How to delay my period?

Hey everyone,

I’ve been on the pill for years, but I’ve never actually done this before. My boyfriend is flying in from overseas next week. He’s only staying for 5 days, and it just so happens those 5 days are when my period is due. Even though I'm on the pill, it gets pretty heavy, and honestly, I'm just not down for sex during that time. Uh...

Can I actually delay my period? Like, can I just skip the placebo week and start a new pack immediately to stop the bleeding? Is that even a good idea? And will I still be fully protected against pregnancy even if I don't take the break?

Thanks for any advice

If you don't finish the entire pack—meaning you stop a few pills short—your period will likely show up earlier than expected.
You could also just take a standard one-week break and then start a fresh pack as usual.
How many pills would I actually have to skip to make that happen? Exactly five? Honestly, I’m not entirely sure what the maximum number of missed pills is before things get complicated. 🤷
Alternatively, you could just skip the placebo week altogether. From what I understand—though I can't say I'm an expert here—skipping the break might cause some breakthrough bleeding during your next cycle.
Either way, you should still be protected.

Might be better if I just call my OB-GYN. Don't want to mess around and DIY this, but it's a big deal. We only see each other once every couple of months and it sucks knowing we can't be intimate during that time. Really hoping there's a safe way to handle this.

lonewolf3 said:Hey everyone,

I’ve been on birth control for years, but I’ve never actually done this before. My boyfriend is flying in from overseas next week. He’s only staying for five days, and of course, those five days happen to be right when my period is due. Even though I’m on the pill, my flow is heavy during that time, and honestly, I just don't want to deal with sex while I'm bleeding, uh...

Can I actually delay my period? Like, if I skip the placebo week and just start the next pack immediately, will that prevent the bleeding? Is that even safe to do? And will I still be fully protected against pregnancy even without taking the break?

Thanks for any advice.

You can definitely just start the next pack right away, and then whenever you actually want your period to show up, you can take your usual break then.
Everything you need to know should be right there in the pamphlet that came with your specific brand.
Personally, I once pushed mine back ten days when I was heading down to Florida for vacation, and man... I was a total wreck. I was super moody and basically driving myself crazy. But plenty of people do this all the time without losing their minds, so it’s definitely not a universal rule that you'll feel terrible.
My OB-GYN actually told me that biologically speaking, there isn't even a real necessity for that "break" week. Women could technically stay on them year-round; that little pause is really just a way to trigger a withdrawal bleed to manage the uterine lining.

So, let's say Thursday is my last pill in this pack, then I take my break starting Friday. If I pop the first pill of the next pack on Friday, I won't get my period.
I'll still be fully protected, though I might have some spotting during the cycle.

I’d just take the break after that second pack and then carry on as usual.
That's how it's gonna go.

Thanks for the help!!

lonewolf3 said:So, if Thursday is the last day of my current pack, I’d start the break on Friday. But if I just pop the first pill from the next pack on Friday instead, I won't get my period.
I'll still be fully protected, though I might experience some spotting during that cycle.

I would take the break after finishing that second pack and then just carry on as usual.
That's my plan anyway.

Thanks for the help, everyone!!

Which specific brand are you on?

Look, if you just keep taking them on Friday, you can stop whenever you feel like it. You stay protected the whole time, and as long as you're actively taking the pills, you won't have bleeding. You can either finish the entire pack or just stop whenever it suits you and save the leftover pills for when you need them again later. (This logic applies if you're using something like Yasmin, which doesn't include those placebo pills found in something like Yaz).
Basically, once you do stop, you just take your standard break between packs—which is when your period usually hits—and then you jump back in on the seventh day like normal.

Just make sure you don't stop taking those birth control pills halfway through the pack, otherwise you won't be protected. As long as you finish the whole thing, you'll be just fine.

