If you have not taken birth control ever and you want to start taking it to delay your menstrual cycle how would you do this?

Answer

I'd start by consulting your doctor.

Answer

You have a lot of options, but since you've never used birth control, you need to become familiar with the basics (method advantages/disadvantages, regimens used for period control, etc.). This helps you pick the method that best fits your needs.

I'd read Take Control of Your Period, by Diana Kroi MD, and talk to my Ob/Gyn.

To give you an idea: You use a birth control method with hormones, like the pill, patch, or the vaginal ring, on a period control regimen. These methods allow you to actively control the frequency of the fake period (withdrawal bleeding). Or, you can use a method like the shot, the implant, or the hormone-releasing intrauterine device (IUD) to passively delay your period.

For example, with the pill, instead of taking 3 weeks of active pills (pills with hormones), followed by one week of placebo pills ("sugar" pills), you take the active pills for 6 weeks, followed by one week off. Or, with the vaginal ring, instead of 3 weeks with the ring, followed by one week without, you leave it in for 4 weeks, change it for a new one at the end of the month, and repeat for two more months. After the third month, you leave the ring out for one week.