Is It Really Safe To Delay Your Period To Go On Holiday?

When it comes to holidaying there’s nothing better than going in the pool, floating around in your new white linen shorts and maybe enjoying some afternoon delight after some piña coladas.

And one thing that might ruin all that fun in the sun? You guessed it — your period. White bikini bottoms are just a bit too risky when you have your period.

So you might wonder, “Is it okay to delay my period until I’m back from hols?”. 

And the answer is… yes! For most of us, it’s totally fine to delay your period for a while.

“In a healthy reproductive-aged [person] with a natural monthly period, it’s generally safe to skip one or multiple periods,” Rachel Blair Danis, M.D., a reproductive endocrinologist and board-certified ob-gyn at RMA of New York shared in an interview. 

What’s the best way to delay a period?

If you don’t currently take the pill, then your best best is what’s known as period delay tablets, say Superdrug’s Online Doctor service. You’d take one tablet, three times a day starting three days before your period is due to start. They contain an active ingredient called norethisterone, a synthetic form of the hormone progesterone.

This option is great if you just want to delay your period for your holibobs, family doctor Laura Purdy told Shape: “Norethindrone is a good option for people who are hoping to delay their period over a shorter period of time, perhaps for an upcoming event, since it doesn’t require usage beyond the period of time that you’d like to not have your period, while being on combination hormonal birth control is a longer-term process that spans the duration of the menstrual cycle.”

However, if you are on the pill, you simply don’t take the pill-free break you would usually allow for a period. 

There are other types of birth control out there that completely remove periods for some people. The Mirena coil, hormonal implants (usually in the arm), and depot injection have been known to stop monthly bleeds and can be beneficial with those with painful, heavy flows.

However, if you’d just like a quick fix for your week in the sun, a period delay tablet is probably your best bet. Speak to your local pharmacist for more information.