Control Your Period - Safe Ways to Control Your Menstrual Cycle

Most women get used to dealing with the monthly inconveniences associated with their period, but there are times when you just can't afford the heavy bleeding, mood swings and cramping of your menstrual cycle. It could be your honeymoon, an important athletic event, vacation or a special party (such as a pool or beach party) when having your period is simply an inconvenience you want to avoid - here's how.

Control your period- Delaying your period using your usual oral contraceptives.

In simple terms your regular pack of oral contraceptives contains 28 pills, made up of 21 active pills and 7 inactive pills. The bleeding you experience at the end of the month is your body's reaction to the active hormones that are suddenly taken away.

If your doctor prescribes you active pills for the whole month, you won't bleed. This method is called menstrual manipulation and can be a safe and effective method to control your cycle.

The typical schedule your doctor could recommend is taking active pills for six weeks in a row, by taking only the active pills in two pill packets and discarding the placebo week in your first packet. You will then take the inactive pills of your second packet during the 7^th week.

Though this method might sound straight forward it is better to follow this new regime under your doctor's supervision so that you can immediately alert him in case there are side effects you want to discuss with him.

Click here to learn more about how to control your period using your usual contraceptive.

Control your period- Seasonale will allow you to have 4 periods in a year

Another alternative to control your period safely and effectively is by using oral contraceptives that will heavily reduce your flow or stop it altogether for months. With contraceptives like Seasonal and Seasonique you should have 1 period every 3 months.

How to control your period using Seasonale

Control your period - Seasonique will allow you to have 1 light period every 12 weeks

Both Seasonal and Seasonique give you 12 weeks of active pills followed by one week of inactive pills where your period will occur. With Seasonique you will get a very low dose of estrogen even during the 13^th week which would mean less bloating, bleeding and cramping associated with the menstrual cycle.

How to delay your period using Seasonique

Control your period - Lybrel can stop or drastically reduce your cycle for 1 year

This third alternative called Lybrel gives you a low dose of a combination of progesterone and estrogen throughout one whole year which should reduce or stop your menstrual flow altogether. The side effects of this pill however vary with every woman and it is common that women still experience some level of bleeding until their bodies adjust to the new hormone regime.

How to control your period using Lybrel

How to induce your period earlier- use of natural herbal remedies

Though the above methods have been approved by the FDA and are normally recommended to help women regulate their cycle, there may be reasons where you shy away from contraceptives because of personal beliefs or fear of side effects. In this case the best compromise would be to take a herbal remedy that should trigger your period earlier, so that you will be free from your cycle on your great day.

How to control your period - Use Parsley tea

When researching natural remedies to control your period, I have found several remedies that claim to affect your cycle, yet I have to admit that I have my doubts how safe, reliable and effective they truly are. The best remedy I have found so far is using a herbal tea made of parsley leaves.

Basically all you have to do is steep a handful of parsley leaves in a pot of boiling water for 30 minutes, then strain it and drink three or four cups of this strong tea throughout the day. For maximum effectiveness use fresh leaves and try to drink freshly brewed tea whenever possible.

How to control your period - Use Ginger and Yarrow tea

An alternative to the parsley tea is the ginger and yarrow tea. You can use the same method described above in order to create this tea using ginger and yarrow and drink three to four cups of strongly brewed tea every day.

Tip : Remember that even though these herbal remedies are natural, they can still have a strong effect on your body, so do not mix both teas together and if you experiencing strong or unusual side effects such as cramping consult your doctor immediately.

It is also recommended that if you plan to induce your period early using these teas, you should start this regime at least two week before the date you expect your period, so that your flow would have stopped by the time you need it.

Works cited
How to delay menstruation using home remedies - Amanda Morin E.how