You can stop your period temporarily or long-term using hormonal methods, and in some cases, a minor surgical procedure. The approach that works best depends on whether you want to skip one cycle, reduce your periods to a few times a year, or eliminate them altogether. None of these options harm your future fertility or your health, a point the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has made explicitly clear: the monthly withdrawal bleed on birth control is a historic holdover from early pill design and is not medically necessary.
Skipping Periods With Birth Control Pills
The simplest way to skip a period is to use combination birth control pills continuously. Instead of taking the inactive (placebo) pills at the end of your pack, you throw them away and start a new pack of active pills immediately. This prevents the hormone drop that triggers withdrawal bleeding.
For this to work reliably, you need monophasic pills, meaning every active pill in the pack contains the same dose of hormones. If your pill pack has pills of different colors with different hormone levels, talk to your prescriber before trying to skip, since the varying doses can make breakthrough bleeding more likely.
There are also pill packs designed specifically for extended or continuous use. One common option is a 91-day regimen where you take active pills for 84 consecutive days (12 weeks) and then have a short break, giving you only four periods a year. Continuous-use formulations go further: you take active hormones for a year or longer with no planned breaks and no withdrawal bleeding at all.
Expect some spotting in the first few months, especially if you’re switching from a standard 28-day cycle. This breakthrough bleeding typically decreases over time. If spotting lasts more than seven days straight or becomes heavy, that’s worth a conversation with your prescriber.
Hormonal IUD
A hormonal IUD releases a small amount of progestin directly into the uterus, which thins the uterine lining over time. It doesn’t stop your period overnight. In the first several months, many users experience irregular spotting or lighter bleeding. By the 12-month mark, about 18% of users stop getting a period entirely. That number increases the longer the IUD stays in place.
The hormonal IUD is a good option if you want something low-maintenance. Once placed, it lasts several years and requires no daily action. It won’t reliably eliminate your period for everyone, but most users see significantly lighter and shorter bleeding even if it doesn’t stop completely.
The Injectable (Depo Shot)
The progestin injection, given every three months, is one of the more effective options for stopping periods altogether. By 12 months of use, 55% of users report no period at all. By 24 months, that figure rises to 68%. The longer you use it, the more likely you are to reach full amenorrhea.
Early on, irregular bleeding is common and can be frustrating. Your body needs time to adjust to the sustained hormone levels. If your primary goal is to stop your period, the injectable tends to deliver, but it requires patience through those first few cycles.
The Contraceptive Implant
The small rod inserted under the skin of your upper arm releases progestin continuously for several years. Bleeding patterns with the implant are less predictable than with other methods. Pooled data from 11 clinical trials shows that 22% of users stop bleeding entirely and 34% experience only infrequent spotting. On the other end, about 7% of users actually have more frequent bleeding, and 18% report prolonged bleeding episodes.
This means the implant can work well for period elimination, but there’s no way to predict in advance which pattern you’ll fall into. If stopping your period is your top priority and predictability matters to you, other methods may be a safer bet.
Vaginal Ring and Patch
The vaginal ring and hormonal patch can both be used continuously, following the same logic as skipping placebo pills. With the ring, instead of removing it for a week after three weeks of use, you replace it immediately with a new one. With the patch, you apply a fresh patch each week without taking the usual patch-free week.
Both methods are listed by ACOG as appropriate for menstrual suppression. The effectiveness and side effect profile are similar to continuous pill use, with breakthrough spotting common in the first few months before tapering off.
Delaying a Single Period
If you’re not on hormonal birth control and need to push back one specific period (for travel, an event, or an athletic competition), a short course of a progestin called norethisterone can do this. The typical protocol is 5 mg taken two or three times daily, starting three to five days before your expected period. You can continue for up to 14 days, and your period will arrive two to three days after you stop taking the tablets. This requires a prescription in most countries.
Reducing Flow With Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory painkillers won’t stop your period, but they can meaningfully reduce how heavy it is. These drugs work by blocking the chemicals that cause uterine contractions and heavy shedding of the lining.
Research from the American Academy of Family Physicians shows that ibuprofen at 400 mg three times daily throughout menstruation reduced blood loss by about 36 mL per cycle compared to placebo. Naproxen at higher doses reduced blood loss by 37 to 54 mL. The strongest evidence is for prescription-strength mefenamic acid, which cut reports of heavy bleeding by 56% compared to placebo in one trial. These aren’t dramatic enough to eliminate a period, but for someone dealing with heavy flow who isn’t ready for hormonal options, they can make a real difference.
Endometrial Ablation
Endometrial ablation is a procedure that destroys the lining of the uterus. It’s a more permanent solution, but it comes with a firm requirement: you need to be done having children. The procedure is typically recommended for people with heavy bleeding caused by a noncancerous condition who want to keep their uterus but stop or dramatically reduce their periods.
About 40% of people who undergo ablation stop getting periods entirely. Most of the remaining 60% see a significant reduction in flow. It’s not a guarantee of complete period cessation, and because the lining can partially regenerate over time, some people eventually see light bleeding return years later. Pregnancy after ablation is dangerous, so reliable contraception is still necessary afterward since the procedure itself is not a form of birth control.
Hysterectomy
Surgical removal of the uterus is the only method that guarantees a permanent, complete end to menstruation. It’s major surgery with a recovery period of several weeks, and it’s irreversible. This is generally reserved for people who have a medical reason for the procedure (severe endometriosis, fibroids, chronic pain, or cancer) rather than period suppression alone. If your ovaries are left in place, you won’t enter menopause from the surgery, but you will never have another period.
Is It Safe to Stop Your Period?
Yes. ACOG’s clinical consensus is clear: hormonal methods used for menstrual suppression do not affect future fertility and do not increase cancer risk. Continuous use of combination birth control pills actually decreases the risk of certain cancers. The idea that you “need” a monthly period to be healthy is a misconception. When you bleed on the placebo week of birth control, that’s a withdrawal bleed triggered by stopping hormones, not a true menstrual period, and skipping it has no medical downside.
Your uterine lining stays thin on continuous hormonal methods, so there’s nothing “building up” that needs to be shed. Once you stop using any reversible method, your natural cycle and fertility return, typically within a few months.