You may have added an event like a wedding or beach vacation to your calendar, only to discover that your period will likely arrive at the same time.
You might have heard that high doses of ibuprofen, or other non-inflammatory drugs could stop or delay your cycle for an important event. Are they effective and safe?
There are no guarantees that anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen will reduce or delay your period. Rebecca Russell, MD , Ob/Gyn, says. “And each person will probably be affected differently by the medicine.”
She answers questions on which option is best and when.
What is the amount of ibuprofen required to stop bleeding?
“Stopping your period would require more than the recommended dose on any over-the counter bottle: 800 milligrams ibuprofen every six hours or 500 milligrams naproxen three times per day, says Russell. This would need to be done regularly.
Does ibuprofen affect your menstrual cycle?
“Antiinflammatories such as ibuprofen or naproxen reduce production of prostaglandins,” Russell says. Prostaglandins, which are chemicals, cause the uterus each month to contract and shed its endometrium. Russell points out, however, that taking ibuprofen won’t delay your period more than two days.
Can you take ibuprofen for a period?
Take care when taking pain relievers and anti-inflammatory medications. Russell recommends taking alternative measures to delay a period, if necessary.
Russell recommends that you ask your doctor to prescribe progesterone, estrogen or a combination. This can delay your period by a few days or weeks depending on your individual needs.
She says that “other options include contraception medications which can suppress periods for several months.”
You can also use tranexamic Acid, a non-hormonal anti-prostaglandin. It only reduces blood flow to about 50%.
Can taking ibuprofen for your period cause side effects?
Ibuprofen high doses can cause severe symptoms. Severe symptoms include:
- Kidney Damage
- Edema.
- Stomach ulcers.
- Risk of bleeding increased
Most young women in good health should not have any problems taking higher doses every now and then. But before you try a new medication or higher-than-prescribed dose, make a point to reach out to your doctor about what works best for you as well as the potential side effects.
Can ibuprofen help reduce heavy periods?
What if your flow is heavy? Can ibuprofen be used to control it?
Russell says “We recommend high-dose antiinflammatory drugs like ibuprofen for slowing down heavy period” Russell says that they may help temporarily, but only by 10% to 20%.
Ibuprofen is also effective for period pain.
She adds, “While we do recommend ibuprofen to women who have significant pain most don’t notice any major changes in the flow.”
How can you delay your period the most effectively?
Russell says that the amount of time you need to consult with your doctor depends on whether you want to delay your period for an event.
Russell says that if you consult your doctor two months before an event, birth-control will be the best way to delay your period.
Asking for help at least a few weeks in advance will allow you to use a high dosage of progesterone to delay your period by a couple of days.
Remember: Everyone is different. Russell says that some women will skip their periods for an entire year and not experience bleeding, while others may only delay it for two or three weeks before experiencing breakthrough bleeding.
Russell says that although we may not be able stop menstruation for some women, we can at least slow it down or delay it.
