Periods are different things to different people, but we can probably all agree that sometimes,periods are inconvenient, inconsistent, and irritatingly irregular. Not only can an irregular period mess up your whole week — but even a period that arrives on schedule is usually traveling with its buddies,cramps, moodiness, depressionand other PMS side effects that you may just not have time to deal with during a particularly hectic week. For all these reasons, I’m sure you’ve wished you knewhow to make your period comea million times. I mean, sure, menstruation is an essential part of a being a woman, and sometimes it can make you feel wonderfully connected to the cycle of your own body and fertility — but other times, it can be frustrating to feel like such a big part of our bodies and our lives is totally out of our control.
But there are actually ways to have greatercontrol over when your period, even if you’re not on hormonal birth control. Though our cycles are unique to our bodies, they also react to exterior forces, some of which can induce your period to come early. This is a reaction we can all use from time to time — whether we want to deal with our PMS before we have a big presentation at work, or if we’re about to go on vacation, and want to make sure that we don’t spend our whole trip in our hotel room, doubled over with cramps.
These methods aren’t foolproof, and won’t work for everyone every time. And if a method doesn’t seem to be working for you, definitely don’t take extra medication — it might just not be one that meshes with your personal body chemistry. But if you’re in a tight spot, and want to try everything you can toget your period on schedule, give one of these six methods a shot.
1. Take Your Birth Control
If you’re on the pill, you can manipulate when you’ll get your period and when you won’t. According to Dr. Valerie French, if youwant to get your period sooner, then just switch to your placebo pills. If you want to skip your period all together, go straight into the hormonal pills instead of taking your placebos the week you’re supposed to take them. While this might throw your period for a bit of a loop during the next month, as it will mess with your 28-day schedule, as long as you keep track and are armed with panty liners for possible accidents, you’ll be fine. You shouldn’t have to have an important event or holiday ruined because you have your period and all the possible side effects that come with having it: cramps, bloating, irritation, and the rest of it.
But it’s worth noting that when you do switch around your pills, there can be other side effects. Jumping to placebo earlier than plannedcould lead to headaches,Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi, an OB/GYN based in Los Angeles, tells Bustle. This is because pills that contain estrogen keep your hormones at a certain level, so when they’re taken away headaches and mood swings can possibly follow. But that’s a small price to pay so you don’t have your period while backpacking through Indonesia.
2. Try Parsley Tea
As any herbalist will tell you, emmenagogues are a family ofherbs that stimulate blood flowin the pelvis and uterus, and can sometimes make your period come sooner. If you have confirmed you are not pregnant, to safely induce your period, you can try somemild emmenagogueslike parsley, ginger, yarrow, rosemary and sage. But before you reach for a handful of sage, it’s suggested that these herbs be taken in tea form, with therecommended dosage for these herbsbeing two to four cups a day. As to whether or not there’s a big difference in getting the outcome you’re hoping for if you drink four cups instead of two, the jury is still out — this is also not an automatic guarantee, so don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t work right away or if it doesn’t work at all.
While these herbs are not toxic to adults, you still want to be wise about using them. Although in theory more may seem like the best idea to get the desired result you want, you need to remember that the real key in life is moderation. There’s no sense in making yourself sick just to speed up the arrival of your period. Don’t go over the recommended dosage, and consult your doctor before taking them.
3. Have Sex
During sexual intercourse, the stimulation of the vagin* causes pelvic blood flow to head in that direction. “After the sexual intercourse, the vagin* relaxes, thus triggering the shedding of the uterine lining,” notes MD Health. This is most definitely the case if intercourse includes an org*sm as the contractions that come withclimaxing can help dilate the cervix, which also contributes to the uterine lining shedding. Same goes for masturbating — it, too, can help bring your period on earlier. (Let’s be honest, you definitely don’t need another person to have an org*sm.)
But it’s not just the act of sex that can bring on your period. The hormones that are produced and released during sex can also contribute to speeding up the arrival of your period. While we often think of oxytocin as being the chemical that’s released during sex, it’s not alone. Oxytocin combined withadrenaline and dopamine are all released during sex(and masturbation) and can play a part in making one’s period coming faster.
There’s also the fact thatsem*n softens the cervix, which can result in bringing on early menstruation (obviously, this method should only be used in couples were everyone is tested, monogamous, and using reliable birth control). Sex really is good for everything, isn’t it?
4. Reduce Your Stress
Yes, it’s easier said than done — but since we already know that massive stress can make your period late by days or even months, then it certainly makes sense thatreducing your stresscan keep your period on track. In fact, according to MD Health, managing your stress could even make your period surprise you with an early visit. As if you needed another reason to work on taking that stress down a notch, right?
