You can change the timing of your period using hormonal methods, and in some cases, shift it permanently to a new schedule. The most reliable way is through hormonal birth control, which gives you direct control over when (or whether) you bleed each month. Other options exist for one-time delays, and lifestyle factors can also influence your cycle, though less predictably.
Skipping or Shifting Periods With Birth Control Pills
Combined birth control pills are the most straightforward tool for changing your cycle. Most packs contain three weeks of active hormone pills followed by one week of placebo pills. Your period normally arrives during that placebo week. To skip a period entirely, you simply start the active pills from a new pack at the end of week three instead of taking the placebos.
You can do this month after month, effectively running packs back to back for as long as you want. Some people skip periods for years this way without any breakthrough bleeding, though it’s common to get light spotting if you go several months without a break. The CDC notes that spotting is especially common during the first three to six months of continuous use but tends to decrease over time. If breakthrough bleeding becomes bothersome, taking a short hormone-free break of three or four days can help reset things. Flow typically stops within 11 to 12 days after that brief pause.
If you use a vaginal ring, the process is similar: leave the ring in for four weeks instead of three, then remove it and immediately insert a new one.
Delaying a Single Period Without Birth Control
If you’re not on hormonal contraception and need to push back one specific period (for a vacation, event, or athletic competition), a doctor can prescribe norethisterone, a synthetic progesterone. You start taking it three to five days before your expected period, at a dose of 5 mg two or three times daily, for up to 14 days. Your period will arrive two to three days after you stop the tablets.
This isn’t a long-term solution. It’s a short-term delay that requires advance planning and a prescription. The key limitation is that you need to know roughly when your period is due so you can start the medication in time.
Long-Term Suppression With an IUD or Implant
A hormonal IUD releases a small amount of progestogen directly into the uterus, which thins the uterine lining over time. This gradually reduces bleeding and can stop periods altogether. Among first-time users of the highest-dose hormonal IUD, about 17% stopped getting periods entirely by the 12-month mark. That number was much higher (around 38%) for people who had already been using one previously.
The progestogen-only pill works through a similar hormone but is less predictable in how it affects bleeding. Your periods may become lighter, more frequent, or stop completely. Unlike combined pills, where you control the timing by choosing when to take placebos, the progestogen-only pill doesn’t give you the same precise scheduling ability.
How Exercise and Weight Affect Your Cycle
Intense physical activity can delay or stop periods, but this isn’t a controlled way to “change” your cycle. It’s a stress response. When your body burns significantly more energy than it takes in, it can suppress the hormones that trigger ovulation and menstruation. This is more common in athletes and people who train hard regularly, but it can also happen if you suddenly start a vigorous fitness routine after a long period of inactivity.
This kind of cycle disruption isn’t the same as choosing to shift your period. It signals that your body is under strain, and it’s often accompanied by other effects like fatigue, bone density loss, and nutrient deficiencies. If your period disappears because of exercise, that’s worth investigating rather than celebrating.
Do Vitamin C or Natural Remedies Work?
There is currently no scientific evidence that vitamin C can delay a period. The claim circulates widely online, but research points in the opposite direction. One study found that taking 750 mg of vitamin C daily for three weeks raised progesterone levels in over half of participants. Since progesterone supports the shedding of the uterine lining, supplementing with it could theoretically make a period arrive sooner, not later.
Herbal remedies like parsley tea, ginger, and turmeric appear frequently in online advice, but none have clinical evidence showing they can reliably shift cycle timing in a predictable, dose-dependent way. If you need to change your period with confidence, hormonal methods are the only proven option.
What Happens When You Stop
Once you stop using hormonal methods to control your cycle, your body needs time to resume its natural rhythm. After stopping birth control pills, it can take several months for your period to return. This temporary absence of periods is normal and happens because your body needs to restart its own hormone production after relying on external hormones.
Most people see their period return within one to three months. If three months pass without a period after stopping the pill, that’s a reasonable point to check in with a healthcare provider. The timeline varies depending on how long you used hormonal contraception and which method you were on, but the delay is temporary for the vast majority of people.
Safety Considerations
Continuous use of combined hormonal contraceptives is considered safe for most people, but certain health conditions make them a poor fit. People with uncontrolled high blood pressure (systolic 160 or above, diastolic 100 or above), blood clotting disorders, or current breast cancer should not use combined hormonal methods. Smoking also increases risks, particularly for blood clots.
The hormonal effects on blood sugar and cholesterol are minimal for most users. Combined methods do not protect against sexually transmitted infections, so that’s a separate consideration if you’re also thinking about contraception. If you’re switching to continuous use or considering long-term suppression, a provider can help match the method to your health profile.