How to Induce Your Period
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Medically reviewed by Peter Weiss, MD
"Healthcare providers do not advise or recommend that a patient try to bring on a period early under any circumstances. This article reviewed is for informational purposes only," says Peter Weiss, MD, a gynecologist and Health Medical Review Board member.
Inducing your period means doing something to make your period bleeding begin sooner. People may want to do this for many different reasons, including trying to keep their period from starting on the day of an upcoming event, determining if they are pregnant, or if they have an underlying medical concern. The most reliable way to induce your period is through the use of hormonal birth control, but there are other methods that may help.
Why Would I Want to Induce My Period?
You may want to induce your period to get it out of the way before an upcoming event such as:
Your wedding or honeymoon
Prom
An athletic event
A vacation or camping trip
Deadline at work or school
Other reasons you may want to induce your period might include:
Irregular periods due to a medical condition like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
Your period is late and you want to avoid the stress of a delayed period
Concerns about unintentional pregnancy due to failed birth control (such as a broken condom), missing oral birth control pills, or unprotected sex
Tracking your periods when trying to become pregnant
Why Haven’t I Gotten My Period?
Irregular periods or period changes can occur for the following reasons:
Pregnancy
You just started having a period and it’s not regular yet
Beginning or changing hormonal birth control
Perimenopause (transition to menopause)
Being under or overweight
Eating disorders (e.g. anorexia, bulimia)
Too much or too little exercise
Certain medications, including some that treat epilepsy or mental health disorders
Chemotherapy or radiation therapy for cancer
Medical conditions that affect your hormones such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis
Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), which is when the ovaries stop functioning normally in a person younger than 40
Asherman’s syndrome, which causes scarring in the uterus and/or cervix
Cancers or health conditions of the reproductive organs
Untreated diabetes (a condition that causes increased blood sugar due to insulin resistance)
Thyroid disorders (too little or too much thyroid hormone)
Cushing syndrome (increased level of the stress hormone cortisol)
Elevated prolactin (a hormone made by the pituitary gland to help with milk production in people who are lactating)
Can You Induce a First-time Period?
There is no way to induce a first-time period. It typically arrives around age 12 or 13, a couple of years after breast development. Ninety-eight percent of the time, it will begin by age 15. Consult a healthcare provider if you are older than 15 and are concerned because you have not started your period.
Related: How Many Days Should Pass Between Periods?
Ways to Make Your Period Come Faster
For those who have already had their first period, the following may help induce or speed up your period.
Hormonal Birth Control
Hormonal birth control is the most reliable way to regulate your menstrual cycle and period. Oral contraceptive pills (birth control pills) are the most common way people induce or manipulate period timing, although Depo-Provera (a birth control injection) may be used instead.
Oral birth control comes in packages with hormone pills (typically for 21-24 days) and placebo (fake) pills (for the last three to seven days). Stopping the hormone pill early typically induces bleeding. Continuously taking the hormone pill daily typically stops bleeding completely. However, there is a chance of breakthrough bleeding.
For those who wish to induce a period for medical or fertility reasons, it’s best to consult a healthcare provider. Treating the underlying cause is typically the best course of action in this case. For example, healthcare providers may prescribe medications such as Clomid (clomiphene citrate) to help trigger ovulation for those with PCOS or infertility. Estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) is a standard treatment for those with ovarian insufficiency.
Providers may also prescribe Provera (medroxyprogesterone acetate) to help correct hormonal balance and regulate ovulation for those with PCOS. Breakthrough bleeding (similar to a period) typically begins three to seven days after stopping a course of Provera (medroxyprogesterone acetate).
Related: Where to Get Birth Control As Part of Your Treatment for PCOS
Vitamin C
If you want to avoid hormonal birth control, you may be looking for a natural option. While no clinical research supports this idea, an old wives' tale claims that taking extra vitamin C can help induce period bleeding. Similarly, a small 2020 study showed that taking vitamin C with oxaloacetate (a metabolic supplement) can help relieve symptoms of PMS, although more research is needed on this subject as well.
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) plays a role in overall health and boosting the immune system, but its effects on your period may vary. Overall, the daily recommendation for vitamin C is 75 mg/day, but getting extra vitamin C is relatively safe because it’s water-soluble and the excess will exit through your urine. Therefore, it may be worth trying a vitamin C supplement and seeing how it affects your period. Keep in mind that taking over 2000 mg/day could cause stomach problems.
