Some Cyclers may wish to delay their period by extending the luteal phase, for example, when they get married or go on a holiday. This is most often done by taking a pill containing progestogen. In most countries, these medications are only available with a prescription, so you’ll need to speak to your healthcare professional.
How to use Natural Cycles if you take progesterone
- If you take a progestogen pill, the hormone will affect your body temperature and, therefore, the data you enter into the app.
- You should continue to measure your temperature as normal but exclude it (by selecting Sick in the Add Data page) until the first day of your next period.
- The progestogen will not act as a contraceptive, so make sure you use barrier protection (such as condoms) if you have sex.
How progesterone affects the cycle
These pills act to prolong the luteal phase and will make your cycle last longer. This might impact your statistics (in the Cycle Insights tab) and predictions. The app will take these changes into account when calculating your fertility status. This will mostly affect the coming cycles, but it will regulate itself again after a few cycles. If you are an NC° Birth Control user, this might lead to more red days in your future cycles. If you use NC° Plan Pregnancy, this may mean more brown days in the coming cycles.
Extending the luteal phase and delaying your period may cause the app to think you might be pregnant, as your period is later than usual, and you may receive an in-app message regarding this. This is nothing to be concerned about since you know the reason behind the longer cycle and delayed period.