If you happen to’ve ever walked into a health care provider’s appointment with a really private query to ask, you already know that these conversations aren’t at all times simple to start out. That’s very true when the query has to do with one thing like your intercourse life — in different phrases, one of many most private questions you possibly can have. OB/GYNs talk about this matter on a regular basis, so they may not really feel awkward about it, however that doesn’t imply you don’t. And when you could discuss something like birth control and whether or not to strive an choice like an IUD — which requires a really open and sincere dialog together with your doctor — it’s pure to get a bit nervous.
“I repeatedly converse with sufferers who’re nervous to speak about intercourse and birth control,” Dr. Kyle Graham, board-certified OBGYN and medical director at Pediatrix Medical Group in San Jose, CA, tells SheKnows. For one factor, many sufferers discover the subject embarrassing, he explains. There may additionally be “cultural causes the place intercourse and contraception are one thing to not be mentioned,” he provides. And with intercourse particularly, it’s widespread to imagine that nobody else is experiencing the identical downside you might be, which makes it even more durable to carry up — “when in actuality,” Dr. Graham says, “their query/concern is one which most individuals are additionally asking their physician.”
Dr. Orchideh Alexander, an OB/GYN at Atlantic Well being System, notes that sexual health matters like contraception are merely “deeply private and delicate,” and thus onerous to carry up. Different folks, she provides, “are influenced by the lingering stigma surrounding sexual well being in our society.”
How To Speak To Your OB/GYN About Sexual Well being
The excellent news for us sufferers is {that a} good physician can assist you progress previous any awkwardness or stigma. “When a affected person is nervous to speak about these matters, I begin by reassuring them that they don’t seem to be alone — many individuals share the identical emotions, and it’s fully regular,” Dr. Alexander explains. In line with Dr. Graham, your physician needs to be factual and open with you because the affected person, and they need to just remember to’re snug having anybody else within the room with you (like a associate or relations). You also needs to be reassured that nothing you say in that room can be “judged, laughed at or brushed apart,” he provides.
It’s best to anticipate your physician to ask “open-ended questions on their hopes and considerations round sexual well being and household planning,” Dr. Alexander provides. “From there, we work collectively to create a personalised plan, shifting at a tempo that feels proper for them. I at all times remind sufferers that there’s no ‘proper’ or ‘incorrect’ approach to have these discussions — what issues most is that they really feel heard and revered.”
Speaking To Your OB/GYN About IUDs
Whether or not you’re a mother seeking to wait a bit (or longer than a bit) in between children or wanting into contraceptive choices in your teen or younger grownup, contraception is at all times a serious matter on the OB/GYN. IUDs in particular are the topic of a whole lot of conversations — and misconceptions.
Each medical doctors say IUDs are a wonderful contraception choice. “I’ve a really optimistic notion of IUDs and attempt to convey my positivity to the affected person,” Dr. Graham explains, and Dr. Alexander agrees: “I completely love IUDs and infrequently share that pleasure with my sufferers.”
Dr. Graham additionally particularly works to “dispel myths sufferers have heard from social media or associates” about IUDs — like that they’re just for ladies who’ve already had kids (nope!) or that they cause infertility (additionally no). And whereas IUD insertion can vary from uncomfortable to very painful for some folks, you need to really feel empowered to speak to your physician about ache aid choices and search one other supplier if you happen to don’t really feel snug with what they’ll supply.
Once you ask about getting an IUD, your physician also needs to provide you with a common overview of what they’re: a small machine that’s positioned in your uterus to forestall being pregnant. “I clarify that IUDs are a kind of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), which means that after a single workplace go to to put the machine, sufferers sometimes don’t should do something for contraception for a number of years — anyplace from 3 to 10 years, relying on the kind of IUD,” Dr. Alexander explains. “It’s an especially low-maintenance and efficient choice, and lots of of my sufferers find yourself loving their IUDs.”
What Are the Totally different Sorts of IUDs?
Your physician will even clarify the completely different sorts of IUDs, particularly the distinction between the hormonal (levonorgestrel) IUD and the non-hormonal copper IUD, so you possibly can determine which is best for you.
“The hormonal IUD releases a small, regular quantity of progesterone over 3 to eight years, relying on the particular mannequin,” explains Dr. Alexander. A few of the advantages? The hormonal IUD usually results in lighter durations (or no durations in any respect!) and fewer cramping; it’s really thought-about a remedy choice to handle heavy or painful durations, Dr. Alexander says.
The copper IUD, in the meantime, is an effective choice if you happen to’re on the lookout for one thing hormone-free. It’s additionally good for 10 years (!), though Dr. Alexander notes that this selection can generally result in heavier, extra painful durations.
What’s the Proper IUD for You?
Once you’re deciding the correct IUD, it’s essential to consider your contraception priorities. You’ll need to take into consideration whether or not you desire a hormonal or non-hormonal choice, for starters, and what your menstrual cycle is at the moment like. “I ask about issues like how essential it’s to them to keep away from hormones, whether or not they’re on the lookout for lighter durations, and the way lengthy they need safety,” Dr. Alexander says. Your physician will even ask about your medical historical past to see if one choice is healthier for you than one other, Dr. Graham says.
The choice to get an IUD or not, and what sort of IUD you get, is as much as you and your preferences. Your physician is simply there to information you thru it, reply your questions, and help you — and if you happen to don’t really feel supported, once more, it’s a good suggestion to hunt out different suppliers if you happen to can. “Finally, it’s a collaborative determination,” Dr. Alexander says. “I ensure that sufferers really feel totally knowledgeable and empowered to decide on what works finest for them.”
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