Pre-T and the pill?

[Lostandfound]

 Strangely enough in the lotto of life I got a body which makes a higher level of male hormones than most born female. I have some male characteristic even though I'm entirely pre-T, though these are nothing major, but I'm pretty sure it has influenced somewhat the structure of my face somewhat and the development of a more prominent Adams apple, and well as some other things.

However I'll have to take the pill soon since of medical conditions (which means for the first time ever I'll have a regular period, rather than once every 9 months. I also worried about the dysphoria it'll cause me.) and I want to know whether or not it will cause further feminisation? Does it increase breast size, feminisation of the face and body , higher voice, etcetera? I know the pill regulates hormones so it may affect my current level of male hormones.

I'm worried it will affect how well I'll pass. I don't pass 100% of the time because of my voice, but in situations when I don't speak usually I get read as male. My voice already tends to shock the people at stores, and I certainly don't want it to get higher (I don't have any constant pitch, it tends to go through ranges, I think acting classes stuffed up a constant speaking voice).

[Daydreamer]

I was on and off two or three different pills From July 2013 to maybe October 2014. I had no problems at first, minus some cramping. But it got progressively bad for me. The cramping was on a daily basis and shark week went on for three months straight at one point. I stopped taking it when shark week was lasting what felt like two weeks my time and the cramps were extremely painful to the point where I couldn't stand up. I'm not sure if it was the meds or I'm just predisposed of that since my mom said she had that problem too with nothing working. The whole thing sucked for me in the fall because I was at a job that required me to be on my feet from 3pm-midnight.

But besides that, I don't remember having any weird side effects like "feminisation". I don't think being on it altered my rate to pass, since I got sir'ed quite often, even while I was on it and in public situations.

[Lostandfound]

 Thanks. I was just worried in would influence that kind of thing. Still not particularly looking forward to getting my period though, it's going to be annoying.
I think the medication is different for different people. A friend of mine takes it and they have been going okay with it. They say it's not that bad. I hope they're right.

[Alexthecat]

What happens if you don't take the pill? Once every 9 months is better than every month.

[mynameisjacob]

I took the pill pre t due to heavy flow and really bad cramping. Once I came out to myself as trans I stopped the pill right away. I was so much more aware of the feminine hips that I have and the pill only made me more curvy and I also put on a lot of weight. I stopped the pill and switched to depo provera, a shot every three months which is birth control but without any estrogen in it. Liked that alot better

[Lostandfound]

@Alexthecat
Yeah, every 9 months is wonderful (all my dfab friends are really jealous. And most of them have been getting them since they were 11.) , but I have some kind of condition which causes great discomfort a great deal of the time (it's not the kind of thing people probably want to hear about in polite company), and apparently the doctors think there is a relationship between the two things. There may be, or may not be, but it's going to be terrible to get my period anyway, though it may fix the other condition.
I think I'm going to go into dysphoria overdrive once I begin to get it to be completely honest, especially with all the misgendering going on in my household.

@mynameisjacob
I'm hoping I don't have those things happen but I'm worried. Though I'm quite skinny so maybe putting on weight may be good for me, but in a curvy way won't be that great (I have a very small waist and large hips, I don't need that accentuated anymore than normal. Luckily I have broad shoulders to combat it, so I get read male more often, but being curvy won't help passing.).
Unfortunately I have to have the pill, and I don't seem to have any other option. I intend to stop taking the pill if it fixes the problem I have, if it fails to fix anything I'll also stop taking it. I don't want to be on it long term.

[mynameisjacob]

Have you considered the depo provera instead of the pill?

[Lostandfound]

 I haven't and I don't think I can. I need the pill to regulate hormones to a certain level to see whether or not it affects my current condition.
My doctor will probably prescribe the pill but I might talk to her about it. I'm not able to do much on this issue though, my parents control my medical things since I am under 18. (thus why pre-T. I have to wait till 18 in my country unless I have a very costly court case)

[Alexthecat]

I haven't and I don't think I can. I need the pill to regulate hormones to a certain level to see whether or not it affects my current condition.
My doctor will probably prescribe the pill but I might talk to her about it. I'm not able to do much on this issue though, my parents control my medical things since I am under 18. (thus why pre-T. I have to wait till 18 in my country unless I have a very costly court case)

Just because they can say yes or no to medicine doesn't mean you cannot say yes or no.

[Lostandfound]

Just because they can say yes or no to medicine doesn't mean you cannot say yes or no.

I have to take it though both because of medical reasons and the fact I am entirely reliant on them. I want to move out this year, but I'm not at that stage currently. It also doesn't help since my father is emotionally abusive and manipulative and my mother is complacent and afraid. I don't currently have a way out of it unfortunately . I am not entirely opposed to the medicine because it may help me though, and if it doesn't I'll stop taking it, they can't get mad then.

