There are times you may wish you could plan the timing of your menstrual cycle around a life event. Or, you may want to take action to get an irregular cycle regulated. But is it possible to induce a period?
Technically, there's no way to induce your period (as in, make it come immediately or on a certain schedule). But there are steps you can take to manipulate its schedule to help it come faster. And doing so can help diagnose underlying health conditions (more on this below), says Audra Meadows, MD, MPH, a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist and an associate professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine in California.
Before you consider methods to induce a period, be sure you’re not pregnant. Take a pregnancy test if you’re sexually active and are more than a week past the date you expected a period, says Laura Delcore, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist and an assistant clinical professor at UC San Diego in California.
Learn which methods are effective, which don’t live up to the hype, and the potential risks of trying to induce menstruation.
Natural Methods for Inducing Your Period
There are few evidence-based natural methods that may help your period come faster, and therefore help regulate an irregular menstrual cycle. But, how much each of these things affects any one's cycle depends on the individual — and some may only play a role in severe circumstances. Here’s what the research and experts say.
Exercise
There are anecdotal reports that stretching or yoga may help regulate the menstrual cycle, but it hasn’t been studied enough to make conclusions one way or the other.
Vigorous exercise can sometimes cause spotting, but not a true menstrual cycle, Dr. Delcore says. If that happens, it could be a sign of endometrial polyps (a noncancerous growth attached to the inner wall of the uterus), uterine lining shedding not from your normal period, or venous stasis (slow blood flow in the veins), so you should see a doctor.
Orgasm
An orgasm causes the pelvic floor tissues, cervix (the part of the uterus that connects to the vagina), and possibly the uterus to contract. This contraction might cause your period to start early, though only one or two days, Delcore says.
Herbal Supplements
There is some anecdotal evidence that specific herbs may make a period come faster, but there’s no substantial research to back up these claims, Delcore says.
The herbs that are said to induce a period include:
Black Cohosh Black cohosh, an herb that grows in North America, is often used as a supplement for menopausal symptoms, menstrual cramps, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and to induce labor. The herb is also sometimes used to treat menstrual irregularities. Black cohosh was thought to mimic estrogen (a hormone that controls the menstrual cycle), which could potentially aid in menstrual cycle regulation, though this is not supported by research. It’s unclear whether black cohosh is safe for women who have had hormone-related cancers such as breast or uterine cancer. Moreover, there have been reports of liver damage in people taking black cohosh supplements, though it’s unclear whether the herb itself was responsible. Consult your healthcare provider before taking black cohosh supplements.
Dong Quai Also known as “female ginseng,” dong quai is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat irregular menstrual cycles, infrequent periods, and PMS. Dong quai is said to stimulate uterine contractions, which could help induce a period, though there isn’t sufficient research to bear this out. In addition, dong quai may interact with blood thinners, make you more sensitive to sunlight, and cause skin inflammation and rashes. There’s also concern that it may be unsafe for people who are at risk of hormone-related cancers such as breast, ovarian, and uterine cancer. To be safe, talk to a doctor before taking dong quai supplements.
Stress Reduction
Stress can have a negative effect on the menstrual cycle by increasing endorphins (brain chemicals that act as painkillers) and cortisol (a stress hormone), which interrupt sex hormone production.
Delcore says spikes in cortisol are expected at times, but chronic and sustained stress throws off your system. “That's what really seems to wreak havoc on our body at the cellular level, and it definitely wreaks havoc on our reproductive health,” Delcore says.
Reducing stress through deep breathing, meditation, and light exercise benefits overall health, including menstrual health. Therefore, reducing stress might help regulate your menstrual cycle if your period is consistently late or absent.
Healthy Sleep Habits
Unhealthy sleep patterns can negatively impact the menstrual cycle, Delcore says. Someone who doesn’t get enough quality sleep or has an erratic sleep schedule may experience abnormal bleeding or an irregular menstrual cycle, she says.
The link between sleep and menstrual disturbances is not fully understood. It may be that irregular sleep impacts circadian rhythms (body processes that follow a 24-hour cycle), which can lead to irregular menstrual cycles.
