Ruby Cup Explains: How To Make Your Period End Faster

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People with periods will spend between 6-10 years of their lives menstruating. Some of us welcome our periods as a monthly check-in on our body’s health and pregnancy status. But, depending on your life and schedule, your period may not always be welcome. One of the most frequent questions our loyal Ruby Cup users often ask is, “How can I make my period end faster?” We, as champions of the fuss-free period, are all for trying to find some ways to shorten periods. Turns out your body has your period length pretty well dialed in, but there are a few ways that might make your period end faster.

What is a normal period length?

A normal period length is considered to range between 2-7 days according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). 

The length of your period is determined by how long it takes your body to get rid of all of the menstrual tissue that grows on the inside of your womb, called your uterus. The thickening of your womb’s lining happens in the first part of your cycle. Each month, your body prepares for a possible pregnancy in this way.

Rising and falling levels of two hormones, estrogen and progesterone, determine the lining’s thickness or thinness at any given point in your cycle. The thicker that lining is, the heavier your flow and the longer it may take to shed out through your vagina.

If you do not become pregnant, estrogen and progesterone levels drop rapidly. This drop sends a signal to your uterus to shed your endometrium. Your period starts as the mixture of blood, secretions from your cervix and vagina, and pieces of the endometrium leave are squeezed out by your uterus (a.k.a cramps), through your cervix, and out of your body.

The two main ways to make your period end faster

So, now that you made it through the biology lesson, you’ve arrived at the main points of this post. The two approaches to shortening your period are to:

1. Decrease the thickness of your endometrial lining
2. Increase the speed at which your menstrual flow leaves your body

The reality is that your body has this period-thing down. If you do the math, you can expect somewhere close to 500 periods in your lifetime. Assuming a person’s periods start at age 13 and end at age 51, the math is that you will have 12 periods a year multiplied by 38 years (51-13), you arrive at 456  periods. For most menstruators, periods are regular and consistent. Unfortunately, there is no DIY hack to change the main factors determining how long your periods last.

What factors influence how long your period lasts

According to the American College of OBGYNs (ACOG),it may take your body up to 6 years to start having a regular, predictable menstrual cycle. Once-established, your cycle length remains pretty constant until you start to go through menopause, usually in your 40’s and 50’s. Some factors that determine how long your period lasts and how much you bleed on your period are:  are:

• Whether or not you are using any hormonal birth control
• Your body mass index (BMI) or body composition (amount of body fat)
• Your age
• Your physical activity level

A note here about body weight, body size, BMI, and periods. It is true that people who have larger bodies and more body fat have heavier periods. This is because the fat cells in your body can make estrogen. Estrogen stimulates the growth of your uterine lining. So, the more fat cells a person has in their body, the more estrogen they have in their blood, the thicker the endometrium they grow each month, and the heavier or longer their periods.

It is not true, however, that if a person who menstruates loses weight, their periods will automatically shorten or become lighter. In fact, if a person severely restricts their food intake or begins an extremely-intense exercise regime, they stop having periods altogether (called amenorrhea).

Talk with your healthcare provider to learn more about yourideal weight, diet, and exercise routine to optimize your menstrual health. While losing large amounts of weight might shorten your period slightly or make it irregular, research shows that there are health risks related to rapid or excessive weight loss and intense exercise.

Hormone therapy can help shorten your period

Hormone therapy, in the form of birth control, is a common and effective way many people make their periods end faster. The birth control methods shown to be effective in decreasing the heaviness of periods are:

• Combined hormonal birth control methods (birth control pills, patch, ring, implant, and shot)
• Hormonal IUDs

Progesterone-containing IUDs (Skyla, Kyleena, Mirena, or Liletta in the U.S.) are known to make your periods lighter and in some cases stop them altogether. Other women choose to take only the active birth control pills and skip the placebo weeks when they would normally have a period. Even without skipping the placebo week, people taking birth control pills have lighter and shorter periods.

Remember that none of these hormonal changes from birth control are permanent – within 1-2 cycles of stopping most hormonal contraceptive methods, people will return to their normal flow and cycle length.

Non-hormonal treatment options for shorter periods: NSAIDs and Tranexamic acid

Two different medicines without hormones have also been shown to help lessen menstrual flow. The first are medicines called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

NSAIDS work by stopping hormone-like substances called prostaglandins in your body. Research shows that women with heavier periods have more prostaglandins. There is some evidence that taking NSAIDS are moderately effective in decreasing menstrual flow and pain, but hormonal methods and tranexamic acid are more effective.

