Will Norethisterone Stop Me Getting Pregnant?
For years, women have been using Norethisterone to temporarily pause their menstrual cycle. Maybe you have a beach holiday coming up or you’re scheduled to give a big presentation at work and you don’t want bad cramps to interrupt you. Taking period delay tablets can prevent your period from beginning during an inconvenient time, making it easier than ever for women to pause their cycle. But if you plan to become pregnant, will period delay treatment stop you from getting pregnant?
What is Period Delay Treatment?
Period delay treatment is a medical way to temporarily postpone your period. Women do this for a variety of reasons such as when going on a summer holiday, participating in a sporting event, or attending a special occasion like a wedding. Whatever the reason, taking a short course of period delay tablets to do this is considered safe.
What Norethisterone Can Do
When you do not become pregnant during your menstrual cycle, the levels of the hormone progesterone will drop and your period will begin. Period tablets use a synthetic version of the progesterone hormone called norethisterone to keep those hormone levels up, thereby delaying the start of your period.
You should start taking Norethisterone 2-3 days before the expected start date of your period. When taken correctly, it can delay your period for up to 20 days. Once you stop taking Norethisterone, your period should start in 2-4 days.
Are There Long-Term Effects?
For a short period after stopping Norethisterone, you might experience some changes to your menstrual cycle. These will be temporary and won’t impact your fertility. In fact, it is possible to become pregnant while taking period delay tablets. This is because they do not act as a contraceptive like birth control pills do.
So if you do not want to become pregnant, you should use condoms or other contraceptives while taking Norethisterone. If your period does not start with a few days of stopping Norethisterone, you should take a pregnancy test if it is possible you may be pregnant.
If you need to put the breaks on your period because of a big event coming up, period delay treatment might be right for you. Period delay tablets like Norethisterone Tablets can be bought online in the UK from Pharmacy Planet.
Authored By
HARMINDER ‘HARMY’ KAUR
BSc(hons) Pharmacy
GPhC Number: 2061107
Reviewed By
GURDEV SEHMI
BSc Pharm, MRPharmS, Independent Prescriber, Superintendent Pharmacist, Clinical Lead
GPhC Number: 2050925