Hey everyone! So, I’m doing the whole long-distance thing right now, and I only get to see my boyfriend about once every three months or so. Every single time he makes the trip out here, my period decides it’s the perfect moment to show up—and let me tell you, mine are absolutely brutal and drag on forever. Since he’s only staying for a week, it is definitely NOT on my agenda to be dealing with cramps and bleeding while he's here.
My doctor actually prescribed some pills to try and push it back, and I’m supposed to start taking them tomorrow, though she’s being totally realistic and saying there’s no guarantee they’ll actually work. To make things even more chaotic, my cycle has been acting super weird lately; I got it on October 22nd and then again on November 28th. I’m wondering if a doctor can even predict when the next one is hitting, because honestly, if it lands around December 22nd, I’m golden. I’ve also been reading online about certain teas that supposedly help speed things up, so I’m low-key considering trying that instead. Right now, I’m basically stuck in this 50/50 limbo of not knowing what to do. #totallyconfused

Elizabeth Parker29 said:Hey everyone! I'm in a long-distance relationship and we see each other about every three months. Every time he's scheduled to visit, I happen to be dealing with my period (which is painful and lasts forever). Since he's only staying for a week, it's pretty obvious I don't want my period hitting right then.
My doctor prescribed some pills to delay it, and I'm supposed to start tomorrow, though she isn't entirely sure if they'll actually work. My cycle has been all over the place the last two months—I had it on Oct 22nd and Nov 28th. I'm wondering if there's any way a doctor can predict when it'll hit next; if it happens around Dec 22nd, I'll be fine. I read that certain teas might help speed things up, so I've been thinking about trying that. Right now, I'm basically 50/50 on which route to take. #soconfused

What specific pills were you prescribed?
Typically, delaying a period involves taking birth control pills continuously without a break until you're ready for it to start. That’s the standard procedure when using combined oral contraceptives, like Yasmin, for example. Usually, this type of regimen starts on the first day of your period.
Look, there isn't some magic trick to speed up or delay your period other than introducing hormones into your system.

Honestly, given the irregular cycles you're dealing with and the fact that you're in a serious relationship, you should really consider a more permanent birth control option. It would at least help regulate your cycle and symptoms while giving you much more control to delay your period whenever you need to.

Angela Wright said:So, what kind of pills did they actually put you on?
Usually, if you want to push back your period, you take continuous birth control pills—like how people use something like Yasmin—and just keep popping them without any breaks until you’re ready to deal with it. That’s the standard move with combo pills. You basically start the cycle on the first day of your period.
Look, there isn't some magic trick or tea that's gonna speed up or delay your cycle; it's all about hormones getting into your system one way or another.

Honestly, given the mess you've been dealing with regarding your cycles and since you're in a serious relationship now, maybe think about a more permanent pill regimen, at least until things level out. It'll make managing your cycle way easier, and if you ever need to push a period back for a trip or whatever, it's a total breeze compared to this.

Well, I totally missed the mark because I don't even use birth control. There’s zero point in me starting something like that when we only see each other for a week every few months. And honestly, I tried Yasmin before and it absolutely wrecked me, so I stay far away from those kinds of hormone therapies.
The real issue is that I've been taking Duphaston for three days now, and I feel like a bloated balloon—just heavy, pressured, and my ovaries are acting up big time. I'm seriously considering just quitting them right now, but then again, I have no clue how much that's going to mess with my period. I went to see my OBGYN today, but she didn't give me any actual advice because she was too rushed to even do a full exam; she just scribbled down a prescription based on the fact that I'm already on Duphaston.

Elizabeth Parker29 said:I got prescribed Duphaston because I don’t take birth control pills. It makes zero sense for me to be on something like that if we're only seeing each other once every few months. Honestly, I tried Yas before and it absolutely wrecked me, so I try to stay far away from those kinds of hormone therapies.
The issue is that I’ve been taking this Duphaston for three days now, and I feel incredibly bloated, plus I have this weird pressure and stabbing sensation near my ovaries. I’m seriously considering just quitting, but I have no idea how that will mess with my period. I went to see my OBGYN today, but she didn't really give me any advice since she was too rushed to actually examine me—she just wrote everything down based on the fact that I'm taking the Duphaston.

Look, it all comes down to the fact that these are hormones designed to manipulate your cycle. To be blunt, I think there’s less "damage" and more actual benefit in staying on a steady birth control regimen according to a set schedule, rather than doing this stop-and-go thing where you end up chasing your tail trying to fix a chaotic cycle afterward. Yasmin isn't the only option out there. There are tons of different combined pills, and some of them would likely sit much better with your system than that one did. Don't look at birth control through such a narrow lens of just being "contraception." It can actually stabilize your cycle and clear up those physical issues you're dealing with.