This is something I absolutely hate to deal with, as I"m sure you all are as well. I have recently learned that testosterone will help stop it while you're taking testosterone, but if you're not and you can't do surgery is there anything that can be done? Or has anyone done surgery? If so did you have to use an "excuse"?
I just don't know where to go from here. I'm buying a binder now so that will help temporarily with the top problem, but the rest of it I'm not sure what to do.
Any suggestions or advice?
If you mean hysterectomy, I've done it. I didn't have an "excuse" other than being on testosterone for a couple years. Depending on your age, you may be hard pressed to find an OB/GYN willing to remove your healthy reproductive organs.
There are also some birth control methods that'll stop your period, but it'll involve taking female hormones that mimic pregnancy to do it.
Quote from: Mister on June 29, 2009, 05:46:39 PM
If you mean hysterectomy, I've done it. I didn't have an "excuse" other than being on testosterone for a couple years.
To quote one of the little kids from the movie version of
Mary Poppins, "However did you manage it?" (At least, I think that's the right movie.) Did you make your GP watch
Southern Comfort a hundred and fifty times?
P.S. Mister, your latest avatar cracks me up every time I see it.
Quote from: Arch on June 29, 2009, 06:10:34 PM
To quote one of the little kids from the movie version of Mary Poppins, "However did you manage it?" (At least, I think that's the right movie.) Did you make your GP watch Southern Comfort a hundred and fifty times?
P.S. Mister, your latest avatar cracks me up every time I see it.
No, I didn't make my GP do anything. I told her I wanted to be gutted, she asked why, I told her b/c i wasn't interested in developing cancer, infections, or a prolapsed uterus and/or vagina. I told her a hysterectomy was an essential step in my surgical plans and that I wanted a referral to a trans-friendly GYN.
P.S. Mission Accomplished.
Quote from: Mister on June 29, 2009, 06:15:27 PM
No, I didn't make my GP do anything. I told her I wanted to be gutted, she asked why, I told her b/c i wasn't interested in developing cancer, infections, or a prolapsed uterus and/or vagina. I told her a hysterectomy was an essential step in my surgical plans and that I wanted a referral to a trans-friendly GYN.
I'm gonna remember this. At my age, I
don't think anyone will be trying to talk me out of hysto. The only hurdles are money and my own feelings on the matter. If I can get insurance to pick up the tab, then there's just me to deal with.
I'm on the Pill. I can't remember which one though. I went to my gyno, and i told her I didn't want my period anymore. Sooo, now i just take birth control. I know it seems a little weird, putting more estrogen into your body when your a transguy, but it worked for me.
I was sooo happy! I NEVER HAVE TO HAVE MY PERIOD EVERRRR AGAAAIN! Haha so, if you're not on testosterone, you could go on the Pill. When you get the birth control, there are like 5 days of sugar pills (when you're supposed to have your period) , but you can just skip over them, and keep taking the normal pill. Then you never get your period! You can do it with any birthcontrol, but you should ask your doctor first which one works best if you want to completely eliminate your period. They all have different levels of estrogen and progesterone, so some work better for it than others.
I hope that helps. I know it seems weird to be on The Pill when your a transguy, but it works. Oh, and it won't make you any less "manly" or anything (physically/emotionally). The levels of estrogen are too low to do anything like that.
Y'know, this is just anecdotal on my part (I haven't read any scientific studies), but I have heard of some people experiencing breast growth on birth control. I asked my gyno about this, and she said that it can sometimes happen. My mother experienced breast growth during her pregnancy; although her breasts decreased in size eventually, they never returned to their pre-pregnancy size. Apparently she was my size (A) before pregnancy, but now she has a set of B's. And since birth control mimics pregnancy, well... it's something to keep in mind.
Quote from: Jude_ on June 30, 2009, 12:17:55 AM
Oh, and it won't make you any less "manly" or anything (physically/emotionally). The levels of estrogen are too low to do anything like that.
Actually, there's a number of guys on here that have also been on "the pill" that will disagree with you on that.
I am one of them.
It's great that it's working for you (I wish I could have found something that worked), but for some of us the emotional and physical side effects have been... most feminising - especially with prolonged use.
