Period Delay Tablets

Dr Felix understands that having your period during your holiday or at the same time as an important life event can be annoying and inconvenient. Use our period management service to delay your period by up to 30 days.

What are period delay tablets?

Period delay tablets are often used by women as a convenient means of delaying the onset of their period, when the timing of the period will interfere with important planned activities. For instance, going on a vacation to a beach resort, or participating in a competitive athletic event might be reasons for delaying your period several days, and allowing it to resume several days later when the event has passed.

What tablets are used to delay your periods?

The most common prescription drug used to accomplish a delay of your period is called norethisterone, which is a generic version of the drug Utovlan, a branded medicine manufactured by the Pfizer. Some women cannot safely use norethisterone, so it is only available on a prescription basis, after a doctor has determined that it will not represent any kind of hazard to your health. Some of the most common questions asked by women who are considering the usage of period delay tablets are shown below, along with the appropriate answers to those questions.

How do these period delay tablets work?

Three days before you expect your period to begin, you should start taking norethisterone tablets. Continue taking the tablets while you need to delay your period. Three days after you stop taking the tablets, your period should start up as normal.

Can I use period delay tablets to manage my heavy periods?

No. These tablets are intended only to delay your period temporarily, and cannot be used as a regular management tool for heavy periods. Most general practitioners will not prescribe the tablets for reasons other than temporary delay.

What if I am taking a contraceptive pill regularly?

At the end of your normal 3-week contraceptive cycle, where you would normally skip taking your contraceptive pill for one week, begin taking the next blister package of contraceptive pills. This will delay the start of your period until the end of the second blister package of contraceptive pills. This may not be the ideal way to delay your period, and may result in spotting or breakthrough bleeding, but it will effectively delay your period.

What exactly is norethisterone?

Norethisterone is a synthetic version of a sex hormone which is actually produced by the body, and is one variety in the group of hormones known as progestogens.

How many tablets do I have to take every day?

Norethisterone tablets must be taken 1 at a time, 3 times each day, starting 3 days before you expect your period to begin normally. Ideally, the tablets should be taken at the same time each day, so as to regulate the body somewhat, and facilitate their delaying function. The best way to do this would be one pill in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening.

Will norethisterone prevent me from becoming pregnant?

No. You would have to adopt some method of birth control in order to avoid becoming pregnant, either some contraceptive pill or by using a diaphragm. Alternatively, you can ask your partner to use a condom.

What if my period does not return after 3 days?

Your period should return like normal in all cases, 3 days after you have taken your last period delay tablet. If it does not, and you have had sex during the time you were using the tablets, you may have become pregnant. Check with your physician.

Are there any side effects from using period delay tablets?

Some women do experience minor side effects from using the drug, but this is unusual when the tablets are only used for a brief time. Prolonged usage increases the chances of some kind of reaction to the drug. Bloating and stomach problems sometimes occur, and changes in libido also are sometimes manifested by users of norethisterone.

Which women should not take period delay tablets like norethisterone?

Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should not take norethisterone. If you are allergic to the drug or any similar hormone, it cannot be used. Also, women who have suffered from unexplained vaginal bleeding, women who have had blood clots in the past, women who have had liver or heart problems, women who have had the blood disease porphyria, women who have had the severe itching irritation called pruritis, and women who have been jaundiced during past pregnancies.