness for bringing on early menstruation, but I will say it has worked quite well for me in bringing on a delayed period (delayed due to stress, NOT to pregnancy-- let me stress that point-- if you could be pregnant, don't use parsley, it can seriously hurt any young 'uns.)

Here are instructions, and I would suggest browsing around the site a little more: I'm sure there is a post where someone asked what they could do to bring Aunt Flo on early.
posted by WidgetAlley at 3:36 AM on October 9, 2009

This is kinda the exact opposite of what you're asking for, but it might be helpful, so:

There are prescription tablets you can take to delay your period. The active drug is called norethisterone (and in the UK at least the tablets are called Utovlan), you take them three times a day for the few days leading up to your period and until you're ready for your period to happen; it then starts a couple of days after you stop taking the tablets.

I've used them plenty of times when I'm going on holiday, or had exams, and always been happy with them. Although it sometimes takes a little while for my cycle to get regular again after using them, just FYI.

I'm in the UK, but on googling it looks like they're available in the US, so try asking your doctor if you're interested?
posted by badmoonrising at 5:31 AM on October 9, 2009

Look into royal maca root. They sell it at Whole Foods.
posted by bunny hugger at 5:52 AM on October 9, 2009

Ask your ob-gyn if she'll do a menstrual aspiration, essentially sucking the whole menstrual flow out in minutes rather than over several days. Not sure how the timing works, but female athletes sometimes do this so that there's no menstrual flow during major meets/games.

Conversely, I'm going to go all old-feminist on you here and let you know that you can have perfectly wonderful sex while menstruating, and your boyfriend is just going to have to deal.
posted by nax at 6:21 AM on October 9, 2009 [3 favorites]

I would talk to your gyno about starting the pill the week before your trip. It MIGHT mess with your cycle enough to prevent your period from coming on time, but it might not. Whenever I have switched pills or started the pill after a break, spotting and breakthrough bleeding were common at any time during my cycle. But, it's probably the best choice. I'm sure your gyno or Planned Parenthood can help.

I do think you should have a backup plan just in case, though. Someone upthread recommended the Instead Cup, and I wholeheartedly agree. It's not as good as not getting your period at all, but it's a really, really good solution to period sex. Absolutely no worries about a mess and it's very comfortable and shouldn't interfere with anything. I'm not saying NOT to try and tinker (I am all for period hacks) but just in case things don't work out as planned, it's never a bad idea to try out the instead cup (you can try it at any time during your cycle, not just during your period) and throw a few in your bag just in case Aunt Flo pays a surprise visit.
posted by tastybrains at 6:46 AM on October 9, 2009

How about you just talk to your boyfriend frankly and see if he has an qualms about sex during your period? I personally don't enjoy the mess, but there are ways around it (in the shower), and most me I've encountered who are over the age of 20 don't mind at all.
posted by sunshinesky at 8:12 AM on October 9, 2009

Btw, for those suggesting skipping placebo pills, this method only works with birth control pills that are mono-phasic (ie: have a constant dose throughout the cycle). It can be bad news if you try to do this with something like tri-cyclen, which has three different doses ramping up to the placebo week.

I realise the OP is not on birth control atm, but I say this just as a reference for anyone coming into this thread who is...
posted by sunshinesky at 8:16 AM on October 9, 2009

nax: Conversely, I'm going to go all old-feminist on you here and let you know that you can have perfectly wonderful sex while menstruating, and your boyfriend is just going to have to deal.

You don't know that it's teh boyfriend who has a problem with it.
posted by spaltavian at 8:24 AM on October 9, 2009

I've run into this issue a few times, and the issue took care of its self. (when not on the pill)

My period simply didn't start. It delayed itself. The day I said goodbye to the guy, my period started.

Now, I'm not saying that this will happen to you, but it might. Hormones are pretty amazing.
posted by soupy at 8:43 AM on October 9, 2009

Oh, and if you're not on the pill, I would think you could start, and try the approach I mentioned anyway.

Perhaps, but there's also the risk of having worst, period. ever. Which was what happened when I first started on birth control. My normally light 3-4 day period became a 6-day torrent.
posted by cmgonzalez at 8:58 AM on October 9, 2009

Us old feminists always blame the men. It's in the charter.
posted by nax at 8:59 AM on October 9, 2009 [1 favorite]

Seconding parsley here, from anecdotal evidence (a friend used it to bring along her period before her wedding).
posted by frecklefaerie at 9:55 AM on October 9, 2009

Thirding the parsley.
posted by cobain_angel at 11:43 AM on October 9, 2009

I've used parsley a few times, but this is when I've already been late, and it was to get things moving. Also check out the herbs blue cohosh and black cohosh, but go to a natural food store to get the right information. They also can induce periods.
posted by Rocket26 at 10:53 PM on October 9, 2009