How to Delay Your Period for a Holiday, Wedding or Exam

You count forward on your phone and there it is. Your period is due on the first day of the holiday you've been saving for since January. Or on the wedding day. Or on the morning of the exam you can't move, the half marathon you've trained for, or the week of a pilgrimage you've waited years to make.

If you've ever wondered how to delay your period so it doesn't land on top of something that matters, you're far from the only one. Many people tell me they've packed for a beach week around pads and painkillers, or spent a wedding working out where the nearest loo was. You don't have to plan your life around it. Plenty only find out it's possible once the holiday's over, and wish they'd asked a month earlier. Delaying a period for a short time is usually simple, and you can request it online from anywhere in the UK.

Can you delay your period?

Yes. For most people, a period can be delayed for a short time with prescription period delay treatment, started a few days before your period is due. It needs a health check first, because it isn't right for everyone.

Your period comes when the lining of your womb sheds. Period delay treatment keeps the lining in place for as long as you're on it. When you stop, the lining sheds and your period comes, usually within a few days.

You'll find plenty of other ideas online, from lemons to gelatine to lots of exercise. There's no good evidence that any of them delay a period, and the last thing you want is to rely on one and be caught out on the day.

How long can you delay your period for?

Usually for up to around 2 weeks, and sometimes a little longer if your plans need it. How long depends on your dates and your health, so we plan it around the dates you give us.

The timing that matters most is the start. Treatment begins a few days before your period is due, so request it at least a week before you expect your period, and earlier if you can. That leaves time for your request to be reviewed and for anything you need to reach you.

When you fill in the request, have 3 dates ready: the first day of your last period, when the next one is due, and the date you'd like it to wait until. If your cycle is irregular, say so, because it changes how we plan it.

Is it safe to delay your period?

For most people, delaying a period for a short time is low risk. It isn't right for everyone, though, which is why the request asks about your health before anything is prescribed.

Period delay treatment can carry a small risk of blood clots. So we ask whether you, or anyone in your close family, has had a clot in a leg or lung. We also ask about your weight, whether you smoke, your blood pressure, migraines, liver and heart problems, any bleeding between periods or after sex, the medicines you already take, and whether you could be pregnant or are breastfeeding. If you're pregnant or breastfeeding, period delay isn't for you.

If something in your answers needs a conversation, we contact you before anything is decided. Sometimes a different option suits you better. Sometimes the answer is that a delay isn't right this time, and we'll tell you why.

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If your periods are heavy, check your iron

Can I delay my period with the pill?

If you're on the combined pill, you may be able to delay your period without anything extra, by running packs together and skipping the break. How you do it depends on the type of pill you take, and some spotting is possible when you skip the break. Tell us which pill you take and we'll tell you how.

If you're on the progestogen-only pill, it's different. You take it every day with no break, and it doesn't control when you bleed, so it can't be relied on to delay a period. If that's you, tell us on your request and we'll go through what can.

One more thing to know. Period delay treatment isn't contraception. If you could get pregnant, keep using your usual contraception, or condoms, while you're on it.

When will my period come back?

Usually within a few days of stopping treatment. It may be a little heavier or lighter than usual, and your next cycle may run slightly early or late before it settles.

If your period hasn't come within a week of stopping, do a pregnancy test. If it's negative and your period still hasn't come, get back in touch and we'll go through it with you.

How do I get period delay treatment online?

You don't need an appointment. You fill in a short online Period Delay request with your dates, your cycle, your health and the medicines you take.

I'm now a prescriber, and every request is reviewed before anything is decided. If anything needs a conversation, we contact you first. Whether treatment is right for you depends on your health and what you want, so we decide it together. If it is, it's sent discreetly through our pharmacy partners. If your prescription is approved before 4pm, it's usually with you the next working day.

Leave yourself time. A request sent the night before you fly comes too late to help. One sent a couple of weeks ahead gives time to review it and get it to you before you need to start. Every other appointment and request is on the Book online page.

If your periods are the real problem

If you'd happily skip every period because they're heavy or painful and take a week out of every month, that can be treated.

Many people put up with periods that soak through a pad in an hour or cramps that stop them working, because they've been told it's normal. It can be helped, and heavy periods often leave you low in iron without you realising. Here's how low iron can show up. The Women's Health Consultation is 50 minutes, online by video call anywhere in the UK, or in the clinic in Milton Keynes. We go through what's happening each month and agree a plan together.

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Every Sunday morning I send out my newsletter, Beyond Prescriptions, with 1 women's health lesson and what to do with it. You can sign up here.

Debora Tentis, Women's Health Pharmacist Prescriber.