How to Put a Full Stop to Your Period
Sometimes, our periods make us feel like amazing god-like creatures. A testament to the wonder of nature! A reminder that our bodies are capable of some truly out-of-this-world things!
And sometimes…not so much. Many people have long, drawn-out periods that leave them anemic, or severely depressed. Some people experience menstrual pain that feels off the charts, and gets in the way of daily life like work or school.
Or, periods can cause a monthly bout of gender dysphoria. But, there’s nothing you can do about it right—periods are a fact of life?
Well, there are actually ways you can put your period on hiatus, even permanently. There are also medications that you can take to make the symptoms of periods more manageable by reducing the flow of menstruation. This however, isn’t a long term cure. Here’s what you need to know about your options.
Long-Term Solutions For Ending Your Period
One of the easiest ways that people can skip periods is by using combination birth control pills. These contraceptive pills combine estrogen and progestin, which suppress ovulation and stop the lining of your uterus from thickening.
Generally, your combined pills come in a 28-day pill pack. It has 21 days of ‘active’ pills and then seven days of sugar pills. (These sugar pills help keep you in the habit of taking your pill at the same time every day, which is great for forgetful folks!)
If you simply don’t take the placebo pills and start your next pack of active pills, you won’t have your period, though you may experience some spotting.
But, if you’re looking for something a little more long term, there are other things you can try:
Hormonal IUDs
Have you ever seen an IUD in real life? They’re adorably teeny tiny! IUDs (intrauterine device) is a type of contraception that a doctor inserts into your uterus through the cervix. It stays in your body for 3-10 year depending on the type, assuming you don’t remove it early.
There are non-hormonal copper IUDs and hormonal IUDs that slowly release the same hormones as a contraceptive pill. The latter type stops your period, about 80% of the time.
Progesterone Only Contraception
Progestin injections are a type of contraceptive you may not have heard of. The most common brand name is Depo-Provera, and unlike the pill, you only get a dose of medication every 3 months. It’s estimated that after getting these contraceptive shots for a year, about 70% of people stopped having their period.
There are other side effects you may notice (like any contraceptive) so be sure to talk to your doctor in depth about this choice.
Testosterone Therapy
Some trans men and non-binary people opt for testosterone therapy.
Along with stopping your period, it will cause your voice to deepen, facial hair to grow thicker, and a change in how fat and muscle are distributed in your body. Some of these changes are permanent, and some are temporary.
It’s a big decision, which may affect your future fertility. So, if you’re considering testosterone therapy, it’s best to talk to doctors who are knowledgeable and have experience with trans patients. That may mean looking outside your community for clinics that specialize in treatment for transgender people.
Remember, it’s okay to prepare questions! And, choosing not to have hormone therapy doesn’t make you ‘less’ trans than anyone else.
Ending Your Period Permanently
If the above long-term solutions to ending your period aren’t going to cut it, you can ask your doctor about the below treatments:
Endometrial Ablation
You may not have heard of this procedure, but it is a solution to lighten or stop heavy periods. Essentially, it involves surgically destroying the lining of your uterus using small tools.
It may be done in a doctor’s office, or in an operating room. And, different methods are used: extreme cold, heated fluids, microwave energy or high-energy radio frequencies.
Ablation can typically only be done once or twice. As it can effect the future of someone’s fertility, providers generally only recommend it to people who don’t plan on carrying any more children.
If pregnancy does occur, they can be particularly high-risk and result in miscarriage or with implantation happening in the fallopian tubes or cervix instead (ectopic pregnancy).
So, your doctor may suggest permanent sterilization with the ablation or other contraceptive methods to prevent a dangerous pregnancy.
Hysterectomy
When you are sure that pregnancy and periods are things that have absolutely no place in your life, then a hysterectomy is a permanent solution. This means the removal or partial removal of your uterus, and can include the removal of your ovaries and fallopian tubes as well.
It can be done vaginally or through the abdomen.
As many as 1 in 3 women in the United States will get a hysterectomy by age 60, according to the CDC. Many people get hysterectomies in response to fibroids, uterine prolapse or cancer. Unfortunately, you may run into many roadblocks if you’re seeking an elective hysterectomy at a younger age.
Many doctors are reluctant to offer them to people during their reproductive years because it is so permanent.
If you do find a doctor willing to help you get a hysterectomy, be sure to ask a lot of questions about life after the procedure. You may want estrogen therapy for example. And, if you have questions about your sex life post-hysterectomy, make sure that you are very specific. Most doctors mean ‘penis in vagina intercourse’ when they refer to sex, so ask questions about oral sex, masturbation, etc.
