Postponing your period while visiting Sweden
Medically reviewed by Dr Toha Soodhun, specialist in family medicine · 15 November 2026
If your period is due during a trip, a wedding or an important event, it can usually be postponed safely. If you use the combined pill, patch or ring, you can often skip the bleed yourself by leaving out the break. If you do not use hormonal contraception, a doctor can prescribe tablets that delay your period — they need to be started at least three days before it is expected.
If you use the combined pill, patch or ring
- Combined pill: skip the sugar pills or the pill-free week and start the next pack straight away. With some pills, where the hormone dose changes through the pack, it works differently — check the leaflet or ask us.
- Patch: put on a new patch when the break would normally start.
- Ring: insert a new ring instead of taking the usual break.
- Your protection against pregnancy stays the same. Spotting can occur, especially the longer you postpone.
If you do not use hormonal contraception
A doctor can prescribe hormone tablets that postpone your period. They are started at least three days before your period is expected, taken for a limited time, and your period usually comes a few days after you stop. This works best if your periods are regular. The tablets do not protect against pregnancy, so use a condom.
The doctor checks first that the tablets are safe for you — they are not suitable during pregnancy, with certain liver diseases, or if you have a raised risk of blood clots.
What a video doctor can do
- Go through your health, your cycle and any contraception you use
- Explain how to skip a bleed with the contraception you already have
- Prescribe tablets to postpone your period when suitable, sent to a pharmacy near you
See a doctor in person if…
- Your periods are irregular, so the expected date is uncertain
- You want to postpone your period often — another contraceptive may suit you better
Our clinics in Gothenburg, Stockholm and Malmö can usually see you the same day (3,200 SEK, or +700 SEK after a video consultation). If you cannot come in, we can visit you at your hotel or home in central Gothenburg, Stockholm or Malmö — see prices.
Seek emergency care or call 112 if…
- A swollen, painful leg, chest pain or sudden breathlessness while taking hormone tablets — these can be signs of a blood clot
Questions
How late can I start?
Tablets to postpone a period need to be started at least three days before it is expected. Book your consultation in good time before the trip.
Do the tablets work as contraception?
No. Tablets used only to postpone a period do not protect against pregnancy.
What does it cost?
A video consultation is 2,500 SEK. The tablets are paid at the pharmacy.
See a licensed Swedish doctor by video
2,500 SEK · No personnummer or BankID · Insurance documents included
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