Alternatives to birth control?

[fatalerror]

I'm not out yet to my family so T is not an option, but my breasts keep growing and I keep getting more feminine the longer I'm on birth control. I can't cease it without another option as my periods make me so ill both mentally and physically that I can't function at all. I want to bring this up to my doctor at my next visit, but I'm not sure if anyone has recommendations beforehand? I've heard about Depo Provera but I've heard a lot of negative things there so I'm pretty wary of trying it in case it goes horribly wrong. I'd just like something that isn't feminizing me further when I'm already fighting it so hard. Thanks for any suggestions.

[Wolfsnake]

Think about requesting a hysterectomy if your periods are that bad. I ended up getting one because, like you, I was unable to function during my periods. I wasn't looking forward to another 25 years of that. Doctors will usually try to dissuade you, but if it's something you've thought long and hard about, be firm and request a second opinion if you must.

[Nygeel]

Depo is hit or miss, and it's possible that a different form of birth control might not be able to help with the problems you're having. If I were in your position, I would speak to a doctor and see if I could get a progesterone based birth control.

[Robert Scott]

I am on depo --- I am also on T --- I started depo before I started T --- I probably do one more shot and hopefully my T levels will be high enough that I don't get shark week --- my doctor offers it to all her ftm folks who aren't at the point of starting T yet.  It has been successful for me.  Not having shark week for a year has been a big boost to my psyche

[fatalerror]

I'm 25 and have asked a few times about possibilities of a hysterectomy but every doctor I've seen has told me to wait, saying I will likely want to have children when I "find the right man." Very frustrating since I'm not sure if I can come out to them. I may consider one again in the future though if I really can't handle it.

Nygeel, yeah I'm worried that if I use something else it may not take care of my pain problems, which unfortunately are first priority at this point as I can't even function otherwise. I'll see about asking about that next time I go in, thanks.

I'll have to talk to my doctor and see whether or not Depo is something I should consider or if it's too risky. Not having shark week at all would do a lot for me too, I used to go up to 9 months a year without it simply because of the way my body was stressed at college but now it's back argh.

[lexical]

I'm 25 and have asked a few times about possibilities of a hysterectomy but every doctor I've seen has told me to wait, saying I will likely want to have children when I "find the right man." Very frustrating since I'm not sure if I can come out to them. I may consider one again in the future though if I really can't handle it.

Ahh that sounds very frustrating. I wonder if you could make the point that you're very serious about not wanting children and offer to sign some kind of waiver releasing the doc of liability (so they could not be held accountable if you for some reason wanted to have children and blamed them for your inability to do so). I imagine that's their biggest concern with performing hysterectomies on younger patients.

[anibioman]

puberty inhibitors they block your body from making sex hormones. and they stop periods

[fatalerror]

Yeah, I'd be happy to sign waivers or anything they want for it. I just want to get rid of it all. I know it's expensive though too and my insurance doesn't cover much.

I want to ask my doctor about other options, but is it even okay to come out to a doctor if you don't know them well? I am not out to my parents and can't talk to them about this so I need to go to a local clinic and not travel miles to a large city to find a trans-friendly one. I'm a little nervous since all of the doctors I've had are really preachy and I don't know the best route to communicate this to them. I need more excuses for why I want to be on something that isn't estrogen-based, lol.