Slightly less invasive versions of the traditional abdominal hysterectomy are also an option. This includes laparoscopic and vaginal surgeries.
Are You Ready To Put An End To Your Periods?
The only one who can answer that question is you! But, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do plenty of research and ask your doctor (or several doctors) a lot of questions. As you’ve read above, there are plenty of options for ending your period on a long-term or permanent basis!
Facts Checked By:
Dr. Shree Datta is a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist in London, specialising in women’s health including all menstrual problems such as fibroids and endometriosis. Dr. Shree is a keen advocate for patient choice, having written numerous articles and books to promote patient and clinician information. Her vision resonates with INTIMINA, with the common goals of demystifying periods and delivering the best possible care to her patients.
Article written by:
Lane Baumeister is an internationally-based Canadian writer with several years’ experience creating educational and entertaining articles that discuss intimate health and sexual well-being. When not waxing profound about menstruation, she devotes herself to enjoying extremely good food and equally bad movies.
Hello mam thank you so much for your information but I have a question that is there any solution for take a seconds of time of duration for periods and it’s executed for the whole world women
.
I have advocated what l call Cycle Control for a great many years. I have a ms l couldn’t get printed as it was such an unusual subject.
There is NO reason to have a period! Zero! It represents destruction. Why would a very young female have a monthly cycle when there is no desire to become pregnant? It takes a tremendous amount of nutrients to have a cycle! It’s a drain in the body of someone who is far too young to have a child.
For those wanting to become pregnant they having a cycle then represents construction not destruction as with an endless non productive draining and many times a painful cycle.
My research has continued over the years off and on. From my original thought flash( my term for sudden ideas that come to me in my researches ) on the cycle that it wasn’t necessary.
I trained some females to stop their cycle. It was successful. It’s mental training. I hope to redo my ms with new information. I think meant open minded women are ready Cycle Control.
A mind is like a prarchute- it’s no good unless it’s open!
Hi! Can you please elaborate on how it’s possible for someone to do this? I’d like to learn more and I can’t find information about this online.
Hi Howard,
thank you for contacting us. It would be best if you talk to your doctor about this topic.
Best regards,
Hey how can you make your period stop
Hi Ashuntibogu,
thank you for your question, it would be best and safest if you talk to your doctor about this. We hope you will get your answer.
Best regards
You’re a fucking mental patient.
for answering a question professionally do young ppl dont do dumb sh/t? id say they did a great job at explaining everything
I’m assuming you’re a man? stop being a fucking control freak, over women you don’t know. we aren’t baby machines. and if you’re a woman, that’s just sad. what are you looking for? validation? honestly.
I want to stop my period permanently by operations .. it is possible??
Hi Varsha,
thank you for this question. Please advise your doctor, they will know how to help you.
Good luck and have a great day
totally new to me. in my country’s websites—they love there own culture—, there’s nothing to search. so many people think “period makes you special in many ways.”… only popular thing is period pads. there was nothing to possible alternatives even few years ago. nor menstrual cups nor even tampons. what a thoughtless days.
Thank you so much for this article! I have a few questions! Are there certain ages you must be to receive any of these treatments (hysterectomies especially) such as being over 21, etc.
My second question is about the pills and injections. How long do they last, and if your period doesn’t completely stop, are hysterectomies a good decision if you are sure you won’t have kids?
Thank you!
Hi Jade,
thank you for your question, but unfortunately, we can not give you the answer. Please ask your doctor, we are sure he or she has all the information needed, and will advise you in accordance with health regulations.
Have a great day!
I’m a trans guy and I had been wondering for a long time on how to get rid of my period and the article really enlightened me in that subject so thank you. Also how do you get Testosterone?
Hi Lee,
thank you for your kind words. For other question, please contact your doctor, they would probably know how to advise you about hormones and period.