Adopting habits that promote a healthy sleep schedule — such as not looking at screens before bed, having a regular bedtime, and keeping bedrooms cool and dark — may not induce a period. But it can improve overall health, which is good for your menstrual cycle. “You can’t expect to be healthy if you’re not doing these habits,” Delcore notes.
Hydration
There is little evidence that hydration impacts the menstrual cycle, Delcore says. “Hydration itself wouldn't induce a period,” she says.
Certainly, if you were so severely dehydrated that you became ill, you’d be unable to have a period, Delcore notes. Severe dehydration typically occurs after extensive exercise, in hot weather, and when you’re not drinking enough water. Your menstrual cycle is unlikely to be affected by the mild to moderate dehydration most people may experience on a daily basis.
Medication Options for Inducing Your Period
If your period is often delayed, your healthcare provider may recommend using oral progesterone or combination (estrogen and progesterone) birth control pills to help identify hormonal or structural issues, says Delcore.
Hormonal birth control pills don’t induce a true menstrual period. But when you stop using them, withdrawal bleeding may occur as the body’s response to the absence of hormones. Meadows adds there is strong evidence progesterone therapy (taking an oral medication with progesterone) will induce a withdrawal bleed.
If you don’t experience withdrawal bleeding, this might indicate that your estrogen levels are too low to support a healthy menstrual cycle or you have a structural issue that’s preventing menstruation.Your doctor may recommend other tests before making a diagnosis.
If you do experience withdrawal bleeding, your doctor may recommend that you continue taking hormonal birth control to help regulate your menstrual cycle. Taking hormonal birth control consistently supplies your body with a steady dose of the hormones that start and stop menstruation. It also helps prevent sharp spikes and drops in hormone levels, which may dampen period symptoms like painful cramps and heavy bleeding.
Reasons why you might want to take medications to regulate your cycle include:
Your periods are absent or irregular
You experience heavy menstrual bleeding
You have frequent, painful menstrual cramps
You experience premenstrual syndrome (PMS, a group of physical and emotional symptoms that begin before the onset of menstruation)
Risks That Come With Inducing Your Period
Risks that come from inducing your period are generally minimal, but there are a few potential side effects to be aware of, Delcore says.
If you take oral progesterone to induce withdrawal bleeding, you may notice bloating, irritated mood, acne, or weight retention at the end of your cycle. For combination birth control pills, people with certain risk factors (those who smoke or have high blood pressure) would be at higher risk for blood clot or stroke, Delcore says.
See your doctor if your period is a week late or you’ve missed three periods in a row, Delcore says.
The Takeaway
Inducing a period can be a way to identify underlying health conditions that cause menstrual irregularities.
There may be natural methods to regulate the menstrual cycle, including stress management, exercise, and herbal supplements, though there isn’t much evidence to support the effectiveness of these methods.
If your period is frequently delayed or absent, your doctor may recommend medications to induce a period.
Talk to a doctor or take a pregnancy test if your period is more than a week late.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
Vigil P et al. Chronic Stress and Ovulatory Dysfunction: Implications in Times of COVID-19. Frontiers in Global Women's Health. May 2022.
Kara Smythe, MD, has been working in sexual and reproductive health for over 10 years. Dr. Smythe is a board-certified fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and her interests include improving maternal health, ensuring access to contraception, and promoting sexual health.
She graduated magna cum laude from Florida International University with a bachelor's degree in biology and earned her medical degree from St. George’s University in Grenada. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. She worked in Maine for six years, where she had the privilege of caring for an underserved population.
Smythe is also passionate about the ways that public health policies shape individual health outcomes. She has a master’s degree in population health from University College London and recently completed a social science research methods master's degree at Cardiff University. She is currently working on her PhD in medical sociology. Her research examines people's experiences of accessing, using, and discontinuing long-acting reversible contraception.
When she’s not working, Smythe enjoys dancing, photography, and spending time with her family and her cat, Finnegan.
Trageser is a graduate of UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism, where she collaborated on a master‘s project with Michael Pollan on Americans' distorted relationships with food. She majored in chemistry at Reed College, and completed a senior thesis, “Pressure Studies on the Multiphoton Dissociation of Chromium Hexacarbonyl,” which allowed Trageser to spend a year working in a lab blowing molecules apart with a laser.