The American College of OBGYNs (ACOG) recommends tranexamic acid as another treatment option for heavier periods. Tranexamic acid (Lysteda in the US) works by preventing break down of blood clots and decreasing bleeding. People report 40-50% less flow when taking tranexamic acid, according to researchers.

While NSAIDs are available without a prescription, tranexamic acid requires a healthcare visit. Both medications can have side effects, so be sure to talk with your healthcare provider about whether either of these medications are safe for you.

Alternative approaches don’t work as well to make your period end faster

Some people with heavy-flow periods look for hormone-free alternatives and herbal remedies for decreasing flow and shortening their periods. Social media, clean living, and holistic nutritional websites overflow with suggestions for particular foods, supplements, or herbal remedies that claim to make your period end faster. Unfortunately, more intensive scientific studies either have not been done (periods are not traditionally a popular research area) or are inconclusive. Maybe you have read about some of these such as:

• Turmeric
• Pineapple
• Red Raspberry Leaf (as a tea)
• Ginger capsules
• Myrtle fruit syrup
• Vitamin B6 200-800 mg a day

There is no strong scientific evidence showing that turmeric, pineapple, red raspberry leaf tea, ginger, myrtle fruit syrup, or Vitamin B6 make your period end faster.

If you still want to try any of these out, make sure to talk with your healthcare provider before starting any regular dietary supplement or herbal remedy to try to make your period end faster.

How to increase the speed of your menstrual flow

Have you ever noticed that certain activities during your period can lead to that dreaded gush of blood? While not scientifically proven to make your periods end faster, some people try exercise, sex, and staying hydrated to keep things flowing, so to speak. Besides helping you stay at a healthy body weight, relieving menstrual pain and bloating, and improving your menstrual mood, exercise may help you get rid of some menstrual flow.

Menstrual cups can be a comfortable and leak-proof option for athletes and those of us wanting to wear cute workout tights without having to worry about leaks. Check out Ruby Cup’s recommendations for thebest menstrual cups for athletes and sports enthusiasts.  Just remember to stop or slow down if you feel sick, tired, dizzy, or have any pain – you don’t have to set any PRs while menstruating. It is important to talk with your healthcare provider about how to safely get the benefits of exercise, both on and off your period, before starting any new exercise routine.

Whether you are signing up for period work-outs or not, staying on top of how much water you are drinking may influence your menstrual flow. Remember, you learned earlier that your menstrual flow is composed of blood as well as other secretions? Well, the liquid portion of blood is about 90 percent water.

If you are dehydrated, your blood will be thicker and less likely to flow out of your body, meaning more days with your period. Make sure to get at least 64 ounces of water each day (about 8 medium-sized glasses or 4 water bottles full). You will need more water if you drink caffeinated beverages like coffee, or alcohol, if you exercise, or live in a hot climate. Researchers found that dehydration (not having enough water in your body) is linked to more painful period cramps and increased menstrual distress.

And the last, but definitely the most fun, way to try to make your period end faster is to have sex and orgasms. Whether through sex or masturbation, when you orgasm, your uterus contracts. These contractions not only reduce painful cramps, but may help tosqueeze out menstrual flow.

While you can’t have penetrative intercourse while wearing your Ruby Cup,menstrual cups are a great way to keep the sheets and your partner clean when orgasming.

How to monitor your period length and flow

As many of us know, changes in diet, stress, or health can throw your period off track. If you go to the healthcare provider because you have such a change, one of the first questions they will ask is how your period length or flow have changed.

The benefit of using a menstrual cup is that you can keep track of exactly how much you are bleeding – you know how often you have to change your cup, and you can even measure your menstrual flow with the conveniently marked milliliters on the Ruby Cup. This is not possible with the cotton and rayon in pads and tampons because they absorb all the blood. Using a menstrual cup can help you know if you have heavy periods.

Another benefit of using a period cup over a disposable menstrual product is the ability to see your blood and look for blood clots. Blood is designed to form clots anytime it stops flowing, so you may notice more clots in your menstrual cup when you empty it than you are used to seeing on your pad or tampon.

Yet another benefit of using a menstrual cup is that when inserted to the correct location, high up in your vaginal just below your cervix, you can catch the blood and any clots earlier. You can remove your menstrual flow when you remove your cup – no more waiting days for gravity to bring those last few drops out to unexpectedly stain your underwear.

