Real talk: is there a way to make your period come faster?

Without fail, periods always seem to show up at the most inopportune times...like the day before you leave for a weeklong vacation.

In moments like those-you know, after you curse those menstrual goddesses-you might think, damn, if only I could will my period to come when I wanted it to. But, real talk, can you do that? It definitely sounds crazy, but is there any way to hurry things up if you want your period to come, like, now?

Hold on, what does a typical menstrual cycle even look like?

Menstrual cycles typically last 28 days, but anything between 24 and 38 days is considered “regular." But, tbh, irregular periods every now and then aren’t necessarily anything to be concerned about.

Now, if your period is consistently all over the place, you should probably see your ob-gyn, says , an ob-gyn at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois. That way, your doctor can rule out hormone imbalances caused by polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), menopause transition (perimenopause), menopause, stress, or a thyroid disorder, says Davood. After all, it should feel like there's some rhyme or reason to your cycle.

But regular or irregular, sometimes you want your period to just hurry the eff up and get here-so can you do that or nah?

First things first: Ask yourself why you're so eager for your period to show up in the first place. If it's because you've got a vacation planned, sorry, but you're sh*t out of luck.

Yes, a quick internet search will turn up a long list of remedies claiming to induce your period: vitamin C supplements, aspirin, ginger, turmeric, parsley tea, relaxation techniques, sex or a warm compress or bath, to name but a few. But while you’ll probably be able to find someone who can anecdotally attest to each of these methods doing the trick, the science is just flat-out not there.

“There is simply no scientific data which shows that any of these methods will induce your period,” says Davood. In fact, Davood advises against trying to make your period come faster without first being evaluated by a qualified professional.

But, if you're waiting for your period to make its entrance because it's been MIA for a few months (or it's been arriving at wildly inconsistent intervals), then your doctor might be able to help.

“There are some hormonal medications that can be used to induce menses, but these should only be used if they are deemed necessary by your physician in very specific situations,” she says.

Take someone with PCOS, for example-their physician may prescribe a medication to induce a period for health purposes: "We may consider inducing a cycle as prolonged periods without a menses may increase risks of abnormal thickening of the lining," says Davood. But again, this is something that needs to be discussed with your ob-gyn

One last thing: Theoretically, Davood says that if you quit your birth control pill randomly in the middle of your pack, your period will probably come sooner than usual due to the hormonal change…but yeah, aren’t you on birth control for a reason?

The bottom line: Your menstrual cycle is a natural process and it's best to let it do its thing-so sip on parsley tea if you want to, but not with hopes that it'll do a damn thing for your period.