Menstrual suppression, often called cycle skipping, uses hormonal methods to reduce the frequency of or stop monthly bleeding. Individuals seek this practice for convenience, such as travel or special events, or for managing medical conditions. Skipping a cycle can provide relief for those with severe dysmenorrhea, heavy menstrual bleeding, or symptoms associated with endometriosis. By manipulating the hormonal cycle, individuals can achieve temporary cessation of bleeding.
Medical Consultation and Safety First
Period suppression must begin with a conversation with a healthcare provider, as this is a medical decision. Consultation ensures the chosen method aligns with an individual’s health profile and goals. A provider will review the medical history for pre-existing conditions that might affect the safe use of hormonal contraceptives, such as blood clots, certain migraines, or uncontrolled hypertension.
This is necessary when utilizing combined hormonal methods, which contain estrogen and slightly increase the risk of certain side effects. If the desire to skip a period stems from severe pain or heavy bleeding, a professional can determine if an underlying condition, such as endometriosis, requires diagnosis and treatment. Only after a thorough evaluation can a provider prescribe an appropriate regimen that safely allows for short-term cycle skipping.
Common Hormonal Methods for Suppression
Short-term period skipping relies on maintaining a steady level of hormones in the body to prevent the withdrawal bleeding that occurs during the hormone-free interval. The most common method involves combined oral contraceptives, often called “the Pill.”
To skip a period using a standard 28-day pack, a person must take all the active, hormone-containing pills, which are usually the first 21 pills. Instead of moving on to the final seven inactive or placebo pills, the user immediately begins a new pack of active pills. This continuous intake of active hormones prevents the drop in hormone levels that triggers bleeding, effectively postponing the cycle. For a single month of suppression, the user completes the active pills of their current pack and then takes the active pills from a second pack for the full 21 days.
The same principle applies to other combined hormonal methods, such as the vaginal ring and the transdermal patch. A user employing a vaginal ring typically wears it for three weeks, followed by a week without the ring. To skip the cycle, the user removes the used ring after three weeks and immediately inserts a new ring for another three weeks, skipping the usual break week entirely. Similarly, the transdermal patch is applied weekly for three weeks, followed by a patch-free week. To suppress the period, the user continues applying a new patch every week without taking the scheduled week off.
Understanding the Biological Mechanism and Expectations
The bleeding that occurs during the hormone-free week of a combined contraceptive cycle is not a true menstrual period; it is known as withdrawal bleeding. A true period is the result of the body shedding the uterine lining built up in preparation for a potential pregnancy, which is preceded by ovulation. Hormonal contraceptives work by preventing ovulation and keeping the uterine lining, or endometrium, thin.
Withdrawal bleeding is the body’s reaction to the sudden drop in synthetic hormone levels during the break week. By continuously supplying the body with the hormones from active pills, patches, or rings, the user prevents this hormone drop, which prevents the uterine lining from shedding. This practice is safe because the uterine lining does not need to shed monthly for health reasons.
The most common side effect when suppressing a cycle, especially in the first few months, is breakthrough bleeding, which is unexpected spotting or light bleeding. This occurs because the continuous hormone delivery may not be strong enough to perfectly stabilize the uterine lining, leading to small amounts of irregular shedding. Breakthrough bleeding often decreases over time as the body adjusts to the continuous hormone regimen. However, if the bleeding becomes heavy or prolonged, lasting more than seven days, a healthcare provider should be consulted to rule out other causes.
Fertility returns immediately once the hormonal method is stopped, whether after a single month of suppression or long-term use. Using combined hormonal contraceptives to skip a period does not cause long-term health issues or negatively impact future fertility. The safety of this approach is based on the fact that the continuous hormone delivery is simply an adjustment of the medication schedule, not a fundamentally different use of the hormones themselves.