The over-the-counter pill to delay periods

PERIODS can arrive at the worst times – at the start of a holiday, for example, or right before an important exam.

Now help is at hand in the form of a pill which allows women to delay mother nature, and is now available to buy over-the-counter on the high street for the first time.

Norethisterone, previously only available through a GP’s prescription, can now be bought at Superdrug branches following a consultation with an in-store pharmacist.

The medication, which costs £29 for a 10day supply, is being advertised as a treatment of convenience.

Superdrug said it was responding to demand from women who ‘want more choice when it comes to their bodies’. Its website says: ‘Our period delay service allows women to control when their period starts for times when a period would be inconvenient, such as when they are going on holiday.’

Norethisterone, sold under the brand name Utovlan, works by mimicking progesterone, the hormone which triggers a period when its levels drop – keeping it steady.

It should be taken three days before a period is due to start. A maximum of 90 pills – a month’s supply – can be handed out by Superdrug to women aged 18 and over.

Last year more the NHS handed out more than 455,000 prescriptions for the pill, which is also used to treat heavy periods and endometriosis. The medication, previously also available though online pharmacies, has side-effects including depression, high blood pressure, fatigue and weight gain.

Shirin Irani, a consultant gynaecologist at the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘This is a good idea provided women use it responsibly and do not think it’s a contraceptive.’

Dr Zoe Williams, a GP in London, said: ‘I have prescribed these tablets for when a period is going to be a real inconvenience, such as if someone is going on holiday or has exams.

‘Women will sometimes take it in the days leading up to their wedding. Like any medication it can have potential side-effects and isn’t suitable for everyone.’