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You don’t have to have a period whilst you are travelling

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Written by Dr Karen Morton, Consultant Gynaecologist and Obstetrician and founder of Dr Morton’s – the medical helpline

See Dr Morton’s Gynae Travel Pack© and vaccinations and travel medicine

manage periods and understand endometriosis

How to delay your period

Many women have never considered the fact that we are simply female mammals who are able to control our fertility and hence have far more periods than any mammal in the wild – which is probably not altogether good for us. Certain gynaecological conditions are even specifically attributable to the large number of periods we have, such as endometriosis. I often say to patients that; “if you were a bunny rabbit in the wild you would either be pregnant or breast feeding all your little bunny rabbit life” and actually that is much more the norm than what humans do.

But for many women having a period while travelling can be a real hindrance. Whether they are trekking in the jungle or on a romantic break a period is often the last thing they want.

If women are taking a combined oral contraceptive pill either for contraceptive reasons or for period troubles and if the pill is the same strength throughout the packet (some contraceptive pills use different strength tablets within the packet) then they can go straight from one packet to the next and miss a period entirely. This is completely safe as indeed the periods we get when we take the Pill are completely artificial anyway.

Many girls take 2 or 3 packets on the trot all the time and that is fine

Certain other hormonal methods of contraception may also stop periods completely. For example certain progesterone only pills, progesterone injections, progesterone implants or intrauterine systems will more often than not stop periods whilst a woman is using them. Periods will return when use is discontinued or a device is removed.

What about women who are not taking anything? Do they simply have to put up with a period whilst they are climbing Kilimanjaro or swimming with hammerhead sharks in the Galapagos? No. As long as they are healthy with no risk factors for deep vein thrombosis, they can very easily stop a period from coming by taking a short course of a hormone tablet called Norethisterone.

This medicine has been around for donkey’s years and was in years gone by used to prevent women from having a period on their wedding night. It is also very useful for older women whose periods have become unpredictable around the time of the menopause, as it will stop the sort of ghastly heavy bleeding that can occur then. Norethisterone can be a lifesaver and if you love travelling it is worth having a packet.

Be in control. Think ahead!

Updated March 1 2020

--> Written by Dr Karen Morton, Consultant Gynaecologist and Obstetrician and founder of Dr Morton’s – the medical helpline See Dr Morton’s Gynae Travel Pack© and vaccinations and travel medicine manage periods and understand endometriosis How to delay your period Many women have never considered the fact that we are simply female mammals who are able to control our fertility and […]
Tags: Gynae Travel Pack, periods, travelling, women's health

Posted in Travel health, Women's health | No Comments »

Early miscarriage, why does it happen? Latest research and recommendations

recurrent miscarriage
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Written by Dr Danielle Abbott, GP with special interest in Women’s health and revised by Dr Karen Morton, Consultant gynaecologist See Dr Morton’s enhance women’s health through life  and pregnancy advice For women who are trying to have a baby, and who are thrilled to see the blue line appear on the pregnancy test, having a […]
Tags: Birth, enquiry, pregnancy, womens health

Posted in Women's health | No Comments »

An itchy fanny: or medically called ‘pruritus vulvae’.

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Written by Dr Natalie Atere-Roberts General Practitioner and adviser to Dr Morton’s – the medical helpline Updated 4 January 2020 See Dr Morton’s control thrush Let’s face it – having an itch “down below” is a pretty embarrassing subject, and women can be reluctant to talk about it, but as a doctor, my job is […]

Posted in Uncategorized, Women's health | No Comments »

Menopause does not have to be like this!

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Written by Karen Morton, Consultant Gynaecologist and Obstetrician and founder of Dr Morton’s – the medical helpline See Dr Morton’s enhance women’s health through life Updated 1 January 2020 At last the importance of addressing Women’s Health is receiving the attention it deserves;in society (see the RCOG’s latest initiative) and in corporations who seem to understand the value […]
Tags: Healthy Wise and Well, menopause, oestrogen, women's health

Posted in Sexual health, Women's health | 3 Comments »

Miscarriage: such a sadness, and sometimes a real tragedy

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Written by Karen Morton, Consultant Gynaecologist and Obstetrician and founder of Dr Morton’s – the medical helpline Published 29 December 2019 As we come to the end of 2019 I am sure there are many couples who will be pleased to leave the old year behind them and move into a new one, hoping and […]

Posted in Pregnancy, Women's health | 3 Comments »

Hay fever rears its head with a vengeance!

Dr Morton's - Hayfever in spring
Posted by Karen Morton No Comments
Yesterday evening I jumped out of my car and directly onto my bike to cycle to the Andrew Robson Bridge Club. It was a wonderful warm sunny evening and Wandsworth Common was covered in bodies all making the most of the glorious day. Picnicking, playing games and generally enjoying themselves. I parked my bike and […]

Posted in Allergy, asthma or hay fever | No Comments »

In The News: Regulation is important!

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Fortunately, there is a good deal of research which demonstrates safety, as long as rigorous standards are applied. Dr Morton’s – the medical helpline© is a service started by doctors who fully understand the importance of quality and safety regulation. All our doctors have been involved in CQC inspections in the course of their work […]

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Contraception – from crocodile dung to female condoms and beyond

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Contraception has been a pre-occupation among men and women for as long as written records go back – although more for illicit relationships than for married couples. Early Egyptian papyri (from around 1550 BCE), for instance, proposed a number of different methods to avoid pregnancy. Advice included placing honey, acacia leaves and lint in the […]
Tags: contraception, sexual health, womens health

Posted in Sexual health, Women's health | No Comments »

Bleeding after sex

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Written by Karen Morton, Consultant Gynaecologist and Obstetrician and founder of Dr Morton’s – the medical helpline There are many causes of bleeding after sex, including: Infections such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) STI such as chlamydia Physical damage to the vagina, such as that caused by friction during sex, or childbirth Vaginal dryness Polyps […]

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

When is an ovarian cyst simply the norm?

Posted by Karen Morton 1 Comment
This week I have had a glut of cysts! The word ‘cyst’ sounds like something to be worried about, and of course sometimes it is, but more often than not it is a nothing. An incidental finding when a woman is being investigated for a symptom which leads to a scan of one sort or […]

Posted in Dr Morton’s casebook, Pregnancy, Women's health | 1 Comment »
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