If You Are On An IUD And You Don’t Get A Period, How Do You Know If You Have Hit Menopause?
Interestingly enough, I recently got a very similar question at a live event. Although that person was asking about the hormonal implant.
So I'm going to add to your question a little bit. And also edit it a little bit.
The “edit” is to clarify that you’re using a hormonal IUD. These include Mirena, Kyleena, Liletta, and Skyla. If you have a copper T IUD, you should still be getting your periods. That means you would know if you were going through perimenopause because your periods would become irregular.
The “add” to your question is that I’m going to include other forms of hormonal contraception that stop your period. Like the implant, and continuous use of the pill.
Menopause can be a little bit confusing. One reason is because it's not something we always talk about openly. So let me clear up the language.
Menopause is marked by going 12 months without your period. You are perimenopausal in the time frame leading up to menopause.
During perimenopause you may start to see some symptoms of menopause. These symptoms can often include disruptions to your sleeping pattern, and hot flashes. Trouble concentrating and remembering things, and a change in your sex drive are also common.
One of the things that we see for women as they move through menopause is decreased vaginal lubrication. This means your vagina isn’t getting wet as easily, or as often, as it used to.
Once you've gone 12 months without having your period then you have hit menopause. After that you move into the postmenopausal part of life.
Just to give you a heads up, the vaginal dryness you saw during perimenopause often continues into post menopause. But that doesn’t mean you have to suffer. You can use vaginal lubes that you can buy in a store or online. There are also estrogen-based options that you can talk to your doctor about.
This whole timeline of perimenopausal, menopausal, and postmenopausal is based on your periods. So figuring out where you are in the process can be confusing if you’re using a type of contraception that has stopped your period.
One of the things that your doctor might suggest is to have you come off of your hormonal contraception for a few weeks or months. Then they’ll test your hormone levels. This might not be 100% accurate because testing your hormones at just one point, especially if you’re perimenopausal, may not give you an accurate picture of what’s happening.
And if you’re on something like IUD or the implant, stopping and restarting isn’t as easy as if you’re on the pill.
If you like the contraception that you're on, you have to decide if it’s worth coming off it just to see if you've gone into menopause. Women can use hormonal contraception up until the age of 55. So if you're okay waiting until then to figure out if you're officially menopausal then that’s an option. Though I would definitely suggest talking to your gynecologist about it.
One last note about symptoms of menopause. Not everyone experiences all the same symptoms. Some of what you experience, in terms of both the actual symptoms and the timing of menopause, can be linked to genetics. So if you’re comfortable doing so, you may want to talk to your mom and older sisters to see what their menopause experience was like.
Until next time, be safe, and have fun!
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