The menstrual cycle is one of the most essential female biological processes. Every woman needs to get her period on time every month to ensure that everything is fine with the ovulation process in her body. Regular, timely menstruation indicates good reproductive strength and ensures sound health. However, you may still wish to forward or delay your periods at times because there are some essential functions, and having menstruation during those days would be very inconvenient. So, what should you do in such a dilemma? Several natural remedies and a few tablets are available for this purpose, but you must make an informed choice rather than a hasty one. Here is how to prepone and postpone periods naturally and medicinally, along with the drawbacks you need to know and many frequently asked questions. (1) (2)
Prepone And Postpone Periods Naturally
You can find quite a few harmless natural remedies at your hand that can be used to forward or delay your menstrual cycle days without any issues. These are all food items, and hence, you need to bring a few changes to your eating habits and diet. Foods that induce heat in the body can postpone the periods, and those that cool down the body can delay the periods. Let us talk about them below:
Natural Remedies To Prepone Periods
1. Papaya
Papaya is said to produce enough heat in the body, while carotene increases estrogen levels. You can consume papaya throughout the day to accelerate your period.
2. Pomegranate Juice
Pomegranate juice should be consumed at least 2 to 3 times daily for 10 to 15 consecutive days. This is very helpful in getting the period before time.
3. Dates
Dates are a heat-inducing food. Hence, the consumption of dates in a regular manner can introduce the period earlier than its schedule.
4. Carrot
Carrots contain high amounts of carotene, which promotes estrogen production in the body and brings on the period sooner than expected. Drink a cup of fresh carrot juice 2-3 times daily.
Also Read – 9 Proven Home Remedies To Delay Your Period Naturally!
5. Pumpkin
Pumpkin also contains carotene and helps in bringing the menstruation cycle forward. You can munch on a slice of pumpkin by adding a teaspoon of honey and a dash of cinnamon.
6. Pineapple Juice
To prepare for periods, drink pineapple juice at least twice daily. Pineapple forms heat in the body, which helps the menstruation start early.
7. Sesame Seeds
Add one teaspoon of sesame seeds and one tablespoon of jaggery or honey. This mixture can be consumed daily to get your periods early.
8. Ginger
Ginger is another good natural remedy for preponing periods. You can have ginger as tea or drink fresh ginger juice with honey on an empty stomach.
Natural Remedies To Postpone Periods
1. Parsley Leaves
Boil a handful of parsley leaves in half a liter of water for about 20 minutes. Strain the infused water and drink it warm along with honey. It has to be done 2 to 3 times a day. This remedy is very beneficial for postponing periods.
2. Gram Lentils
Consume fried gram lentil soup with warm water for a whole week daily before the onset of your periods. This soup is best to have on an empty stomach.
3. No Spicy Food
If you are trying to delay your periods, you must cut out all spicy food from your diet, including chili, hot pepper, garlic, paprika, black pepper, etc. The idea is to cut off even the slightest trace of heat from your body.
Read Also – Prepone Or Postpone Periods With These Medicines
Prepone And Postpone Periods Medicinally
If you want your period to arrive sooner or later, there are also medicinal remedies for you. But they should always be taken after consulting the doctor. The following are three medications that are most commonly used for this purpose:
1. Primolut-N
This prescription drug can both prepone and postpone periods effectively with its active ingredient ‘norethisterone.’ Start taking 5 mg. of Primolut-N at least ten days before the expected date to forward the timing of your menstruation. Conversely, start taking the medicine at least three days before your anticipated date if you want to postpone your period.
2. Ibuprofen
You must take 800 mg. of ibuprofen every 8 hours and a double dose of vitamin B6 daily. Start the dosage a week or two before the expected date of the period.
3. Ovral-G
Being a combination of estrogen and progesterone, this medication helps in delaying the period less painfully. It should be continued until the menstruation needs to be started again.
Read Also – Here Are Top 10 Sanitary Pads In India – Have A Safe Period!
Drawbacks Of Preponing And Postponing Periods
Recognizing that the menstrual cycle is a natural biological process within a woman’s body is crucial. Any attempts to manipulate it can disrupt the integrity of your internal system by altering hormone levels. Scheduling your menstrual cycle for convenience disturbs your hormonal balance, potentially resulting in unhealthy periods in terms of quantity and frequency, accompanied by minor to significant short-term side effects. Prolonged use of synthetic drugs to delay or advance your period may also impact fertility in the long run.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Which Is Better – Preponing Or Postponing?
It is always better to prepone the period instead of postponing it. You have many natural remedies for forwarding those days, but delaying them requires fewer natural options.
Can Anyone Go For It?
Teenage girls, especially those under the age of 16, should never try to manipulate their menstrual cycles either naturally or medicinally. It would take a toll on their reproductive system, which is under development, and thus affect their health significantly.
How Often Can I Do It?
Generally, it is not advised to postpone or postpone periods unless it is an emergency. Natural remedies always outweigh synthetic period-delaying drugs in terms of safety and effectiveness. Therefore, choose them over OTC medications. But if you have no way other than taking medications, always do it under the guidance and supervision of a physician.
How Long Should I Use Medicines?
If you are relying on prescription drugs for rearranging the dates of your menstrual cycle, make sure that you do not use them for more than 12 or 14 days in one go. While single or short-term usage of these medications is known to be safe, using them frequently will disrupt your hormonal balance and make you infertile.
What Are The Possible Side Effects?
Frequent manipulation of the menstrual cycle can lead to complications like rashes, dizziness, bloating, upset stomach, irregular bleeding, inadequate bleeding, amenorrhea, headache, migraine, nausea, mood swing, hypersensitivity, visual disturbances, thrombophlebitis, edema, dyspnoea, and chest tightness.