The Honeymoon Pill is the nickname for a pill designed to delay a person’s period. They got that name because of how the pill is meant to appeal to people who do not want to get their period while they’re on their honeymoon. If you’re interested in learning more, then please enjoy our quick primer!
Honeymoon Pills, or Period Delay Pills, are taken to delay your period, sometimes by up to 17 days. By keeping your progesterone levels raised, the Honeymoon Pill prevents the breaking down of uterine lining. It should be noted that Period Delay Pills do not prevent pregnancy (as they don’t stop ovulation).
Even though it’s referred to as one pill, the Honeymoon Pill is not something you take just once to delay your period. Instead, you have to take it 3 times a day starting 3 days before you expect to get your period. Your period should start a few days after you stop taking the pill, so it’s suggested that you continue taking it for the length of time you want to delay your period.
Period Delay Pills are a synthetic progestin similar to progesterone, but more powerful at preventing ovulation. The more technical name for the hormone is Norethisterone, which has been used in treating amenorrhea (absent or missed periods), functional uterine bleeding (abnormal bleeding not related to periods), endometriosis (endometrial tissue growing outside of the uterus), and for contraception (preventing pregnancy). Some people may have already taken Norethisterone if they used birth control like Movisse or Micronor.
A common side-effect that can come with delaying your period is spotting/breakthrough bleeding, which is when you may notice specs of blood in your underwear. Other potential side-effects could include feeling bloated, having tender breasts, a decrease in sexual desire, or an increase in blood pressure. The Honeymoon Pill may not be recommended for people with:
We recommend checking in with your clinician before taking Period Delay Pills to ensure that what you’re using is a good fit for you and your body.
Period Delay Pills are not currently available in Canada. They’re more common in the UK.
In general, though, Period Delay Pills require a prescription from a clinician. While it may be possible to order Period Delay Pills online, again, we recommend checking in with your clinician first.
Generally, yes. There currently aren’t any known long-term side effects of taking something to delay your period.
The most common way to delay your period is called Stacking. This is where you take hormonal birth control consistently through the “off” weeks. So for different birth control, this would looks like:
It is common that people who use Hormonal IUDs or who take Depo-Provera (the birth control injection) to stop having their periods.
Again, stacking may not be for everyone. If this is something that you’re interested in, it’s recommended that you check in with your clinician first.
Please note that many resources talking about birth control and periods use very gendered language.
If you have questions about this topic, feel free to contact one of our peer educators. [Link]
Last Updated: April 2020
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