Herbs
Another natural option to induce your period includes consuming herbs that act as emmenagogues (help stimulate period bleeding). Examples of emmenagogues include:
Parsley
Saffron
Cinnamon
Sesame
Chastetree (or chaste berries)
Java turmeric (Curcuma xanthorrhiza)
Common rue
Emmenagogue Safety
Emmenagogues should not be taken during potential pregnancy because they could lead to miscarriage. If you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant, consult your OB-GYN about herbs and supplements to avoid.
Have An Orgasm
Having an orgasm increases oxytocin and endorphins, which are feel-good hormones. These hormones can help decrease stress, causing the uterus to contract. While this may work when your period is due, it should not induce bleeding throughout the rest of your cycle.
Lifestyle Modifications
Lifestyle modifications can rarely help with inducing your period. However, they can help you regulate it. These include:
Stress relief: Techniques include deep breathing, yoga, sports, hobbies, journaling, taking a relaxing bath, or working less.
Exercise: A healthy amount of physical activity helps you maintain a healthy weight, relieve stress, improve blood circulation, relax pelvic muscles, and balances hormones. However, too much physical activity can prevent period bleeding.
Maintain a healthy weight: Being under or overweight can lead to period irregularities.
Seek treatment for health conditions: Consult a healthcare provider for possible treatment for underlying conditions such as PCOS to help stimulate ovulation and balance your hormones.
Related: 10 Things That Can Throw Off Your Period
Precautions
Consult a healthcare provider before attempting to manipulate your period with hormonal birth control. They can help you adjust the frequency of your birth control as well as the type, if needed. Not every birth control type works the same.
Despite being natural, herbs and supplements are not safe for everyone due to certain health conditions and medication interactions. They can also cause side effects (especially in high doses). Consult a healthcare provider before adding new herbs and supplements to your care regimen.
Herbs and supplements are not regulated by the Federal Drug and Food Administration (FDA). Ensure you buy them from a reputable seller so that you can be confident about the ingredients. Check for additional ingredients, especially if you have food allergies.
When To Contact a Healthcare Provider
Contact a healthcare provider if you regularly miss your period, it becomes irregular, occurs too frequently, becomes more painful, or if you develop an unusually heavy flow. Tell them if you think you may be pregnant.
A period is considered late when it's five days later than expected and missed if you don't have menstrual bleeding for more than six weeks.
A late or missed period could signify pregnancy in those with regular menstrual cycles and periods. Other signs of pregnancy might include breast tenderness, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, mood swings, fatigue, peeing a lot, and implantation bleeding.
Notify a healthcare provider if you have excessive or persistent adverse effects from hormonal birth control. This is especially true if the effects are bad enough to interrupt your normal daily activities or cause you intense worry and stress.
Example adverse effects may include:
Excess or persistent breakthrough bleeding
Excess weight gain
Nausea, headaches, or abdominal cramps
Unusual or excessive breast tenderness
Excess vaginal discharge
Persistently decreased libido (sex drive)
Excessive mood swings or depression
Heavy menstrual bleeding
Signs that you may have an uncommon side effect and need immediate medical attention include:
Severe headache or abdominal pain
Severe vomiting
Weakness, numbness, or swelling in your arms or legs
Vision problems
Extreme fatigue (excess tiredness)
Fever
Dark urine or light-colored stool
Chest pain or discomfort
Very high blood pressure
Breathing problems
Sometimes it takes a few tries to get the correct hormonal birth control method and dose for you.
A Quick Review
The most reliable method of controlling periods is hormonal birth control. However, some people prefer to try natural approaches like vitamin C, papaya, or emmenagogues first. Keep in mind that the clinical research on these natural approaches is very limited and, in some cases, nonexistent.
For those with irregular periods, diet, exercise, and stress reduction may help regulate them. Sometimes it’s necessary to consult a healthcare provider so they can treat an underlying condition such as PCOS.
Consult a healthcare provider if you have irregular periods that do not subside with lifestyle modifications, before manipulating hormonal birth control, before taking new herbs or supplements, if you think you may be pregnant, or if you may have an underlying condition that needs medical treatment.
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