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Returns 10 Top Tips on How To Make Your Period End Faster
Many of our articles are inspired by our lovely reusable period products customers. This one was down to Celia on Trustpilot who said:
'I love that it stops my period cramps from being so bad and my heavy bleeding calmed down'.
Reusable period products replace pads or tampons and are simply washed and reused. They're comfy and ecofriendly too!
This isn't the first time that we've heard feedback from customers that switching to reusable period pants and pads has made their periods shorter, lighter or less painful.
With this in mind, we decided to share potential ways to shorten / lessen / reduce heavy periods.
These are both scientifically proven and those which are based on anecdotal evidence.
Here's our 10 Tips on how to make your period end faster:
- Switch to Reusable Period Protection
- Regular Exercise
- Stay Hydrated
- Try Sex / Masturbation
- Vitamin B6
- Herbal Remedies
- Avoid foods which can make your period heavier
- Lose Weight
- Try hormonal birth control
- Medicines To Make Periods Lighter
Ways of shortening your periods tend to be split into two camps. One is having less endometrial tissue to dispose of by thinning your uterine lining.
The other is to speed up blood flow through functional process as the blood leaves your body. We'll look at the functional options first.
Switch to Reusable Period Protection
Anecdotal evidence suggests that reusable period pads, menstrual pads and period pants can make your periods end faster.
There's no scientific evidence as to why this should be the case. Our working theory is that period pants and reusable pads are SO much more comfy. Which means that no matter how heavy your period, it's easier to be active and stay upright.
This then means that gravity can do it's job quicker! See point two!
'Since moving away from big period pad brands, my periods have been more manageable too. Less cramping, lighter etc. And even now, if I do get cramps, I put the next Cheeky Wipes pad / pair of pants I will wear on the radiator to warm it up and soothe the cramping... Life hack!'
If you or your child suffers with heavy or long periods, check our our range. We have period pants for teens, period undies for tweens and even a first period celebration kit. These are all are perfect for long timers or anyone about to start their period.
Regular Exercise
Gravity is your friend when it comes to your period. Think about when you first get out of bed on your heaviest day. The blood which has been pooling overnight comes out pretty quickly and can include blood clots too. We've heard of our customers having had to CRAWL into the bathroom in the morning before switching to our pads and pants.
The more walking, jumping and running you can do (squats and lunges count too), the quicker you're likely to pass whatever there is to be shed.
The pic above is my actual butt in gym leggings with period pants underneath - no bulky pad, no VPL!
Stay Hydrated
90% of your period blood is water. If you're dehydrated it can make your period blood thicker and more viscous. This stickier blood can take longer to be expelled. Simple.
Try Sex / Masturbation
***TMI / OVERSHARING ALERT*** If you're squeamish, look away now. This is one that I know definitely works. �� Orgasms cause your uterus to contract. When your uterus contracts, it squeezes out period blood faster than leaving it just to drip out in the normal fashion.
Penetrative vaginal sex speeds this process up even more. All you need is a partner who isn't squeamish about blood and a penis or dildo! Shower sex is the name of the game to keep your sheets clean at this time of the month...
If that's not an option you (or they) aren't comfortable with, then masturbation to orgasm will work alone. Plus, the endorphins released when you orgasm can help with period pain too!
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is thought to increase progesterone which may shorten your period. Taking this as a supplement or eating lots of B6 rich foods can help. More detail here.
Herbal Remedies
Many of these herbal remedies are recommended online anecdotally, however there are few scientific studies to back them up. This is due to a lack of research in the womens health arena...
Interestingly, there's a lot of crossover here between remedies to speed up your period and start labour. Here's a few herbal remedies to shorten your period:
Turmeric tea or capsules are also thought to help reduce the length of your period as they reduce oestrogens impact on the growth of endometrial cells. Drink / take capsules three times daily during your period, or try one cuppa / capsule daily all month.
Avoid foods which can make your period heavier
Certain foods can make your food heavier, such as beetroot, honey, coffee & chocolate. It's not necessary to avoid these foods all the time, just in the run up to your period.
Read our article on 'foods which can make your period heavier' for more detail, including which foods can actually lessen your periods.
Lose Weight
If you're overweight or obese that puts you at risk of longer / heavier periods. Obviously it's easier said than done, but losing weight if you're overweight could help you have lighter periods ongoing.
Try hormonal birth control
If you aren't already on hormonal contraception such as birth control pills or hormonal iud, these may be worth investigating.
Within my circle of friends, quite a few have used the Mirena coil and found that after a few months their menstrual cycles either got lighter, skipping periods or stopping completely. Winner!
Medicines To Make Periods Lighter
There are two medicines which can work to reduce the length / heaviness of your menstrual flow but always check with your GP first for blood tests if your periods have abnormally heavy flow.
Ibuprofen
NSAIDS such as Ibuprofen reduce the production of inflammatory substances called prostaglandins, which are involved in triggering your periods.
In this way, high-dose ibuprofen can slow down your period or make your flow lighter. However, it shouldn’t be used to skip or stop periods altogether and can cause adverse effects such as stomach ulcers and gastritis. Always check with your GP first!
Transexamic acid
In randomized controlled studies, oral tranexamic acid has been proven to reduce blood loss by 60 percent. However, it doesn't make periods shorter, just lighter.
Kirstin on our team has been taking Tranexamic acid for her very heavy periods for some time now and she says 'I really notice the difference if I haven't picked up my prescription for Transexamic acid.
Just a few weeks back, my period was so bad during a pilates class that I could literally hear it sloshing inside me. Stupidly, I wasn't wearing my period pants, just a menstrual cup and when I lay down it overflowed and poured out through my knickers and leggings onto my mat. Doh! The transexamic acid really helps lighten my periods."
Bestselling Heavy Flow Period Products:
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We hope that you found this article interesting and informative. If so, you may also be interested in reading these:
Best Period Pants for Teens & Tweens 2023
What Period Pants are Right for me?
Best Underwear for your Period
About the Author: Helen Rankin founded Cheeky Wipes, the original reusable wipes kit back in 2008 after disposable wipes caused her eczema to flare up. 4 kids later, internal period protection such as tampons or menstrual cups were no longer an option for her and she went on to develop their range of 'Simple Reusables' to include period pants, reusable panty liners and reusable sanitary pads.
The Cheeky customer services team pride themselves on providing honest, friendly advice and just LOVE to chat pee, poo and periods all day long, helping people make the switch to reusables! The Company was recognised for their hard work in developing environmentally friendly products with the Queens Award in Enterprise for Sustainable Development in 2021.
