About period delay
How period delay pills work
Our period delay treatment Norethisterone is a synthetic version of the female hormone progesterone. It works by mimicking your natural progesterone levels, keeping them raised which stops your womb lining from shedding and delays your period.
Period delay side effects
Norethisterone when taken for period delay may cause side effects including breast tenderness, nausea (feeling sick), headache or disturbances in mood. The treatment should not be used if you have a history of blood clots.
Not a contraceptive measure
As Norethisterone does not act as a contraception when taken for period delay, it is important to consider if you need alternative contraception such as condoms. However Norethisterone should not be used if you are already taking the combined pill. In this case, you could take two packs of combined contraceptive pills back to back to skip a period, this will vary depending on the type of combined pill you use.
Our period delay clinic
Request the pack size you require and complete your consultation questionnaire. We will use this information to assess whether Norethisterone is safe and suitable for you to take. This treatment is only available for collection at a LloydsPharmacy, but same-day collection is available if you order in time.
Doctor's period delay advice
It's common to want to delay your period – maybe you're going on holiday, to a wedding, or you want to avoid the additional stress for a few days. We can help by prescribing Norethisterone or advising how to use your combined pill to skip a period.
Norethisterone shouldn't be used regularly and does not work as a contraceptive when taken for period delay.
Period delay is safe
Norethisterone can be suitable for occasional use, but should not be taken regularly. We will check your suitability when you request the treatment, so it's important that you answer the questionnaire fully and honestly.
When you collect in-store, you will have your height, weight and blood pressure checked. Because of the high dose of progesterone in the treatment, we need to ensure that your checks are all within healthy limits before we can dispense Norethisterone. These checks will be done in private.
Can periods be stopped?
While some women experience light or no periods with some forms of contraception, there isn't a treatment that will stop periods completely. Most women will experience a monthly period until they reach menopause.
Back-to-back combined pill
If you are using the combined pill and wish to take it back-to-back to delay your period, it is important you understand how to do this appropriately.
If you are unsure you should discuss this with a pharmacist, GP or contraception service as the method varies for different pill types. However, some women may experience breakthrough bleeding and spotting, and can feel bloated with this regime.
