How to bring up sex & blood thinner with my PCP?

[DistractedTea]

Hey,

I started a blood thinner in the past couple months due to a clot diagnosis unrelated to my birth control (had gotten IUD out before the clot) but that’s the only thing we know for sure. I’m 23 and in a long term relationship so it feels ridiculous that I have a hangup about this, but I have no idea how to ask my PCP about what to be cautious about with sex while on a blood thinner. Getting on birth control? Easy. STD testing? Fine.

[I am off my birth control & did get input on what to do to be as safe as possible from my OBGYN]

But for some reason I’m having a hangup over in regards to how to ask for input on what parts of sex are safe & which to be more cautious with + what to avoid entirely. I live in a more conservative area in the US, but there’s nothing my PCP has done to make me worried she’d freak out. I just don’t even how how to ask since I didn’t at my last visit, I have a patient portal access though.

So, in sum - what is the best way to talk with my primary care doctor about sex safety while on a blood thinner?

[maille]

Hi, DistractedTea!

Welcome to the boards

It is totally reasonable to have feelings about bringing up sex to providers, but it also seems like you understand the importance of transparency between patients and providers in order to receive/give the best care. They are there to answer allllll the questions and refer you out when it isn't their specialty.

Seeing as you mentioned patient portal access, I wonder if it would feel more comfortable to send a message prior to an appointment saying something along the lines of "I plan to talk about safe sex on my medications at our next visit". It would be my hope that your screen would act as a little shield for broaching the topic, instead of doing so in person, and that maybe this will prompt the provider to bring up the topic at your next visit.

How does this idea sound? Proud of you for advocating for your health!

[Heather]

Hey there, DistractedTea.

I wanted to pop in, because most doctors, especially PCPs, have so little sex education (most medical schools barely include it, and when they do, it's like a week of info, tops), so the chances of your PCP even having this information to share with you are slim.

By all means, if you want to ask them, I think you should, but there really isn't a lot to say about it. You can do anything you want sexually, the thing people need to avoid in general when it comes to blood thinners is just injury, which obviously you'll try and avoid with sex anyway. So, that would just mean things like using lube with anything vaginal (which again, is always best anyway) or anal, and making sure any partners for that kind of play are gentle and mindful (again, also advice for anyone, all the time). You also wilolo just want to be aware that if you do do anything that might normally potentially cause a tiny bit of bleeding, because of the blood thinners, you might bleed more, just so you're not scared if that happens.

Blood thinners also make some people feel decreased sexual desire, just so you know in case that's a side effect you experience.

That truly is about it.