Menstrual delay drugs are said to be quite effective in delaying menstruation. Even though it's normal, some women may want to delay their period when they are carrying out certain activities or have to complete a lot of important work.
Menstruation is a natural process for a woman's body to release an unfertilized egg. However, at certain times, you may wish that your period was delayed. Because if it occurs, it is feared that menstruation can interfere with the activities or worship that you are currently living.
To delay menstruation, there are several ways that can be done, including exercising more often and using menstrual-delaying drugs.
When are Menstrual Delaying Drugs Used?
Menstrual delay drugs are not only used for worship or vacation purposes. There are also several other reasons that make women need to use menstrual delaying drugs, namely:
- Menstrual disorders, such as excessive menstruation, painful, and lasts a long time.
- Planning a honeymoon.
- Want to focus and concentrate on the exam.
- Certain medical conditions that can cause severe symptoms during menstruation, such as endometriosis and anemia.
Types of Menstrual Delaying Drugs
There are 2 types of drugs that are usually used to delay menstruation, namely:
Family planning pills
The type of birth control pill that doctors commonly prescribe to delay menstruation is the combination birth control pill. Most birth control pills consist of an active pill and an empty pill. Active pills contain a combination of the hormones estrogen and progesterone which can suppress fertility while delaying menstrual bleeding.
Meanwhile, empty pills (placebo) is used for a period of rest and to continue the habit of taking medication so that it is not forgotten. In addition, this pill also gives the opportunity for menstrual bleeding to occur again due to the cessation of hormone intake from the pill.
If used to prevent pregnancy, birth control pills are taken one pill a day, after the menstrual period is over and so on.
However, if you want to use birth control pills as a medicine to delay menstruation, then empty pills are not taken after the active pills are finished, but are continued with active pills from the next drug preparation.
Norethisterone
Norethisterone is a drug that contains the artificial hormone progesterone. Usually, this drug is used to treat menstrual disorders. However, for certain cases, doctors can also use norethisterone as a menstrual delay drug.
Decreased levels of the hormone progesterone in the body is one of the causes of menstruation. By using this drug, the decrease in hormone levels can be prevented, so that menstruation is delayed.
Doctors usually prescribe norethisterone to be used 3 times a day, starting from 3-4 days before the estimated time of menstruation. After not using it, menstruation will return to normal in 2 or 3 days.
Is Using Menstrual Delaying Drugs Safe?
Basically, the use of drugs to delay menstruation is not highly recommended, especially without a good reason.
This is because the two types of menstruation delay drugs can cause various side effects, including nausea and vomiting, headaches, breast pain, diarrhea, mood swings, weight gain, and changes in libido or sexual desire.
In addition, not all women are allowed to use these drugs. Menstrual delay drugs are not recommended for use by:
- Breastfeeding mothers.
- Women who are undergoing certain medications.
- Patients with certain medical conditions, such as breast cancer, vaginal bleeding, stroke, heart problems, blood clotting disorders, kidney disorders, and porphyria.
Therefore, you should not use these drugs without a doctor's advice. If it is necessary to delay menstruation, you need to undergo a medical examination to the doctor first.
After the doctor states that you are eligible to use a period-delaying drug, the doctor will prescribe a suitable period-delaying drug according to your medical history and general condition.