Ob-gyns explain the viral trend of “period scooping”—and if it can actually stop or delay bleeding.
Social media has a way of turning medical misinformation into viral trends, and the latest example is making gynecologists everywhere cringe. Videos claiming that you can simply “scoop out” your period have racked up millions of views.
Some posts even suggest that doctors can do this ahead of big events like weddings, vacations, or athletic competitions to avoid bleeding altogether. It sounds almost too good to be true. And according to ob-gyns, it absolutely is. The viral videos imply that menstrual blood—or even the uterine lining itself—can be removed in one quick step, preventing a period entirely. But that’s not how menstruation works. “The duration of the menstrual cycle is determined by the shedding of the uterine lining, which passes through the cervix and the vagina prior to leaving the body,” Christie Cobb, MD, FACOG, tells SELF. “Removing what is in the vagina with the fingers is essentially the same as inserting and immediately removing a tampon. It might flush what is present in the moment, but will not change the flow from the uterus.” Not only is it not an effective strategy, it isn’t safe either. “This is definitely not something to be attempted at home. First, there is the risk of injury from scrapes or cuts to the vaginal mucosa or cervix from finger nails,” Dr. Cobb says. It can also increase the risk of infection by introducing bacteria or yeast, and it may throw off the vagina’s natural pH—especially if water or soap is involved, Dr. Cobb explains. Your doctor won't ‘scoop out’ your period While doctors do perform a procedure called dilation and curettage , it is done for removing the remaining tissue after an abortion or miscarriage, or for collecting tissue samples to diagnose certain conditions that might cause abnormal bleeding. It isn’t used to shorten the duration of a patient's period. “In the classic D&C, you're using a metal instrument to scrape the lining of the uterus,” Samantha Kaplan, MD, MPH, an ob-gyn at Boston Medical Center tells SELF. “We also have suction triage. It can be manual or it can be electric, and these are procedures that might be done in someone who is postmenopausal or premenopausal…. Even the most effective treatments to remove uterine lining are extensive,” she says. The surgical procedure is also used to stop severe, medically dangerous bleeding, Karen Tang, MD, board-certified ob-gyn and author of It’s Not Hysteria, tells SELF. “It has risks of infection and scarring that can affect fertility. We would never do this on a regular basis just to avoid periods.” So where did this period-scooping myth come from? Dr. Tang suspects a much more common explanation. “What likely happened is that an ob-gyn offered to move whatever blood was already in the vagina out with some large Q-tips,” she says. “That can temporarily reduce visible bleeding, but it doesn’t stop your period. And it certainly doesn’t remove tissue from the uterus.” If you want to lighten your flow, there are options Sure, gynecologists can intervene to stop or prevent periods—but they aren’t “scooping” them out. “We stop and prevent periods all the time with medications like hormones including birth control pills, oral progestins like Provera or Aygestin, and progestin-releasing IUDs like Mirena,” Dr. Tang says. Hormonal methods work by keeping the uterine lining thin, meaning there’s less to shed each month. “If we give progestins, it keeps the endometrium thin, so it doesn’t need to be flushed out with menstrual bleeding,” Dr. Tang explains. So can you really ‘scoop out’ your period? The answer is a resounding no. “There is not yet a way where the benefits outweigh the risk of emptying the uterus on a monthly basis,” Dr. Kaplan says. “Most of our methods have to do with controlling the actual cycle of hormones that caused the development of that uterine lining.” If your goal is to lighten, delay, or skip your period, attempting to manually remove it on your own will get you nowhere—and it could do more harm than good. The safest move also happens to be the simplest: Talk to your gynecologist about medical options that fit your body and your needs such as birth control and other hormone-related medication. “No doctor should be doing unnecessary surgical procedures that are not medically indicated,” Dr. Tang says. “Especially when effective, noninvasive options exist.” Related: 6 Things a Wonky Period Might Be Telling You About Your Health How to Tell If Your Irregular Periods Are a Sign of a Bigger Health Issue What to Do If Your Doctor Isn’t Taking Your Period Pain Seriously Get more of SELF’s great service journalism delivered right to your inbox.
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