How to Get Periods Immediately to Avoid Pregnancy
Missing your periods can be just as miserable as having them when you don’t want to get pregnant. It gets scary, especially when you’ve recently had intercourse, despite using protection. An unwanted pregnancy scare can be very stressful and can put off your menstrual cycle even for a longer time. The majority of the women don’t feel comfortable talking about this topic very openly, and hence, they feel helpless as to what to do.
It is pretty common for women to have irregular periods. Other than pregnancy, several reasons can regularly factor in causing delayed periods - depression/anxiety, unwarranted stress, weight gain/loss, PCOS, etc. Now, unless you’re sure about being pregnant or suffering from any medical condition, you may not need to raise the alarm. There are various natural remedies that you can use to induce your periods and avoid the possibility of getting pregnant.
Dr Deborah Weatherspoon, PhD, R.N., CRNA, agrees that it is not guaranteed that you can make your periods arrive immediately or within a day or two. But you can try methods to bring on your periods a bit faster right around the time when your cycle is approaching. However, just for precaution, it is in the best interest of pregnant women if they don’t take natural remedies that are emmenagogues (a substance that stimulates or increases menstrual flow) as it can cause miscarriage.
Here are a few easy ways in which you can induce your periods naturally:
1. Relax and De-stress
Activities like yoga, meditation, journaling, travelling, etc., can help you de-stress and relax, which can further help induce the period. As per studies, women who take severe stress often face menstrual problems.
2. Take Warm or Compressed Baths
Warm baths effectively induce your menstrual cycle as heat is good for your body. It relaxes your tight muscles and stimulates your blood flow. Compressing your abdomen can also help release tension and flow blood to your uterus. You can prepare your baths with salts and scents for relaxation, which will make them even more effective.
3. Exercise
Exercising in a moderate amount can help loosen your muscles and induce your period. If you’re an athlete or you exercise too much, you should try to lessen it a bit so that your body and muscles can relax.
4. Orgasm
Getting an orgasm either through intercourse or masturbation can turn out to be very effective while trying to induce a period. While it helps relax your vagina, it also helps in dilating your cervix, which creates a vacuum that can trigger the uterus to shed its lining and pull menstrual blood down.
5. Eat Foods Enriched in Vitamin C
Though it is not scientifically proven yet, it’s believed that vitamin C can help elevate your estrogen levels and lower your progesterone levels. This can cause the uterus to contract the lining of the uterus to break down, resulting in an early period.
Food like berries, citrus fruits, broccoli, black currants, brussels sprouts, spinach, tomatoes, and bell peppers, are all enriched with vitamin C. However, too much vitamin C can turn out to be unhealthy, and hence, vitamin C supplements should be avoided unless there is a deficiency and is prescribed by a professional.
6. Have Parsley Tea
Dr Lovneet Batra, Clinical Nutritionist Fortis La Femme, agrees that parsley, an emmenagogue that is very rich in vitamin C, consists of apiol and myristicin that stimulate contractions of the uterus and can effectively induce periods. However, being an emmenagogue, parsley should be avoided by pregnant women.
7. Have Ginger Tea
Ginger is one of the strongest emmenagogues that increase the heat around the uterus and promote contraction. As per studies, ginger has been used traditionally to help induce the menstruation cycle. You can even mix it up with parsley and have a ginger-parsley tea for a stronger effect. Pregnant women should not consume it, though, as it is an emmenagogue.
8. Consume Black Cohosh
Black Cohosh, yet another emmenagogue, is a herbal supplement that regulates the menstrual cycle. It helps in toning the uterus and shedding the uterus lining. However, it should not be taken if you have blood pressure, a history of liver problems, or are on heart medications. Before consuming them, you should always research a bit more about herbs whose medicinal use has not been approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Pregnant women should also avoid it as it is an emmenagogue.