There are many ways in which you can cut down on your stress. For example, cutting down on your workload and especially giving up onworking at nightwill help. Yoga and meditation are also obvious ways to get stress levels in check. Even things like taking hot baths orapplying hot compresses to your abdomen can relax your mind and body enough to speed up your period’s arrival. L
earning to manage your stress is very important — and not just because it can make your period arrive earlier. “Handling your stressis something that everyone needs to do because there are many mental and physical health risks if you don’t,”psychiatrist Vinay Saranga M.D, tells Bustle. “Too much stress can lead to burnout and depression, […] relationship problems, high blood pressure and heart disease, and a potential of self-medicating with drugs and alcohol.”
5. Exercise
Speaking of stress, another great way to decrease stress and get your period moving faster in your direction is to exercise. Theendorphins released during a high-intensity workoutcan both relieve stress and lower estrogen levels, according to the fitness experts at LiveStrong. Both of these things are ideal when trying to induce your period, although it should be noted that you don’t want to lower your estrogen levels too much.
“Serotonin levels in the braincan fall due to a lack of estrogen, leading to depression,” Dr. Kimberly Langdon, medical advisor atMedzino, tells Bustle. “Low estrogen levels can also cause vagin*l dryness, hot [flashes], and frequent urinary tract infections.”
In fact, if you work out too much, you don’t just run the risk of lowering your estrogen levels too much, but it could lead to amenorrhea, or the absence of a period. The reason for this is that your body may interpret all thatexcessive exercising as stress, making your period run late instead. Again, this is where that whole moderation thing comes into play.
6. Drink Tropical Juices
Home remedy advocates suggest both orange juice and papaya juice as delicious and nutritiousways to get your period to come. It’s because these particular fruits are known as“heat inducing” fruits, as they can cause one’s body temperature to rise. It’s this increase in temperature that can aid in the onset of menstruation — something you might have noticed if you’ve been sick with a fever and it threw off your period’s schedule enough that it came earlier than you expected.
There’s also the very convenient fact that thevitamin C in orange juicecan also help trigger your period’s appearance, according to MD Health. The reason for this interesting little tip is thatvitamin C can lower progesterone level, while elevating estrogen levelsjust enough to cause uterine contractions, which can get the uterine lining good and ready to shed itself which, of course, is what your period is. But, once again, this doesn’t mean you should chug a vat of orange juice every morning until your period appears. It just means that upping your orange juice intake or starting to drink OJ, if you don’t, can help with possibly bringing on your period.
Are any of these 100% guaranteed to make your period coming faster? No. And if you’re concerned about your period’s lateness, talk to your doctor about getting down to the bottom of the issue.
This post was originally published on April 10, 2015. It was updated on June 4, 2019.
The information provided discusses various methods to potentially influence the timing of one's menstrual cycle. I'm quite familiar with these concepts, stemming from a background in health sciences and human physiology, particularly regarding reproductive health.
Regarding the methods mentioned in the article:
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Manipulating Birth Control: Adjusting hormonal birth control pills can alter the timing of menstruation. By skipping placebo pills or switching the cycle, one can manage the onset of periods.
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Emmenagogues (Parsley Tea and Other Herbs): Certain herbs like parsley, ginger, yarrow, rosemary, and sage are believed to stimulate pelvic blood flow, potentially inducing periods when consumed in tea form. However, their efficacy isn't scientifically guaranteed.
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Sexual Activity: Sexual intercourse and org*sms may trigger the shedding of the uterine lining due to increased pelvic blood flow and hormone release, potentially bringing on an earlier period.
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Stress Management: High stress levels can delay periods, so reducing stress through methods like yoga, meditation, or hot baths might help regulate menstrual cycles.
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Exercise: Regular exercise, particularly high-intensity workouts, can affect hormone levels and stress, possibly influencing the timing of menstruation. However, excessive exercise might have the opposite effect.
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Tropical Juices: Fruits like oranges and papayas, along with their vitamin C content, are considered "heat-inducing" and might affect estrogen and progesterone levels, potentially aiding in inducing menstruation.
The article emphasizes that these methods aren't foolproof and might not work for everyone. It also highlights the importance of moderation and consulting a healthcare professional if concerned about menstrual irregularities.
It's crucial to approach these methods cautiously and consider individual health conditions and reactions. While these methods might have anecdotal support, scientific evidence backing their efficacy is limited. Consulting a healthcare provider remains the best course of action for understanding and managing menstrual irregularities.
