Menstruation is a natural process which usually starts at the age of 12 years in women. Menarche is the first time a woman bleeds. It occurs due to excessive production of estrogen. Menstruation is a physiological process which occurs during the fertile period of a women. It is an indication that the women is now fertile and can conceive.
Menstruation generally occurs in a cycle of 28 to 34 days. The period or duration of bleeding varies from one woman to another. The bleeding during menstruation can last for anywhere from 3 to 7 days. During this period, a woman experiences mild physical and mental disturbances due to hormonal fluctuations in the body.
Stop Menstruation Cycle
There are several menstruation problems a woman faces during her life time. Once you have tried safe home remedies to stop menstrual bleeding, seek expert gynecological opinion before taking any medication.
There are various reasons why a woman may want to stop heavy menstruation. It can be due to discomfort during the time of menses or lack of desire for children or due to excessive menstruation for a prolonged period called Menorrhagia. Cramps during menses is another reason where women want to stop menstruating. Severe menstrual cramps sometime render even the strongest of women incapable of performing their daily activities. Abdominal pain and heavy menstrual flow drains the woman both physically as well as mentally.
There are birth control pills that can stop menstruation cycle or reduce it to a large extent. Unfortunately, they are usually accompanied with some side effects that may create other gynecological or general health problems at a later stage.
Natural Ways To Stop Your Period
- Although not scientifically proven, there is one experimental method claimed by many to have stopped menstruation naturally. This can be tried easily as it does not cause any harm to the body. In this method you have to move your fingers on your breast in a circular motion. Encircle your fingers from nipple to the outer side of each breast in clockwise and anti clockwise direction. Rotate in a circular motion with your left hand and anti clockwise motion with your right hand. Repeating this 200 times regularly, your menstruation is believed to stop naturally. Again there is no scientific authenticity for this procedure, so the reliability to it cannot be confirmed.
- Another method which can stop menstrual period naturally is by way of rigorous physical exercise. It can have an impact on the natural menstrual flow. These exercises will put more physical stress on your body. Women athletes, who lose their total body fat due to rigorous exercises, produce less amount of estrogen (hormone dominating female menstrual cycle). There is also a rise in the levels of the so-called male hormone, testosterone, in their body. Both factors can temporarily stop or delay the menstruation cycle. Swimming, weigh- lifting, jogging, cycling, indoor gymnastics and exercise in gyms can do the trick.
- To stop heavy periods, do not eat foods that are known to make the blood thin. Avoid eating ginger during heavy menstrual flow, as ginger has ingredients that keep your blood thin. Similarly, the drug aspirin also keeps the blood thin. However, consult your doctor before you stop taking aspirin during heavy menstrual flow.
Herbs To Stop Menstruation
There are Chinese herbs that claim to stop menstruation:
- Angelica root: It is known “female ginseng” as it is used to treat many female menstrual troubles. The root is also used by many to stop menstruation. It is an age-old Chinese herbal remedy for treating problems related to the female reproductive system. Angelica root helps keep female hormones well-balanced while helping stop the menstrual flow.
- Raspberry tea: This Chinese herb stops menstruation by constricting the body tissues. It also helps reduce abdominal cramps due to menstruation. To prepare a light decoction, simmer a handful of dried or fresh raspberry leaves in 2 cups of water. Let it simmer for a few minutes till the liquid cools. Sip the raspberry tea two to three times in a day.
- Garden Sage and Lady Mantle are some of the herbs that are known to stop menstruation naturally when it is in excess. Mix 1 teaspoon of Lady’s Mantle in a cup of water. Let the mixture boil for a few minutes. Steep and cool the tea. You can add honey if you want to enhance the taste and make it sweet.
- Shepherd’s Purse is another herbal remedy that has anti-hemorrhagic properties. When both, Garden Sage and Lady’s Mantle, have failed to act, Shepherd’s purse is the next choice to stop heavy menstrual bleeding.
Diet for stopping menstruation:
Eat in lesser amount or eliminate certain foods such as red meat, caffeine, barley, Chickpeas, garlic, Licorice, papaya, Pumpkins, sesame seeds, Soybeans, sunflower seeds, Tomato, milk, yogurt, cheese, butter, cherries, dates and eggs. These foods are known to contain natural estrogen. You can eliminate these foods for few days before your expected date of menstruation.
Estrogen inhibiting foods that can be consumed are: broccoli, cabbage, melons, millet, Buckwheat, green beans, pears, Squashes, white rice etc. Add these foods in your diet to delay or stop the periods. These foods have minimum amount of estrogen and can be taken liberally.
Avoid eating fruits and vegetables where pesticide is used. Pesticide used on fruits and vegetables is another source of estrogen. Therefore consume organically produced fruits and vegetables. If they are not available, at least wash and rinse the vegetables and fruits in clean water before consuming. It helps to remove the pesticide from them.
I am an athlete and I get periods very rarely, after months or sometimes after a year. But I want my periods to go permanently. I do 5-6 hardcore runs per week, 3-4 swim workouts, and 3-4 time gym workouts in a week, 1-2 horse back riding sessions. I eat a diet consisting of bread, cheese, vegetables, apples, yogurt, tea, chicken, scrambled eggs, nut, and seeds and occasionally consume milk.
To stop menses in a natural way with the aid of exercise or eating certain foods may not always work. One can try it, but no one can be sure that this methods work cent percent. Consulting a gynecologist will certainly help.
I had been on pills for family planning fro the last one year. I never experienced any problems until last month. I had heavy bleeding for two weeks that stopped and started again after few days. The bleeding keeps going on and off. How do I regularize my periods?
Since my baby’s birth I have been bleeding excessively. My doctor is giving some injections but the bleeding has not stopped. I tried oral contraceptive pills and it stopped my period. But if I skip 1 pill, the bleeding begins. What can I do?
After the child’s birth, you enter the postpartum phase. This may last for 6 to 8 weeks. During this period the body tries to set back into its prepregnancy state. Hormonal changes occur. Soon your periods will resume. Since every woman is different, the time interval for return of periods will be unique to you. Mothers who are not breast feeding, bleeding may resume in two months, but in mothers who are breast feeding the time period may be longer. Periods after baby’s birth usually resume with vengeance. There may be heavier flow with cramps. However, subsequent periods after the first will be more tamed and normal as they were before. You should consult a gynecologist if your bleeding is heavy and uncontrolled.
I was having mild amount of bleeding for a month. It was followed by heavy bleeding for 10to 11 days. Then onwards I am feeling weak. Experiencing palpitation in my heart. My Hb used to be 13 but now it is 10.9 and TSH is 3.40. Also whenever I feel weak due to fever or heavy bleeding I get pain in my neck and shoulder.
Low hemoglobin level is due to excessive blood loss in your menstruation. You may be feeling weak because of low level of Hb. Sometimes excessive flow or irregular periods occur due to hormonal changes in the body. However if it is occurring regularly, you may consult a gynecologist. Pain in neck and shoulder during heavy flow may have some other causes, but even then talk to your doctor. After examination he may be able to detect the exact cause for the pain.