Since the Nepalese festival Dashain and Tihar are approaching, period delay tablets are becoming increasingly popular. Menstruation’s deep seated notions of ‘impurity’, in order to be socially acceptable during festivals and rituals, consumption of period delay pills is most common.
The most common aspect of a woman’s life is her menstrual cycle, but in Nepali Hindu culture, a woman who is menstruating is considered impure. Hindu culture places restrictions on women while they are menstruating during cultural and religious norms and festivals.
Dashain and Tihar being the most important festival of Nepalese culture there always some kind of fear seen in women that they would not be able to follow the rituals if they are menstruating. There is an underlying cosmic law that states that a woman’s period will always arrive just in time to disrupt important plans.
Menstruation is a natural biological process that occurs every month, so it’s possible for women to experience their period during festival. To prevent this, it’s a common practice to take pills.
Since, period delay pills are most commonly used during festivals, let us learn more about them.
Period delay pills:
Periods timings are controlled by hormonal changes that occur every month. Period delay pills contain norethisterone, a artificial version of progesterone. These work by artificially raising progesterone levels in the body for a longer period of time, thereby delaying the onset of menstruation. These tablets contain an artificial hormone, similar to progesterone in the body, that helps to postpone the end of a natural cycle, thereby delaying a period. However, there is a limit to how long the thickened womb lining can be maintained, so these tablets can usually only be used to delay a period for about two weeks after it was due.
How to use Period delay pills:
- Anyone who wants to use a period delay tablet should begin taking them about three days before their period is due.
- They will need to take the tablets three times a day for as long as they want their period to be delayed (up to a maximum of 17 days of tablets).
- The delayed period will begin about two or three days after the norethisterone tablets are discontinued.
- Since every woman is unique, there can be some individual variation in the delay’s efficiency and timing.
Side effects and risks:
Norethisterone may cause some side effects, just like any other medication.Some of its side effects are mentioned below:
- Acne, menstrual spotting (light bleeding), low mood, loss of libido, breast pain, or nausea are the most common.
- The process by which norethisterone is metabolized in the body may also increase the risk of blood clots.
Women who have previously experienced blood clots or are at a higher risk of clotting should avoid using period delay pills. - Norethisterone can also interact with some prescribed drugs (such as anti-epileptic or anti-TB medication)
- Menstrual irregularities e.g. irregular bleeding, heavy menstruation, spotting between menstrual cycles, delayed or not having a menstrual cycle.
- Stomach discomfort e.g. nausea, vomiting.
- Breast tenderness
- Headache and dizziness
- Increased blood pressure.
- Inability to sleep (insomnia)
Precautions to take before taking Period delay pills:
- If you are allergic to this medication or any of the other ingredients of this medication please avoid this medicine.
- Avoid using these pills pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding
- Avoid if you history of or current medical conditions such as liver problems, stroke, heart disease, migraine headaches, epilepsy, diabetes or cancer
- If you have ever had jaundice, severe itching or a blistering skin rash called pemphigoid gestationis during pregnancy.
- If you have a rare metabolic disorder called porphyria.
Since,the festival season is approaching and many women are delaying their periods, please be aware and mindful of what you are taking.
