@transgenderteensurvivalguide / transgenderteensurvivalguide.com
Hi! Quick note on the IUD! When removing the cup, you should always pinch the base (even though it can get messy!) to release the suction before removal, otherwise it can cause you physical strain over time. Provided you ensure you’re using the cup correctly and your doctor agrees, you should be able to start using your menstrual cup after two to three months. IUD or not, you should try to release the suction whenever possible!
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Someone asked us:
I’d really like to get an IUD, but I’ve been using a menstrual cup for the past year or so. I hated pads and tampons, so I really don’t want to give up using the cup. I have one friend with an IUD who says she still uses her cup and everything’s just fine, and another friend who says it’s unsafe for her to use her cup now that she has an IUD. What gives? Does it just depend on the person?
Don’t use a menstrual cup if you have an IUD. Using a menstrual cup can cause your IUD to move out of place. If this happens, you can get pregnant. If you have an IUD and you’ve been using a menstrual cup, check your IUD strings and contact your nurse or doctor if your IUD strings are missing, feel longer or shorter than normal, or if you feel the IUD itself.
There are many options for managing your period while you have an IUD. Since you don’t love wearing pads and tampons, you can try period underwear instead. Period underwear (AKA period panties) are just like regular underwear, except they have extra layers of fabric that absorb your menstrual blood during your period. There are different kinds of period underwear for light, medium, or heavy flow days.
-Attia at Planned Parenthood
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Do you know if having an IUS will affect my chances of going on T?????
Lee says:
If you have an intrauterine system (IUS) with progestogen, you should tell your endocrinologist/doctor/testosterone-provider and see what they recommend.
If you have a copper-based non-hormonal IUD then you don’t need to remove it.
Recommendations for hormonal-based IUDs depend on your provider and your situation- often they won’t care and they’ll tell you to just get it removed when you normally would be scheduled for removal if it’s only containing progestogen.
But occasionally they’ll recommend removing it and either replacing it with a non-hormonal IUD or using another form of contraception.
So it is a possibility that they may want you to have the IUS removed before you start testosterone, but you should talk to your doctor!
Info on IUS removal from Ye Olde WebMD:
You will be able to get pregnant right after the IUD comes out, and testosterone is not a contraceptive.
Testosterone decreases your biological fertility and it (typically) stops menstruation.
Sidenote: There’s a study that says that being on T for one year doesn’t decrease fertility, but there’s no research about whether being on T for years will affect fertility when you stop taking it. You may want to look into freezing your eggs if you’re interested in having biological children. If oocyte preservation is desired, that should be pursued before you start T.
But back to the point, you can still get pregnant on T, although it’s less likely to happen than if you were not on T. This means removing your IUS and starting testosterone means that you might be able to get pregnant, and pregnancy is something you should try to prevent- when if you do want get pregnant.
That’s because if you plan on getting pregnant you have to stop testosterone first because taking testosterone while pregnant might cause birth defects in your unborn baby.
Again, you can’t be on testosterone when you are trying to conceive a child, and you can’t be on testosterone during pregnancy.
So you should still use contraception if you’re having the kind of sex that could get you pregnant and you’re on testostosterone.
That means if you are having sex with someone who has a penis and sperm, you need birth control even if you’re on T.
You can replace your current IUS with a copper IUD (more info on those here) or a progestin-only birth control pill or just use a condom, because condoms are the only one of the three that also prevents the transmission of STDs.
But no, having had an IUS will not affect your chances of going on T in the long-term, and at most will delay it for a week or a month or whatever until your IUS can be removed, and that’s only if your doctor thinks it’s necessary to do so before starting hormones.
I'm on birth control to stop my period because it makes me dysphoric. My doctor and I have decided to switch me to the Mirena. I'm really dysphoric about my parts and don't like anyone seeing or touching me down there. Is there anyway I can make the insertion process more bearable?
Followers say:
implodingcacti said: I’m getting mine in Thursday, and the doctor implanting actually gabe me the option to be put under for it.
hyperandrogenism said: seconding getting put under, you could ask for that. it still hurts but youre not awake for it, mine only ached a little after and they dont put you in stirrups or anything until youre asleep. this was at a pediatric hospital though, i have no idea if they do it for adults. you also should be able to ask for local anesthesia if you dont get put under for it.
wowzercowzer said: I did mine at a local hospital and my gynecologist offered me anesthesia if I was too dysphoric. You’ll be okay!!
(period men) Ive been on T for 9 months and im still getting periods. I talked to my endo, she said there wasnt anything she could do cause my dosage is so low (.25 every 2 weeks) but my levels are still pretty high. Last week i accidentally injected too much and i started (even when it definitely wasnt time yet) Do you think my dosage being too much is causing them to persist? Ik my dosage is low but im getting all the other changes so its not like it isnt working. I just dk whats wrong
Kai says:
If your levels are good, then don’t inject more testosterone than is prescribed to you. It’s possible that nothing is wrong at all - it can take a long time for periods to go away even on T.
