Doctors Weigh In on TikTok’s Period Stopping Hack

TikTok is known for oft-questionable health and fitness advice, such as claims that a dietary supplement is “nature’s Ozempic” and that a “parasite cleanse” is necessary for everyday health.

And now a recent viral TikTok video claims that if you combine Jell-O, lemon juice and ibuprofen, you can delay or stop your period. Many people online say that they have done this, claiming that it really did stop their period for a few hours or even days. But is this legit?

Dr. Karen Tang, a board-certified gynecologist and the author of the forthcoming book “It’s Not Hysteria,” replied to the TikTok trend with a video of her own in which she said the period-stopping tip isn’t totally wrong.

“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 told HuffPost. “So, the less the cramping, the less that you’ll actually shed blood.”

In fact, NSAIDs are a standard treatment for painful and heavy periods, Tang noted.

When it comes to lightening your period, “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%,” said Dr. Hillary McLaren, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Chicago Medicine. 

For ibuprofen to lighten your period, you’d need to take between 600 and 800 milligrams three times a day, according to McLaren. This is a lot of ibuprofen, but McLaren said that it falls within the top range of what she’d recommend for a normal, healthy adult. For reference, the maximum daily dosage of ibuprofen is 3,200 milligrams per day (with a maximum of 800 milligrams per dose), but this tends to be with a prescription. Without a prescription, 1,200 milligrams is the daily limit.

This high amount of Ibuprofen is not for everyone, both McLaren and Tang stressed. It can be dangerous. In other words, do not try this without talking to your doctor 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 said, noting that it can lead to gastrointestinal stress “especially for people with conditions like Crohn’s disease.” Tang added that this can also be dangerous for your kidney health and can cause bleeding issues in other parts of the body.