Can you stop your period for a night?

Picture the scene: You’ve got a big night coming up, and — at the last moment — your period starts. Whether it’s a holiday with friends, a wedding, or a date night with your partner, periods can disrupt our lives at the most inconvenient (and annoying) of times. 

So, it’s a natural question: Can you stop your period for a night? You’re not alone, either. It’s something a lot of us have asked the internet. 

But the short answer is no. Once your period has started, it can’t be stopped in the same cycle.

Still, if your period is negatively impacting your daily life, then it’s worth speaking to your doctor. They’ll advise you on the best course of action and may prescribe you medication to help lighten your period or sometimes even temporarily stop your period. So, read on for everything you need to know about stopping your period, including treatment options and the pitfalls to avoid. 

Key takeaways

• Once your period has started, there are no medications or treatments that can stop it in the same cycle.
• You can speak to a health care professional if you’re struggling with your period. Medications like hormonal birth control are available to prevent or delay your period. 
• You can better manage your period by tracking your cycle in the Flo app and by making lifestyle changes, such as exercising regularly, getting plenty of sleep, and eating healthily. Menstrual products can help to manage your flow, and painkillers can alleviate period cramps.

Why do people want to stop their periods? 

There are plenty of reasons why you may want to stop your periods. Periods can make life more difficult. For example, if you’ve got a heavy flow, you may feel self-conscious or worried about leaking onto your outfit, especially if you’ve got an important event coming up. If you get bad period cramps or uncomfortable symptoms like feeling bloated, then your period can get in the way — and you may find it harder to do things like socializing or going on vacation.

You may also struggle with one or more conditions linked to your period, including endometriosis, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), or premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). If you have irregular periods — whether it’s early periods or late periods — your doctor may advise medication to regulate your cycle.

Dr. Sara Twogood, obstetrician and gynecologist, Cedars-Sinai Medical Group, California, US, and member of Flo’s expert board, explains: “People want to delay or stop their period for so many reasons! Some reasons include vacation plans, camping or outdoor activities without easy accessibility for changing period products, planning for sex, such as special occasions like anniversaries or seeing a long-distance partner, competitive events such as sports, and important work presentations. Everyone’s period is different, and how much a period affects day-to-day activities is varied.”

Safe and medically guided ways to delay or manage your period

First things first, if you want to delay your period — or are struggling with period symptoms — then speak to a health care professional. They are best placed to advise you about any medication for stopping your period or helping to alleviate any symptoms. 

Your doctor can prescribe you medication if your period is significantly interfering with your daily life. This could be because you have a heavy flow or bad cramps or are struggling with conditions like endometriosis, PMS, or PMDD. 

Treatment options include different types of hormonal birth control. Let’s look at these below.

The combined pill: An effective form of contraception, the combined pill is a synthetic form of estrogen and progesterone. Most packs of the combined pill include a “placebo week,” where the pills contain no hormones. During this time, you’ll have what’s known as a withdrawal bleed. This can look like a period but is, in fact, just your body’s reaction to not having the hormones. 

If you skip the placebo week and take the pills containing hormones continuously, this prevents the hormone changes that lead to the withdrawal bleeding and can stop you from having a period altogether (although you still may notice light bleeding for a couple of months).

The contraceptive patch: This involves wearing a small square patch on your skin, which releases estrogen and progestogen. The contraceptive patch can make your periods more regular, lighter, and less painful — but you may also bleed between your periods. This is known as spotting.

Hormonal intrauterine device (IUD): A hormonal IUD is a contraceptive device that is inserted into the uterus, where it releases a progestogen called levonorgestrel. Hormonal IUDs can cause periods to become lighter, less frequent, or stop them altogether. 

The progestogen-only pill: As its name suggests, this pill releases progestogen only and also works to prevent pregnancy. This pill can make your periods lighter or stop them altogether, but it can also cause spotting or periods to become more frequent. It can come in three forms: 

• Norethindrone 0.35 mg, which is sometimes referred to as the mini pill 
• Drosperinone 4 mg, which is sometimes known as Slynd
• Opill, which you can access without a prescription 

There are also medications to delay or lighten your period:

• Tranexamic acid (or TXA) — which isn’t a contraceptive — is a medicine that helps blood to clot, so your doctor may prescribe it if you have heavy menstrual bleeding. It can lighten your period but doesn’t stop it altogether. 
• Norethisterone, or Norethindrone, is a synthetic progesterone medication (known as progestin) that can delay its start for a few days and up to a month. “For most people, norethindrone is likely the best method for stopping or delaying a period on short notice,” says Dr. Twogood. However, it’s worth noting that it isn’t FDA-approved for this use, and you should always speak to your doctor before taking a new medication. 

Why some methods don’t work or are unsafe

Both your period and menstrual cycle are regulated by hormones. The four main hormones are follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), estrogen, luteinizing hormone, and progesterone. That’s why most of the proven methods of delaying or stopping your period release hormones, which then suppress or disrupt your menstrual cycle.

That said, there are unproven theories that certain types of foods, drinks, or supplements can delay or stop your period. Examples include lemon juice, water with vinegar, salt water, pineapple juice, and a range of herbal teas, like raspberry leaf. Remember, these theories aren’t backed by research. 

You can, however, manage your flow by using menstrual cups, period underwear, tampons, or sanitary pads to absorb your menstrual blood and help you go about your daily life as normal. It’s worth trying a few different methods to see what works best for you. 

Finally, if you’re thinking about delaying your periods because you get painful cramps, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are an effective way of treating them, as this study from 2023 demonstrated. While NSAIDs won’t delay your period, they may ease your symptoms, and most can be bought over the counter, including ibuprofen (like Advil, Motrin IB), naproxen sodium (such as Aleve), diclofenac, mefenamic acid, and flurbiprofen. As always, these won’t be suitable for everyone, so before taking any new medication, it’s best to speak to your doctor.

What do gynecologists say? 

Dr. Twogood says that generally speaking, stopping your period using an approved medication like hormonal birth control is safe for most people. But she cautions against the use of unproven methods like certain foods, drinks, or supplements.

“Missing periods purposely by using medications is safe — there is no reason someone needs to have a period if they are using hormonal control to suppress it,” explains Dr. Twogood. “Missing periods when not taking hormonal contraception or medication, however, needs to be evaluated.”

Dr. Twogood highlights how it’s important to speak to a health care professional about which method works best for you specifically, as some medications affect us differently. “People should talk to their doctor about which of these methods is best for them, taking into account personal medical information,” she says. “For example, taking high doses of ibuprofen may be contraindicated for someone with gastrointestinal or kidney problems. Combined oral contraceptives — containing estrogen and progestin — are not ideal or safe for everyone. In general, norethindrone and other progestin-only options are good options for most people.”

How to embrace your period — not fight it

When it comes to stopping your periods, Dr. Twogood is keen to stress that there should be no shame in doing this, especially if your periods are seriously impacting your daily life. “Stopping a period altogether is a good strategy for people with periods that are disruptive to their quality of life,” she explains. 

At the same time, if you are comfortable managing your period, then try to embrace it. Eating healthily, getting plenty of sleep, and exercising regularly if you can are all good ways to help manage your period, as well as taking over-the-counter painkillers for period cramps. 

One of the best ways to manage your period is by planning for it. Flo’s period-tracking app means you can stay on top of your cycle and know when your period is coming. With more than 420 million users worldwide, Flo’s app can estimate when your period will start and help you understand your symptoms. Flo’s subscription also provides access to thousands of peer-reviewed resources exploring periods and cycle health, including pain management techniques and advice on choosing the best menstrual products for you.