[CursedFireDean]

I took the pill pre-T and the only ill effect I experienced was I cried all the time. All the time. Anything could make me cry- movies, books, sad commercials. And I had a hard time crying before. But that went away when I stopped the pill and started T.

[mm]

Lostandfound,  You should ask the dr what side effects you could see with the pill she wants to prescribe for you.  Today there are such a wide range of pills with different hormones and dosage so you need more information to know what you could expect when you start taking it.  Do you know the name of the condition you have?  Good luck, being under age does have a lot of problems when your parents are not involving you in the your medical decisions.

[ridleysw]

Doctors thought my medical condition would be helped by birth control.  Sadly, the first method for "fixing" anything linked to hormones (i.e. PMS, heavy cramping and bleeding) or just the sex organs themselves (i.e., vulvadinia) is birth control (at least with Western medicine).  Thousands of us jump on that bandwagon, hoping to relieve the pain.

The big problem?  For many of us, even if the birth control seems to help a bit in the short term, it can actually be exacerbating the condition, especially over the long term.

Not sure what your medical condition is, so this may not apply... but I have jumped on the birth control wagon myself AND watched so many of my friends do it in hopes of easing the pain, only to have it be time, money, and energy wasted.

After years of doctor's visits, trips to the ER, and countless tests and ultrasounds (transvag ultrasounds are awful enough - much less when you are in several pain already!), I finally figured out what was causing my insanely heavy and painful periods.  Endometriosis.  But, at least for me, the endometriosis can be controlled with diet (I was severely allergic to a certain food and it was causing the endometriosis to flare) and exercise.

And my one concern with starting T?  That all that pain and the heavy periods would come back (after two years of little cramping and normal blood flow).  But, thankfully, that has not been the case!  I am three months in and my period has completely ceased.  Even the one period I had on T was short and painless.

I learned the hard way to question the standard remedy of birth control.  It may NOT be the best option for what ails you.  It sounds like you are dependent on people who are doing their best to make decisions for you.  But, maybe, if you can research what other treatment methods may work and show them the evidence, they may help you search for a different treatment route?

Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss details further.  After battling to find the information for myself, I am always happy to let people know what I've learned!

I wish you luck with this!!

[Jak]

It's been too many decades since I've used the pill to be able to offer my personal observations. But, sorry to say, there is another thread (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,151186.0.html) on the forum started by someone who went on the pill and felt that the weight gain centered on his hips, thus giving him a more feminine appearance. Hard to know how it will effect you. Everyone's different!

[Lostandfound]

 The problem with my situation is that no one is entirely sure what is wrong with me. I have to take medication to remove the effects of whatever it is I have, to function normally, and not be entirely house bound.
There is speculation it's to do with my ovaries so they want me to take the pill, though I'm not sure if it will help.  I really want to not take it, but I don't have much choice with what I want to do, both because of parents and because I really am desperate to find out what is wrong. It's kinda a hopeless case.
I just wanted to know what I'm in for I suppose?  I'm hoping I don't get the bad side effects, but you never know with medication.

[Alexthecat]

I have my doubts. I saw a documentary where this middle age lady became allergic to her own estrogen. She would get rashes and go into shock where she couldn't breath. They removed the ovaries and she got better. I'll have to find it.

[Bran]

. . .I learned the hard way to question the standard remedy of birth control.  It may NOT be the best option for what ails you. 

I have to agree with this.  I don't know the details of your situation, lostandfound, but I know a fair bit about women's health, and I don't nkow of any conditions for which birth control pills are the only treatment.  If they don't even know what's wrong with you, the birth control pill won't help them find out.  The cycles created by the pill are very artificial, they don't closely mimic the hormone variations in a normal menstrual cycle.  What your doctor has told you does not make any sense.  You really should see a different doctor for a second opinion. 

The pill probably won't help, and it might hurt you.  For most people, the pill doesn't have any bothersome side effects, it's generally quite safe and harmless.  But some people do get weight gain, breast growth, mood swings, headaches, etc.  I had several of these problems, and I've known other people that did, too.  And that's not even talking about the dysphoria you may experience, which may itself be harmful.  Now, it's entirely possible that the pill won't cause you any trouble at all. But, like I said, what you've been told about the reasons you need to take it doesn't make much sense. 

You are allowed to decide not to take a medicine, even if your parents want you to.  I don't know what the law says in your country but, from a human rights perspective, you have the right to refuse.  If this is not what *you* want to do, you can tell your parents "no," or you can pretend to take the pill, and get rid of it instead.  I wouldn't even mention this if I thought there was any legitimate reason you might need to take it, but I really, really don't. 

If you can, see another doctor for a second opinion.  If you can't, at least find out what things they're thinking *might* be wrong with you, and do your own research into what the tests and treatments for those conditions usually are.  If you've got any more specific questions you want to run by me, you can PM me any time.