Clinical Scenarios

A 24-year-old (she/they) presents to your health center requesting an IUD. They filled out her intake form online and noted they are "nervous about procedures." As you are sounding their uterus, they say they feel "kind of weird." You ask for more detail, and they report they are a little sweaty and like they need to go to the bathroom. The medical assistant notes that their face has “gone pale.”

A 26-year-old (she/her) presents to your health center four weeks after a medication abortion at eight weeks of gestation. She reports bleeding was initially heavy with blood clots, and is now lighter, but she continues to have intermittent light bleeding and mild cramping. She reports she believes she is not pregnant anymore, as pregnancy symptoms have resolved, but is not sure if things are "done."  A transvaginal ultrasound shows a heterogeneous collection and thickened endometrial stripe, without a persistent gestational sac or evidence of an ongoing pregnancy.

What providers need to know about supporting patients who want to use fertility awareness-based methods

A 24-year-old patient (she/her) comes in after missing a period. She has a history of PCOS and irregular periods, but reports her periods have been fairly regular over the past several months. In the clinic, her urine pregnancy test is positive. She is surprised and upset, as she’s been using a combined oral contraceptive (COC) for the past 2 years. On further history, you learn she started a weekly GLP-1 injectable for weight loss about 6 months ago that she gets from a local med spa. She doesn’t remember the exact name but thinks it starts with a “s.” Since starting the injection, she’s had intermittent nausea and a few episodes of vomiting, especially in the days after injections and after she increases the dose. She asks “how did this happen?”

A 19-year-old patient (she/they) comes in for STI testing since they recently started seeing someone new. After reviewing their sexual history and ordering appropriate testing, the provider checks in about how their birth control pills are working for them–the chart indicates they’ve been on a combined oral contraceptive for about a year. They reply, “Oh. I stopped taking them a couple of months ago–I heard it's good to take a break once in a while.”   They don’t report side effects and share that the decision was driven by things they kept seeing online. They are not interested in having kids anytime soon.

An 18-year-old (she/her) started a combined hormonal contraceptive pill (COC) three months ago, prescribed by her primary care provider. She’s been taking a pill with 0.15 mg levonorgestrel/30 mcg EE. She’s now following up with you because she’s been feeling moodier since starting the pill. She’s not totally sure if the pill is to blame, but says it’s affecting her quality of life and she’s interested in talking about other options.

DMPA on TikTok, OTC pill sales, Misoprostol & IUD placements, Telehealth abortion & TGD populations, Abortion restrictions & infant mortality