CAN YOU INDUCE A PERIOD?

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Wondering when your period will come and if you can help it along?

Most times, in infertility, you DON’T want your period to come. So it’s extra insult-to-injury in those rare times when you want it to come — and it doesn’t.

• You’re waiting for your period so you can begin an IVF or IUI treatment

• You had a miscarriage and you want your cycle to return to try again

• You weened from breast feeding to try and add to your family

• You’ve got irregular cycles due to PCOS

• You’ve got irregular cycles due to ovarian decline

In this video you’ll learn.

• The two hormones that drive uterine lining growth, receptivity, and shedding — aka your period

• The timeline of hormone changes and the start of a menstrual flow

• Hormone replacement methods to mimic a period — aka a withdrawal bleed

• Whether natural methods like acupuncture, castor packs, special supplements, or foods can induce a period

• Plus more

So watch the video lesson for a solid foundation on period induction. Remember, you won’t get a period if the lining hasn’t thickened or if the hormones aren’t in the correct phase. And once you know how things work, you might want to add some great DIY acupressure or maybe a little self-care castor oil pack treatment.

If your ovaries have been cycling — even irregularly — or have recently been induced to cycle with medications like Clomid, Letrozole, or IVF stimming meds like Follistim or Gonal F, the ovaries will probably run the show. This means your period flow will probably only happen after 12 - 14 days post ovulation — even if you do other things to try to induce it sooner.

If you need more guidance, come on in for some in-person visits! Or dig in deeper at your own pace and from the comfort of your own home with my on-demand 90 day fertility course called The Baby You Want. There’s a complete module where I break down the entire menstrual cycle including hormones, ovaries, uterine lining, and more. We also troubleshoot common issues like cramps, PCOS, endo, luteal phase progesterone deficiency, and more. I can teach you how to read your body like a book — it’s all in the 9 videos of the Nursery module and it’s so so empowering and useful for any way you’re TTC!

Learn more about the Nursery module and The Baby You Want course today.

With much love,

Nicole

Nicole Lange

LICENSED ACUPUNCTURIST
HOLISTIC FERTILITY EDUCATOR

• VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

  Let's talk about the bizarro-world infertility scenario where you actually want your period to start, but of course it doesn't. Because when you don't want it, it comes. And when you do, well, you're watching this video for a reason.

  My ten-year-old tells me that this is the spot where I should really be saying smash that like button and subscribe. So please do. He'll be totally psyched if this works better than what I usually do. And honestly, so will I. Okay, let's start with the big guns. Hormonal period induction. Now often, hormones are used to induce a period-like flow using something called a withdrawal bleed. And here's how it works.

  Usually, in a textbook cycle, the ovaries have little pods or follicles on their surface. And as those pods grow and then pop open and ovulate, they kick out hormones along the way. Now in the first half-ish of the cycle they make mostly estrogen. And in the second half-ish of the cycle, after ovulation has happened, they make mostly progesterone with some lower level estrogen thrown in too.

  What makes your uterine lining get thick is the estrogen. What makes the uterine lining stay stable and ready for possible implantation is progesterone. And what makes the lining breakdown, turn into a period flow, and leave your body is when that pod that ovulated shrivels up and gets reabsorbed and the estrogen and the progesterone both go down down down and then away. It's during the hormonal drop-off that the uterine lining breaks down and starts to come out so a new cycle can start over again.

  In a withdrawal bleed situation, hormones, most often just progesterone but sometimes both estrogen and progesterone, are given for a few to a handful of days. Usually it's an oral pill cuz that's easy. But it can be done with shots and with patches and suppositories too. Now when the hormone or hormones are discontinued and the level drops down and fades away, if there's any uterine lining in the uterus it might break down like it normally would in a textbook cycle.

  Now there are two big contingents you might've noticed that I just said. First, notice I said if there's any uterine lining in the uterus. If the lining never grew in the first place, even if the hormones drop off, there's nothing there to turn into a period flow. So you're out of luck and a withdrawal bleed's not going to happen.

  This can happen if a person's in menopause or in any other situation where estrogen is either blocked or naturally low.

  The second big contingent to successfully getting a withdrawal bleed to happen is that the hormones actually need to drop off. If you happen to take the hormones and stop them and do this sort of external hormonal treatment right when your body is actually ovulating on its own or has just ovulated on its own, then there's a really good chance that the hormones from your actual ovaries are still going to run the show. And even though you've stopped taking the pills or the other forms of hormones your ovaries are still gonna make enough progesterone and estrogen to keep the lining stable for longer.

  Now in this case it's probably just going to take 12 to 14 days for a naturally occurring estrogen and progesterone drop off to happen. And until then it's going to be no dice on period induction. As frustrating as this can be, it's what your body's supposed to do. So patience is key here.

  If a lining is there and the hormones do drop off after you stop the external source of hormones, it's going to take most bodies between two to seven days after you stop hormones to start to bleed.

  Remember, it's not the hormones that are causing the bleed. It's the drop in hormones. So you gotta wait for that to happen. And by the way, this is exactly why you get a quote unquote "period" when you either move into taking the sugar pill week or just skip pills the week that you're on birth control. It's technically a withdrawal bleed. As in a withdrawal from those hormones. And it's not really a period because you never really cycled. Or at least you shouldn't if you took the birth control correctly and it did its job.

  So those are the big guns. What about natural methods you might be asking? Is there a natural hormone-free way to make your period happen? And the answer is, no, not really. And that's both a good thing and bad news here. Good because it means you can't accidentally do something and cause a period. Or a miscarriage for that matter. But bad because, well, you're watching this video and you want your period and it would be nice if you could just eat the right food and press on the right spot and cause it. But you can't.

  What you can definitely do is help it move a bit smoother and faster if and when it's on its way. Let me say it one other way. You're not going to trump what the hormones are doing, and you definitely aren't going to force a bleed if the lining never built up in the first place. But if your about to get your period and your hormones are already starting to drop, you can do some things to improve cervical relaxation, improve pelvic circulation, and get things going faster.

  As luck would have it, I have acupressure lessons, DIY lessons, on both cervical relaxation and pelvic blood flow on this channel. Try those out. I especially like combining those two points with either electrostim acupuncture if you're seeing an acupuncturist like me, or with a TENS unit that you can do at home. And as luck would have it, I also have a video about how to use TENS units if you don't get acupuncture. I even tell you which settings you should try. So check that video out too.

  Some other good options to help speed up and smooth out menstrual flow include using castor oil packs. I'll probably add a video on my personal way to do these sometime soon. But you can find some good general instructions easily enough. Just do a quick online search.

  Exercise and orgasms are also fabulous for improving pelvic circulation and relaxation. So is some good old emotional expression. Especially if you're feeling all bottled up and extra stuck and stressed about getting your period. It's kind of weird, but I've seen it work enough times to know, sometimes you just need to have a good cathartic cry and it helps purge out all the stress cortisol and lets you start to have a flow happen.

  All these options have the bonus effect of decreasing cramping and clots too. And all these DIY options can also help with things like starting a period after a failed cycle, helping a miscarriage or a medical abortion progress smoothly and with less pain, and more. These are all really fabulous things.

  I really hope this video is helpful. I repeat, 'smash' that like button. If this video gets more likes than my others my son will totally be thrilled. And probably rub it in my face a little bit.

  Thanks so much for watching. Remember, I'm out in the world cheering you on and I'm glad to be on your team. If you want me to be on your team even more, check out my 90 day online fertility program. Right now all new members also get two 30-minute private coaching sessions with yours truly included with that enrollment price. If you want your period, I hope this video helped. Thanks for pressing play.

  [Outtakes]

  It's all tying together.