If you don’t want to have a period anymore, a lot of people stop getting periods after getting a hormonal IUD. I got an IUD (intrauterine device) that is hormonal (low levels of hormones, local to the uterus only and doesn’t have full-body changes or effects). Copper IUDs will not stop periods however, and can increase cramping and one of my friends got one and had worse and more intense periods.
I would certainly do research and talk to my doctors (endocrinologist, primary care physician, person to put in the IUD ie an OB/GYN who is hopefully trans friendly like the one who placed mine) but it’s possible that getting one would stop your periods and also then you would have contraception
Is there anything similar to Planned Parenthood in the UK?
Harper says:Hey there!So I actually had to look up what Planned Parenthood was just to double check I was on the right lines. Everything offered at Planned Parenthood is available for free on the NHS in the UK. As a guideline, you can speak to your GP about all of the issues surrounding Planned Parenthood. You may be referred to a separate clinic, such as a sexual health clinic, a contraception clinic, or a family planning clinic, and you may be able to go there directly too.To check for Sexually Transmitted Infections/Diseases you can hop along to a Sexual Health Clinic to get checked out confidentially and for free.For birth control and contraception, you can get all your contraceptive methods from the NHS. For example, if you’re looking to go on the pill, book an appointment with your GP and you’ll be able to sort something out and get it for free. You can also visit a contraception clinic for more information and resources.For emergency contraception, you can pick up the pill for free from sexual health clinics, contraception clinics, most NHS walk in centres. You can also buy the morning after pill over the counter at pharmacies for around £25 to £35 pounds, although I’ve seen ones much more expensive than these. For information about the IUD please refer to the link as it is a little more complicated.For abortions, you can visit your GP, a contraception clinic, a sexual health clinic, or a family planning clinic (amongst others), and ask for a referral to an abortion service. You can also contact an abortion service directly: “the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), Marie Stopes UK and the National Unplanned Pregnancy Advisory Service (NUPAS) can tell you about eligibility and services in your area.”Please note that these services (especially abortion services) are not going to be consistent in all territories in the UK. For example, abortion is still illegal in Northern Ireland.
I'm 16 and AFAB. I will be getting the Mirena IUD soon, and I'm wondering if it affects my chances of getting T in the future or if it will change how T affects my body. Will anything happen and are there restrictions to what type of testosterone I can get if I keep the IUD in?
Jay says:
Mirena uses a progesterone medication. Progesterone birth control is safe to use with T.
Do you have an IUD or have you had one in the past?
Would you like to contribute to research?
Although not LGBTQ focused, we are hoping to get more participants so that we can highlight the importance of including IUDs when counseling members of the LGBTQ community.
Primary Investigator: Lauren Abern, MD
https://bit.ly/iud-survey
Please forward to LGBTQ-focused groups!
I wanna start testosterone but I currently have a hormonal IUD, the mirena one. any advice?
Lee says:
Talk to your endocrinologist about it! They’ll be able to advise you about what to do.
If you don’t have an endo yet, that’s your first step- Here is how to get hormones in the US.
Urgent: soon I will be going to my local planed parenthood type place to be getting a pap smear and an IUD. I'm nonbinary and have a lot of dysphoria around my sex organs. I need to know how to be less dysphoric well there even though they said it will be a total of 10 minutes on the table. Thank you!
Lee says:
Our Help! I need to see a gynecologist post should help with Planned Parenthood and our dysphoria page should be helpful with the dysphoria!
You got this! Remind yourself it’s only 10 minutes, and you can get through it. You can make a special playlist of songs that’s 11 minutes long to help you while you’re there.
I'm nb and I don't want to be on it for more than a 6 months . It's been three and I realize that I don't have a plan when it comes to periods once I stop. How can I go about getting a hysto? Are iuds a good option to stop them? Any other alt?
Kii says:
You can definitely look into a hysterectomy. You’d probably need a medical professional to say you need one, though (similar to how they would write a note saying you need other trans-related surgeries) but it depends on how you live. (Are informed consent hysterectomies a thing anywhere?)
IUDs do not stop periods for everyone, but that’s definitely something you can try. There are also continuing-cycle birth control pills, which basically skip the placebo pills so you don’t have periods. They all have estrogen in them, though, so I would talk to your doctor about taking these after testosterone.
For the IUD anon: having one put in is really quick once you're in for the procedure. However, getting it put in hurts A LOT (I've fallen asleep getting tattoos and I almost fainted during this), and outcomes vary a lot. Instead of making my period shorter it just made it last a lot longer but each day was lighter. There is a type of pill where you don't have to have your period more than 3 times a year. I'd ask your doctor about your options and tell them what you want from it.
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I have a IUD! However, if you have a problem w your periods I wouldn't recommend it - it made mine heavier and worsened my cramps!
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For the iud anon, I've had an implanon bar for a year and it stopped my period completely with no negative side effects, and I was specifically put on it for ridiculously heavy bleeding
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Any folks have experiences with IUDs? I refuse to take T(I don't think I can handle the genital changes) but I have severe dysphoria when it comes to my periods. I thought of IUD but I wonder if the process to get it is a long one...
Kii says:
I have heard very few bad things about them. Followers?