When to worry about your menstrual flow

How long your period lasts or the amount of your flow, can change over the course of your lifetime. Most of the time, these changes are nothing to worry about, but ACOG, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), and the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) list these symptoms as things you should talk to a healthcare provider about:

• Flow so heavy that you are changing a tampon or pad every hour, for several hours at a time, or having to change your large menstrual cup very frequently.
• Bleeding for longer than 7 days every menstrual cycle
• Having heavy periods and noticing signs of iron deficiency anemia (dizziness, feeling tired, weak, and cold)
• Bleeding or spotting irregularly, in between your periods
• Bleeding after sex, especially if sex is also painful
• Skipping periods and having longer cycles (more than 38 days from the start of one period to the start of your next period)

It is normal to have some change cycle to cycle and also over time as you age in the amount of flow and how long your period lasts. There are, however, several health conditions like PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), and blood clotting disorders that can cause heavy, long periods. Talk with a healthcare provider about whether or not they think you should be tested for any of the conditions.

Your menstrual health is an important part of your overall well-being. Research-backed effective ways to manage or shorten your period are oral contraceptives (birth control pills), hormonal IUDs, NSAIDs, and tranexamic acid. No studies confirm that drinking enough water, having sex, using menstrual cups, herbals or supplements will make periods end faster.

We do know that using a menstrual cup may help you better understand how much flow to expect each month. Learning a little bit more about the hows and why’s of your menstrual cycle each month can help you not only be prepared for your period each month, but also feel a bit more in control. As an easy-to-use, zero-waste option for today’s people with periods, Ruby Cup offers a great way for you to learn to live with your period rather than dread its arrival each month.

Back to blog Written by Amy Harris

Nurse-Midwife with 10+ years of clinical experience in women’s health.

Updated on: February 13, 2026 Written on: February 09, 2021

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Ruby Cup Editor Good to know Do menstrual cups affect how heavy your periods are?

No. Ruby Cup is made from 100 percent medical-grade silicone. There are no hormones or other biologically-active chemicals in Ruby Cup that are absorbed into your body or change your body’s natural hormonal cycles.

Some people might worry that their periods are heavier after switching to a menstrual cup. Because you can actually see your menstrual flow and how much there is when using a menstrual cup, the actual amount of your menstrual flow may seem more than you expected. This is also because disposable tampons and pads are designed to be highly absorptive, so it is hard to actually tell how much blood they have sucked up.

Do period cups make your periods last longer?

No. Actually, period cups like Ruby Cup, when inserted high enough in your vagina to the right location (see our guide on where a menstrual cup should sit), do a better job of catching all of your menstrual flow and getting it out of your body faster than pads. When you remove your menstrual cup, you remove all of your flow neatly, easily, and much more quickly. No more waiting for the last bits of your old period blood to make its way out of your vagina and out onto your menstrual pad.

How can I make my period stop right now?

There are no effective ways to stop your period immediately. All of the methods we talked about such as hormonal birth control, a hormonal IUD, NSAIDS and tranexamic may take anywhere from several weeks to more than a year to lead to no longer having a period.

If you are bleeding so heavily or for so long that you feel unsafe,  contact your healthcare provider or seek emergency medical attention.

How do you know if you have a heavy menstrual flow?

ACOG, FIGO, the NHS and other international health organizations define heavy menstrual bleeding as excessive menstrual blood loss that interferes with your physical, social, emotional, or material quality of life.

Consider checking in with a healthcare provider about your monthly flood if: 1) you have signs and symptoms of anemia (low iron) or 2) you have to put your life on hold each month because you are afraid of period accidents.

You might want to try  to a menstrual cup so that you can start measuring your menstrual flow. Ruy Cup reviewed the seven best menstrual cups for heavy flow, and our pick is the medium-sized Ruby Cup which should allow you to go at least eight hours without worrying about leaks.

Is it safe to make your period shorter or end faster?

It depends on how you try to make your period shorter or end faster. For most healthy, young (younger than 50 years old) menstruating people, using hormonal birth control is a safe and effective way to shorten their cycles or lighten their flow.

Can birth control make my period shorter or stop it?

Yes, using hormonal birth control such as the pills, patch, ring, or IUD with hormones have been shown to decrease the amount of flow. People can choose to take hormonal birth control continuously (not taking one week off a month) to try to stop having periods all together.

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