9. Consume Dong Quai
Dong Quai is a popular herbal remedy native to China that’s been used since ancient times. As per studies, it helps improve blood flow to the pelvis by stimulating the muscles in the uterus and triggering uterine contractions. As the FDA does not approve it for medicinal use, you should research this herb on your own as well.
10. Have Lots of Pineapples/pineapple Juice
Pineapple is rich in powerful enzymes which are believed to help in balancing hormones and inducing periods.
11. Eat Lots of Papayas
Eating papaya regularly can help stimulate contractions in the uterus and can result in an early period. Pregnant women should avoid eating papaya as it is an emmenagogue.
12. Resort to Other Potential Emmenagogues Foods
Other than parsley, ginger, and black cohosh, there are a variety of other emmenagogues that help stimulate blood flow in your pelvis and uterus and induce period. For example, celery, cumin, fenugreek seeds, aloe vera, pomegranate, basil, oregano, cinnamon, chamomile, etc., are all believed to be effective for regulating the menstrual cycle. However, these foods should be avoided by pregnant women for obvious reasons.
Also Read: How To Get Periods Immediately In One Hour - Is it Possible?
Risks of Inducing Periods
Most of the remedies mentioned above are not suitable for women who are already pregnant. Therefore, before making any attempts to induce your period, you must ensure that you’re not pregnant, as you can end up harming the fetus and yourself fatally.
Also, as per studies, many herbs are that are believed to help induce periods have potential antifertility agents that can result in infertility or early menopause. Most herbs are easily available in the market but are not approved by the FDA for medicinal use and, therefore, should be researched thoroughly.
Meddling with the menstrual cycle and hormonal synchronization can sometimes disrupt the normality of the cycle forever. Periods occur because oestrogen and progesterone, the main fertility hormones in women, go through a well-versed synchronization, moving up and down at specific times within the cycle. It can lead you to have issues with the regularity of your period, rate of flow, number of days you bleed, or the overall nature of your period. Therefore, it is advised to seek out professional help before resorting to any extreme measures to induce your period.
How Will You Know if You Are Pregnant?
Sometimes women want to avoid consulting doctors unless they’re pretty sure that there’s something to worry about. Then how to know if you’re pregnant without consulting a doctor?
Following are some signs that might help:
- Check for a significant change in the colour, pattern, and texture of the cervical mucus by inserting your fingers into your vagina after washing them thoroughly.
- You will notice that your breasts may feel tender and swollen due to hormonal changes.
- You will find yourself urinating more than usual as the blood level increases in your body and the excess water runs straight to your kidneys.
- You might feel fatigued and even nauseous in some cases.
- You’re averted to certain odours and foods.
Most of these signs aren’t solely for pregnancy and can imply that you’re about to get your period. Or you might even be pregnant and still not feel any of these signs. If you’re confused, you should go for a home pregnancy test kit. If it turns out to be positive, then you should consult a professional. If it doesn’t, you still have a window for trying all those remedies to induce your period.
Summing Up on How to Get Periods Immediately to Avoid Pregnancy
All of the remedies mentioned above are safe to use unless specified otherwise. Though many other ways are believed to help in inducing periods, they can’t be depended upon. These methods have not been scientifically proven but are believed to be effective in a lot of cases for a lot of people. Apart from that, it comes with a lot of responsibilities to try fixing your bodily functions. Therefore, you must take every precaution and seek professional advice.
References
- Ajay Kumar, Om Prakash, March 2012; Potential antifertility agents from plants: a comprehensive review - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22245754/
- Wen-Long Wei, Rui Zeng , August 2016; Angelica sinensis in China-A review of botanical profile, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and chemical analysis - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27211015/
- Shahida Nagma, Garima Kapoor, March 2015; To Evaluate the Effect of Perceived Stress on Menstrual Function - https://jcdr.net/article_fulltext.asp?issn=0973-709x&year=2015&volume=9&issue=3&page=QC01&issn=0973-709x&id=5611
