gyno/children 
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gyno/children
gyno/children
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okay so I never tried tampons until after I had kids so idk how it is when you start figuring out your own parts as a youngster
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I just made a gyno appt for my son because he bleeds through a super heavy/overnight pad every 2 hours
Caletara
oh geez thats a lot!
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I was thinking of suggesting a nuvaring because he also gets dysphoria from having such heavy periods, and letting him skip having periods by leaving it in for 28 days
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but I have no idea what it would be like for a 13yo to be needing to handle dealing with something that gets inserted
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so first, how do you handle that? does anyone know as either a parent or someone who used tampons or a nuvaring as a youngster?
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but if he's not considered a good candidate for that, what are other options?
6LilacMimeLions
there's the depo implant
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Caletara
: yeah, it's wild
6LilacMimeLions
it can have side effects and a doc might not want to prescribe it for a 13-yo
Caletara
I was on a low dose pill and didnt do the sugar pills.
6LilacMimeLions
or just skipping the dummy pills in a regular bc prescription
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ah, okay
6LilacMimeLions
assuming he's mature enough to keep up with a daily pill
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so he'd needa 13-month Rx for that, right?
6LilacMimeLions
you'd want to talk to the ob-gyn about it
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he takes a daily antidepressant, so I think he's gotten used to keeping up on that
Caletara
yeah the doc can write it to skip the dummy pills
6LilacMimeLions
it's a fake period anyway so there's absolutely no reason to take them
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nodnod
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18yo just really likes the nuvaring because it's kind of set-it-and-forget-it
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so that's why I was originally thinking of requesting that
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but if he's already taking a daily pill maybe the pill is a better option for him
6LilacMimeLions
if the 13-yo has dysphoria from the periods, having to insert a nuvaring could be a pretty dysphoric experience, i'd think
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that's what I was wondering
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18yo had dysphoria from inserting at first but got over it, they like not having to worry about it every day like with the pill. but everyone's different
shinotenshi22
I never used nuvarings, but I did use tampons from when I was like, 12 onwards (I started just before I turned 10 yrs old, on my bleeding.)
6LilacMimeLions
if kiddo's on a daily pill already, adding one shouldn't be too bad
shinotenshi22
I also have PMDD, and have likely had it for a while
shinotenshi22
so, a dif. kind of dysphoria, and I'm not sure how to help.
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nodnod
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we'll probably discuss it on the way down and I'll see what he thinks about which to ask the doc for
6LilacMimeLions
plus, like, you're not signing a contract in blood (so to speak)
6LilacMimeLions
if one method doesn't work for whatever reason, you can try another
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yeah, haha
🌻 Tony Stank
back when i took birth control (for like... about a decade?) i just didn't take the sugar/iron pills they give ya in the pack. didn't have a period for um. that entire decade. didn't do anything adverse, though for my wife (who did and does the same thing) we do think it was the root of her gallstones, so possibly something to worry about??
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hmm yeah
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I do know there's some risks with the pill at least the old-school ones
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might have been some improvements in latter decades
6LilacMimeLions
there are different formulations now
🌻 Tony Stank
oh yeah, definitely the new, lower estrogen/progestin ones have less side effects but
6LilacMimeLions
they don't blast you with hormones as hard as the older versions did
6LilacMimeLions
but again, this is all stuff to talk over with an ob-gyn
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yeah
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the appt is on Wednesday, they're actually scheduling new pts out to October but she found a cancellation slot when she was looking
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so fortuitous I called right when I did considering cell service was out for most of the day
6LilacMimeLions
i hope the kiddo can get something worked out
6LilacMimeLions
that kind of period would need to be treated even without the dysphoria
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yeah, for sure
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that's why I said something
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to my husband, I mean
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about me taking care of this
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he'd end up anemic pretty soon without some kind of treatment I think
6LilacMimeLions
your state doesn't have any creepy anti-trans laws that mean he'd need to go to the appointment in drag, does it?
6LilacMimeLions
might be worth checking into that one first
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it's Ohio
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the office itself is really accepting, they already have his chosen name and pronouns down
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on the chart, I mean
ℓυмιηє
i was like that when i had my period that young. you might want to check with his doctor about pcos/endometrial hyperplasia (which is the excessive growth of endometrial lining)
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ooh, true
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I didn't even think of that
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my cousin had severe endometriosis as a teen and was overweight which my son also is
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I think those are connected?
ℓυмιηє
yes!
ℓυмιηє
i'll keep your son in my thoughts. bleeding that much is HORRIBLE and also tell him to keep small snacks with him when he's on his period. it'll keep him from being lightheaded
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my cousin had endometrial surgery at age 20 and later ended up having to have a hysterectomy in middle age due to the problem
ℓυмιηє
endometriosis can cause weight gain in certain individuals so that could also be a case
6LilacMimeLions
ok it looks like ohio's got some shitty laws, but none that should prevent him getting bc
ℓυмιηє
i had endometrial hyperplasia and had abnormal cells that lead to a cancer diagnosis, so i just wanna make sure he's safe!
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yeah, thank you! good thinking
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6LilacMimeLions
: thanks for checking that
fernicus
Personally i was inserting tampons at like 14 and it was weird but intuitive. I had an illustated guide and i REALLY WANTED TO SWIM. As for BC i really cant give good advice at that age range.
fernicus
I was like . Tampon + maxi pad as a kid. I went on the pill at like 20 and it REALLY lightened my flow even when i took the sugar pill week
niangniang
i actually used a nuvaring for a few years until my insurance stopped covering it. the pill gave me side effects and the hormones are localized
niangniang
i can't speak to whether or not the insertion would cause dysphoria, since that really varies from person to person, but if the nuvaring is inserted comfortably you really cannot feel it
niangniang
i also had an illustrated guide to tampons but also my first experience using them was around 12 years old because i really hated pads
ʜᴇʟʟᴏ ᴇʀᴡɪɴ
ftr I take tranexamic acid to lessen the bleeding of my periods and it's helped me so much both bleeding-wise and dysphoria-wise. it's technically a coagulant so that's important to take into account, but it's non-hormonal and only taken during the actual cycle
ʜᴇʟʟᴏ ᴇʀᴡɪɴ
a lot of my patients are on it for various reasons too
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ʜᴇʟʟᴏ ᴇʀᴡɪɴ
: oh, interesting!
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thanks everyone so much for your input, it's really helpful
niangniang
ohh i'm going to ask my gf to ask her doctor about that, she suffers from really heavy periods
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welp
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the scheduler took the wrong birthdate down so when we showed up after a 75-minute drive were told we need a pediatrician to refer him in order to be seen
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(the scheduler put down 2010 instead of 2012)
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they don't see 13yos without a referral
Caletara
omg
6LilacMimeLions
fucking -
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got him squeezed in for the ped at 1:20 so we're just biding our time until the new appointment
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so we'll see if the ped intends to handle it or grant the referral
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pediatrician is starting him on a low-dose pill and we'll see where things go
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he also needs bloodwork for his already-existing anemia
Caletara
good! im glad things are progressing
Caletara
i had real good luck on junel/loestrin 1/20. No periods, even on the placebo pills
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ahh, good to know!