https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/periods/Do you know about Period Delay? It’s a tablet you can take to delay your period which can be extremely useful if you have a special event coming up and you’d normally have the inconvenience of your period to deal with.
Having your period is called the menstrual cycle. If you are fertile an egg is released from inside your ovaries every 28 days or so. (not all women’s cycles are the same and some women have their periods every 23 days or even every 35 days).
The egg come from inside your ovaries where they develop and mature. Then normally between day 13 and 15 of your cycle (your cycle starts on day one of your period) ovulation will occur.
At the same time your ovaries release the hormone oestrogen. Oestrogen thickens the lining of the womb to prepare it for the egg. The egg travels along the fallopian tube to reach the womb. If it meets male sperm on the way, then the egg might fertilise, and you will become pregnant.
If the egg isn’t fertilised your hormone levels fall, and this causes the lining of the uterus and the egg to shed away from the body via the vagina. This is known as menstruation, or your period.
The tablet works by keeping your natural progesterone levels raised so that your womb lining doesn’t shed and therefore you don’t have a period.
The tablet is called Norethisterone. It’s a 5mg tablet that contains lactose, maize starch, and Magnesium Stearate. Anyone over the age of 16 can take the tablet if they fit the criteria.
There are a number of questions you must answer before you can buy Norethisterone. You must be over 16 years of age, not breastfeeding and there not being the possibility of pregnancy.
You will not be able to take the tablet if you have certain medical conditions. These include epilepsy, migraine with focal neurological symptoms, high blood pressure or angina.
You should begin taking the tablet 3 days before you expect you period to come. You then need to take the tablets 3 times a day. When you stop taking the tablets your period will start after 2 or 3 days.
Tablets come in boxes of either 7 days delay or 17 days delay. 17 days is the maximum time you can delay a period.
Some women, but not all, will have side-effects from the tablet. The side effects include:
Other side effects are set out on the information leaflet inside the tablet box. For example, you should stop taking the tablets immediately if you have severe headache, you begin to show signs of thrombosis or you become jaundiced or notice a significant rise in blood pressure.
Currently the tablets cost £16.99 for 7-day Period Delay and £26.99 for a box of 17-day Period Delay.
You can get your tablet from your local pharmacy. Here at VSM Pharmacy we will be launching this service soon. Keep an eye on the website for announcements or speak to a member of staff to find out more details.
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