Have a great day
Hello my name is londyn and I just got my period four days ago which was on Father’s Day and I do a lot of sports like, hip-hop, softball,tennis,and cross country I’m about to turn 14 soon and I’m a very sensitive person and I hate wearing a pad so I tried putting a tampon in for the first time which did not work until finally I got it in and it hurt so bad I could feel it inside my stomach then I took it out three hours later and let me tell u it sucked, when I took it out it was so bloody end it hurts so bad to get out I was screaming and in tears and saying I could never do this again, later that day I had to go to dance and it was so hard to dance with a Pad in because I felt like blood was gonna drop out and I was nauseous and dizzy this should not be happening to me I’m only 13 this is eve shouldn’t ate the apple and I really want to get rid of my period, my birthday is coming up and I’ll be on my period, so I don’t know what I’m gonna do! and I’m inviting so many people it’s not fair! And I really want to get rid of my. It’s painful except I don’t get any cramps and I have really bad anxiety and I was highly sensitive person so I need a way to get rid of it and I don’t know any doctors so please help me my mom wants me to have kids in the future but I told her no I hate having a period but I don’t know what to do please help me.
Hi Londyn,
thank you for your question. We are so sorry to hear you are feeling this bad regarding your period. It should be easier, so here are few options: talk to your doctor to make it less painful and try using menstrual cups. You must explore and see what is the best fit for your body. We are sure you will succeed in the end. Good luck!
Best regards
Wow I am so sorry that you went through that! Can you talk about this to your mom or a trusted adult? Regarding the tampon that hurt, perhaps you need a teen size tampon for lighter flow? You can use a light absorption tampon along with light thin pantry liners for back up during sports. It could be that you stuck it in too deep and I’m sure that was very scary for you ? if you don’t want to talk with a trusted adult maybe ask the school nurse about this. I know it can suck and since you’re still so young it’s good to get all the info and make yourself as comfortable with the process as possible because you’ve got plenty of more years of this period stuff to deal with. It’s great that you’re reaching out and asking for help!
It’s likely that you inserted the tampon wrong, try aiming it more towards your butt when you put it in, and make sure to relax your muscles. Make sure that (if you’re using tampons with applicators) when you put it in, you push it in all the way until your finger on the grip is touching your skin, then push the plunger. Try a few different positions, such as standing with one foot on the toilet seat, or squatting. When taking the tampon out, be sure to take a deep breath and relax. It’s scary the first few times, which can make you tense up, which makes it more painful to insert and remove, but the more you practice, the easier it gets.
Hello mam,
Myself Naseema. I want to ask when usually a woman gets menopause.
My mother’s age is 50 and she is still getting periods,she is frustrated with it and want to stop it permanently.Is there any way to stop it without harming body?Or she should wait for menopause?
Hi Naseema,
thank you for your question, but this is something you should ask your, or your mom’s doctor. They will know the answer.
Best regards
Sometimes I wish I was born a man.
I’m 16 and I’m a lesbian, I hate having a period because they’re 9 days long, heavy and extremely painful. I can’t even get out of bed at all during the 9 days. And I know for sure that I don’t want to have kids (I would rather adopt anyway). What if my doctor won’t let me get a hysterectomy? What do I do then?
Hi I’m
Hiba and I’m 12 I just started my periods and they are so heavy that even when I woke up my whole bed was covered in blood and it sometimes starts leaking from my pants when I’m in school and I don’t know what to do and I want to find something to atleast stop it so how can I stop it .
Hi i’ m Taven Green I’m 18 I really hate having my period every month I’m 100%sure that I don’t wanna have kids at all I talked 2 my mom about getting a hysterectomy but 2 be honest bottom line is I just don’t wanna have periods anymore . & I really want my uterus removed ?
Hi Taven Green,
we suggest you to wait a few more years before making any decision. And of course, this is a really serious health matter so we can not give you any advice on this.
Having a period is not easy for many girls, so please have in mind that you are not the only one feeling this way. Maybe you can talk to someone about your feelings, start here and ask other girls for their comments/opinions. And of course always, always(!) talk to your parents and your doctors about serious things like this.
Best
Hi Hiba, Trinity, and all the girls having problems with periods. I too have terrible pain during that “time of month”(TOM’s visits). Suggestions, taking Evening Primrose Oil during that time helps. It helps with emotions and pain too. Also, investing in pantyliners(thin pads) as well as a tampon is a good idea as someone commented above. Also, soaking your feet in a hot epsom salt bath helps tremendously during that time. Keeping feet warm -very warm- also helps. Your blood is trying to leave your body, cold makes blood thicken leading to cramps. Also, ibuprofen is good (also a blood thinner) as a painkiller at that time.
I’m not a doctor. Just a lifetime experiencer of the debilitating pain of my monthly gift. Gift because, due to missing it, I have beautiful, intelligent, wonderful children, and without a period, I wouldn’t have them.
