ummm...do you have a monthly cycle

[AweSAM!]

A stomach ache every 28 days...like clockwork. Great, my body really hates me 

28-30 days for me. It's a bit of a drag, but at least I know that everything's 'working'.

[tori319]

How can we have spotting and cramps when we don't have a uterine wall?

[VeryGnawty]

Yes, I sure do, and today finds me curled up on the couch with lower tummy contractions sometimes more intense then others , , ,  and ,  , , feeling, well,,, I guess meloncolly would fit.

Interesting.  I wasn't aware that genetic males can get those sorts of symptoms from hormones alone.  There must be a lot more cells sensitive to estrogens than previously thought.

Today I got a bit of the melancholy that you describe.  My cramps got more serious, too.  The cramping didn't really effect me much before now, but I got a worse one while lying down earlier.  It was painful enough that if I had been walking around and doing normal activities, I'm sure I would have wanted to stop for a second or two to let it pass.

I'm glad I read this thread.  I didn't know they could get serious enough to leave you curled up on the couch.  Now I have to make plans for that possibility in case mine keep getting worse.

I can see why LordKAT calls periods a nightmare.  But even with melancholy/tiredness/headache/cramping, I still feel much better than I ever did when I was more masculine.  I don't even really care if I end up curled up on the couch, because I'm certain that I will feel better than what I have felt in the past.  The further I get into transition, the better I feel mentally.

My life is so messed up.  You know my dysphoria must be really bad when I'd rather suffer extreme cramping as a female, than a complete lack of cramping as a male.

How can we have spotting and cramps when we don't have a uterine wall?

That's a good question.  Unfortunately, I do not have sophisticated scientific equipment to determine what exactly is cramping.  All I know is that something is cramping down there, somewhere.

[Rock_chick]

How can we have spotting and cramps when we don't have a uterine wall?

Well cyclic spotting suggest very strongly that there may be some sort of IS condition going on, though it's worth investigating other possibilities first. Cramps with out spotting well it could be some kind of IS condition or it could be something else (possibly psychological in origin), I've had panic attacks where i've been shivering like i'd been stood in a walk in freezer for 2 hours before, so I know the mind is perfectly capable of creating physiological effects...I just really don't understand why in this case. Unless some dark corner of my subconscious brain really hates me.

Anyway I was interested it other peoples experiences, i've heard a number of people talk about cyclic mood swings (PMT) but not really heard anyone talk about physical symptoms. I would hesitate to call this thread anything other than anecdata but there's either a lot more trans girls out there with some sort of latent IS condition or something plain weird is going on. hehe

[VeryGnawty]

Anyway I was interested it other peoples experiences, i've heard a number of people talk about cyclic mood swings (PMT) but not really heard anyone talk about physical symptoms. I would hesitate to call this thread anything other than anecdata but there's either a lot more trans girls out there with some sort of latent IS condition or something plain weird is going on. hehe

I agree.  According to current scientific understanding, there shouldn't be any large amount of us experiencing these types of physical symptoms.  That means that there are either a lot more of us who are intersexed than is thought, or hormones affect the body to a much greater degree than is previously thought.  (Or, something else which I can't even think of)

In terms of intersexed, I've never had anything like that tested.  I have no way of knowing whether or not I have partial female organs, or some type of unusual genetics or hormones.  What I do know is that I've never been very masculine except for my voice (which used to be very deep).  I was always small in stature, extremely skinny, somewhat lanky, and I was NEVER able to gain any serious amount of muscle.  When I was in college I tried using dietary techniques and physical training to try to gain muscle.  While I got stronger, I didn't really put on much muscle, and my weight didn't change by very much.

It's a pity I never had my T levels checked.  It wouldn't have surprised me if they were unusually low, even before starting my transition experiment.  But I never had mood swings or PMT until I started my transition experiment.  Actually, as a male I had a consistently bad mood.  I just hid it from everybody.  Mood swings are a godsend.  Before, it was like I was in a "mood bottomless pit" as the dysphoria kept getting worse and worse over time.