TikTookay is thought for oft-questionable well being and health recommendation, akin to claims {that a} dietary complement is “nature’s Ozempic” and {that a} “parasite cleanse” is critical for on a regular basis well being.
And now a latest viral TikTookay video claims that if you happen to mix Jell-O, lemon juice and ibuprofen, you may delay or cease your interval. Many folks on-line say that they’ve finished this, claiming that it actually did cease their interval for a number of hours and even days. But is that this legit?
Dr. Karen Tang, a board-certified gynecologist and the creator of the forthcoming ebook “It’s Not Hysteria,” replied to the TikTookay pattern with a video of her personal by which she stated the period-stopping tip isn’t completely improper.
“Ibuprofen and other medications in that family of the NSAIDs — nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs — work to decrease period bleeding and cramping by decreasing the production of something called prostaglandin. Prostaglandin is something that acts like a hormone, and it causes uterine cramping,” Tang informed HuffPost. “So, the less the cramping, the less that you’ll actually shed blood.”
In truth, NSAIDs are a typical remedy for painful and heavy durations, Tang famous.
When it involves lightening your interval, “the research and the evidence shows that taking high-dose ibuprofen … can decrease the amount of flow of your period during your menstrual cycle by about 30% to 40%,” stated Dr. Hillary McLaren, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology on the University of Chicago Medicine.
For ibuprofen to lighten your interval, you’d must take between 600 and 800 milligrams thrice a day, in accordance with McLaren. This is rather a lot of ibuprofen, however McLaren stated that it falls throughout the prime vary of what she’d suggest for a standard, wholesome grownup. For reference, the most day by day dosage of ibuprofen is 3,200 milligrams per day (with a most of 800 milligrams per dose), however this tends to be with a prescription. Without a prescription, 1,200 milligrams is the day by day restrict.
This excessive quantity of Ibuprofen is not for everybody, each McLaren and Tang careworn. It could be harmful. In different phrases, don’t do that with out speaking to your physician first.
“The reason I wanted to make that [TikTok] video was because taking ibuprofen and other medications … in that same category do have health risks. Ibuprofen and NSAIDs can irritate the GI system and cause things like ulcers,” Tang stated, noting that it may well result in gastrointestinal stress “especially for people with conditions like Crohn’s disease.” Tang added that this will also be harmful in your kidney well being and might trigger bleeding points in different elements of the physique.
It’s unclear how this hack impacts present and future menstrual cycles.
Some TikTokers stated that doing this stopped their interval altogether, however specialists say that isn’t precisely correct.
“It doesn’t prevent the period from happening, but when you’re bleeding it can lighten the flow significantly,” Tang stated. “It definitely doesn’t guarantee that the period doesn’t happen at all.”
Also, opinions are blended on how the ibuprofen methodology can have an effect on your subsequent durations, making it doubly necessary to talk along with your physician earlier than making an attempt this out at residence. Tang stated that it “shouldn’t affect the function of your periods in the future; it really only works at that moment.”
But there isn’t analysis on the way it impacts future cycles, McLaren famous. “As with anything that alters our periods, I would think that it would delay or change when you would expect to have your next cycle,” she stated.
This implies that if you happen to delay your interval by a day in a single month, it might even be delayed by a day within the following month. But once more, the science isn’t clear right here — and each physique is totally different.
If you wish to delay or cease your interval, there are safer and more practical therapies.
If you wish to delay or completely cease your interval from taking place, doing so by way of high-dose ibuprofen shouldn’t be the best method, the specialists informed HuffPost.
“If someone is looking for a higher likelihood of controlling their periods, or what I would call menstrual suppression or menstrual regulation, there [are] better options,” McLaren stated. These embody contraception capsules, the contraception patch and IUDs, amongst others.
If you wish to cease, delay or higher management your interval, it’s finest to speak to your physician about the proper selection for you ― particularly earlier than making an attempt one thing from TikTookay.