For the lesbian, it seems useless now, perhaps in the future, you may decide to have a child, and they do have an interesting way of delighting your soul and making you laugh. Periods can be like cyanide. Killer. However, extremely small doses of even cyanide have been found very beneficial like in curing cancers.
Periods are painful. Taking daily birth control pills (and not taking the sugar pills in the packet)is one way not to get them. IUDs are another way, though they all have side effects. Talk to your doctor or nurse about them.
For the girl who’s gotten hers on her birthday: take ibuprofen, wash often, keep your feet warm, and smile. You’re a tough cookie. At the end of the party, take a long soothing bath or foot soak and keep warm afterwards. You’re a woman now. Women are silent secret warriors. We fight every day. For ourselves, our children (whatever age they be) and our spouses. You don’t need to wield a sword to fight. You can wield an unwavering perseverance to the death. That is women. That is true power. That is what brought YOU all into this world. Yes, that and NO LESS, is what it took.
Your period. It’s your training ground. For your life’s battles.
The comment with using testosterone is usually not advised for people who are not trans. Only people who have gender dysphoria should use it. Side effects like facial hair growth etc. can make for reverse gender dysphoria.
This is from a scientific article :
“This becomes evident in the fact that within days or weeks of receiving cross-sex hormones, dysphoric individuals exhibit markedly lower anxiety. This procedure is so reliable that it is a the second step in the triadic treatment plan described in the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association’s (HBIGDA) Standards of Care. (W. Meyer, et al.,2001). Hormonal treatment is considered both a verifier of gender dysphoria and a treatment. Further, as treatment continues, the resulting cross-sex feminization or masculinization typically reduces and eventually eliminates the anxiety entirely (W. Meyer, et al.,2001).”
People who are not trans are likely to have increased anxiety or gender dysphoria.
Thank you for the informative article. I’ve been on depo since I was 17, with few breaks. I knew since I was 12 that I never wanted children and began asking for a tubal ligation at 18. Of course, like many young women it was met with a firm no. I really wish any of the doctors I saw would have explained that having it done at a young age could lead to the body healing itself and reversing the procedure. It seems that this never crossed their minds as they preferred to tell me that some day I’d get married and my husband would want children. Like I would have no choice. I was also told more times than I can count that I didn’t know what I wanted and that it would be different when I had children. I’m almost 30 now and my son turns five this year. I love him, but I would tell every one of those women who said it would be different how wrong and toxic they are if I could. The one thing that was true is how they treated me like I wouldn’t have a choice. I wasn’t allowed to choose sterilization, I wasn’t allowed my next dose of depo, I didn’t choose to be drugged, I wasn’t given a chance to say no, I couldn’t fight back, I didn’t choose to get pregnant from rape, I didn’t want to be a single mother and I didn’t want to look at the person I love more than anything every day and see that night replay over and over. I was finally able to get a doctor that agreed to do my tubal ligation last year. It took years of medical records showing that I’ve had multiple sclerosis since I was at least 12, lists of medications I’ve taken that make pregnancy dangerous for me and any potential baby, breaking my leg thanks to the effects of years on depo and already having a child that was the result of a forced pregnancy. I also just got lucky that the main doctor at that office was the same man that preformed my mom’s last cesarean and made her agree to getting her tubes tied. She had to travel four hours to see him because the doctors close to her refused to deliver me. There’s definitely good advice in this article, but it doesn’t mean anything as long as women are ignored, treated like reproducing should be the universal goal and denied the ability to choose. You never realize how important it is to have a choice until you don’t.
Wow it’s so sad reading these comments. I am 33 and a kidney transplant patient. If I have a child, they too will have 50% chance of getting this disease so I’ve been proactive in preventing myself in ever becoming pregnant. Prior to my transplant, I would take my birth control continuously and it was amazing. Now that I’ve had my transplant, the birth control may affect how long this new kidney lasts so I’ve been searching for solutions to stop my period through my doctor and internet. Birth control implant seems to be my next choice. Iud is too scary for me as I’m afraid of high risk of infection due to my immunosuppressants.
For anyone else reading, continuous birth control is incredible.
And you can still have kids if you ever stop.
The choice is literally yours and you have all the power to change your choices.
I am
50 ! My periods stopped 3 years ago!! But before somedays it started again (i was in too much steressed because of some family issues)for 7 days! Now i m ok! There is no any health issues!! Now no blooding!! It was for 7 days!! Now i am fine!! But i want to ask abt that is all ok!!