Can you postpone your period by taking ibuprofen?

On TikTok, an excerpt from an interview with Cardi B panicked Internet users. She claims to have taken ibuprofen and eaten gelatin before her first date with Offset, her ex-husband and father of her two children, to… stop her periods.

“It worked !”, she testifies. What is it in reality? Dr. Odile Bagot, gynecologist, refutes this theory: “periods necessarily appear 14 days after ovulation”she explains.

Also read: TikTok trend: are morosil and chromium effective for weight loss?

A medication to be used sparingly

It’s all about hormones. “Once ovulation has taken place, the hormones are launched, there is nothing we can do to change it”, explains the specialist. There is therefore no point in taking ibuprofen to try to delay your periods.

On the contrary, it’s even dangerous to take it if you don’t need it. Indeed, anti-inflammatories – including ibuprofen – can have effects on the stomach. Result: pain, or even an ulcer may appear. In the long term, they can even lead to kidney problems.

Use this medication for painful periods to relieve symptoms.

How to postpone your period?

Are you going on vacation soon and want to have peace of mind? You can then postpone your periods, only in one case: you are on contraceptive pills. Indeed, in this case “this is not a real period but a withdrawal bleeding”explains Dr. Odile Bagot.

There is therefore no danger in starting another pack to postpone your period by a few days, or even in chaining two packs together. “On the other hand, never do it the other way around. If you stop a pack earlier to bring your period forward, you are no longer protected against pregnancy.”