How to Change a Menstrual Cycle With Birth Control Pills

The menstrual cycle is a cycle of fertility that typically lasts 28 days.Once a cycle is established, it can change due to increased exercise, stress or changes in lifestyle. Many women today are also using birth control pills to change the time or length of their menstrual cycles. If you would like to change your menstrual cycle with the use of birth-control pills, it can be done relatively easily.

Things You'll Need

• Birth Control Pills

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Instructions

• 1

  Take one birth-control pill a day for three weeks (21 days) as directed. Be sure that you are taking the "active" pills during this time and not the placebo pills that are included in the package.

• 2

  When the three weeks are over, skip the placebo pills and instead begin taking the active pills from your next month's pack of birth control pills. This will encourage the body not to shed the lining of the uterus at that time and will delay menstruation. Be sure to save your old pack of birth control pills as you will need the placebo pills in the next step. (See Reference 2)

• 3

  When you have reached the day that you would like to begin your menstrual cycle, stop taking the active pills and begin taking the placebo pills. These pills should be taken one per day for one week. It may be a day or two before you begin to menstruate.

• 4

  When the week of taking the placebo pills is over, begin a regular schedule of three weeks of active birth-control pills and one week of placebo pills. This will encourage your new cycle to become more permanent.