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Postponing Period Patient Information Leaflet
Why do women postpone periods?
- Inconvenient timing (eg holidays or exams)
Treatment to postpone a period
- If treatment is suitable it should be started 3 days before the expected menstruation
- It can be taken for up to 10 days
- Bleeding will usually occur 2-3 days after stopping treatment
How does postponing a period work?
- A period can be delayed by taking certain oral progesterone hormones
- In a normal menstrual cycle there is a fall in the progesterone level before a period which leads to menstrual bleeding
- By taking a course of an appropriate oral progesterone, the bleeding is usually postponed until the tablet is stopped
- Please note that this treatment may not be 100% effective
- This is not a contraceptive and will not prevent pregnancy
Treatment to postpone a period cannot be safely prescribed online if any of the following applies:
- Pregnancy or breast-feeding
- Undiagnosed/ irregular vaginal bleeding
- Liver disease
- Heart or blood vessel problems, or high blood pressure (hypertension)
- Previous stroke (CVA) or mini-stroke (TIA)
- History of blood clot in veins or arteries (DVT or PE)
- Diabetes, epilepsy, any form of cancer
- <Migraine with aura>
- Currently being treated for severe depression
- Yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes (jaundice), severe itching, or a history of skin condition called pemphigoid gestationis during pregnancy
- Porphyria
- If you have ever had an allergic reaction to the ingredients of this medication
Common side effects:
- Nausea
- Headache
- Breast tenderness