I've done a stint on both Estrogen / Progresterone, and Estrogen / Cyproterone Acetate (It's an androgen blocker).
Apart from the emotional side effects, I also noticed physical effects such as a redistribution of body fat (into a female pattern, including a larger chest size), loss of body hair, change in body odor, change in skin (softer texture / lower oil levels / acne went away), loss of muscle tone, and "falling to the communists" every damn month (complete with migranes, vomiting, very sick, sometimes in bed for days) instead of every 3 months (with no side effects, just minor spotting for a few days - I have to remember to check on occasion, I usually get taken totally by surprise). Oh, and my spatial skills decided to take a vacation. I was NOT impressed. Skipping sugar pills stopped the red terror, but the other effects remained the same. Going off it caused a complete reversal within 6 - 9 months (hooray for back to normal! Boo for teenage boy levels of acne at 25).
I am aware that the monthly is supposed to be a monthly and not a quarterly, and I should consider myself a lucky bastard, however I'm not the only one it's happened to - it's happened to other people with normally functioning systems as well.
FTR, it's 3 months on the dot since I was 12, and I don't have PCOS (it keeps being suggested, but I've come up clean).
I can't imagine living with monthly for life :-\. It felt like I was forever either having a "communist rally", recovering from the last one, or having PMT in preperation for the next one! I feel sorry for the women who have to deal with it until menopause, and the Tmen pre-T.
Yea my gf suggested birth control, but from everyone i know of their chest has increased in size and they have had more moodiness. Things I'm trying to avoid!
Thank you all for sharing your experiences and suggestions though. I'm glad some have found things that have worked for them. Unfortunately I am too young (22) probably for a hysterectomy :(
Quote from: Jude_ on June 30, 2009, 12:17:55 AM
I NEVER HAVE TO HAVE MY PERIOD EVERRRR AGAAAIN!
that's what i thought. about every 6-10 months, though, you get .. euch .. "breakthrough bleeding" .. which goes on and on until you give in and take the sugar pills for a week, and then stays the hell away from you for the next however-many months
I gained 50lbs on birth control, the chesticles have stayed a silly size even after I lost the weight. I was forced to come off it because it was lowering my bone density. It also made me infertile and messed up my cycle, 2 years later and it's still not improved. All in all, I wish I'd have stuck with the regular periods.
Quote from: T2Logan on June 30, 2009, 07:36:35 AM
Yea my gf suggested birth control, but from everyone i know of their chest has increased in size and they have had more moodiness. Things I'm trying to avoid!
Thank you all for sharing your experiences and suggestions though. I'm glad some have found things that have worked for them. Unfortunately I am too young (22) probably for a hysterectomy :(
Add me to the people who regret the pill. Didn't have anything before, then had to start wearing a bra or binding after the pill. Probably coulda had peri before. Had to have DI after.
Dennis
Quote from: Jude_ on June 30, 2009, 12:17:55 AM
I'm on the Pill. I can't remember which one though. I went to my gyno, and i told her I didn't want my period anymore. Sooo, now i just take birth control. I know it seems a little weird, putting more estrogen into your body when your a transguy, but it worked for me.
Oh, and it won't make you any less "manly" or anything (physically/emotionally). The levels of estrogen are too low to do anything like that.
Quote from: Teknoir on June 30, 2009, 07:26:36 AM
Actually, there's a number of guys on here that have also been on "the pill" that will disagree with you on that.
.... but for some of us the emotional and physical side effects have been... most feminising - especially with prolonged use.
... change in body odor, change in skin (softer texture / lower oil levels / acne went away), loss of muscle tone...
Going off it caused a complete reversal ... (hooray for back to normal! Boo for teenage boy levels of acne at 25).
I took the pill for about FOUR AND A HALF YEARS. I didn't notice the emotional side effects when I started it because, well, I was really sick that year and I needed my period to go away and be controlled (I had it every 21 days, then they put me on the quarterly stuff) because it made me super sick. However, when I finally came off of it in preparation for pre-T blood work... HUGE DIFFERENCE. Half of the alien got out of my head. I was suddenly less moody, I stopped crying at everything.... it was great. However, I was so dysphoric about my period I can't imagine having had it for all the years I didn't. So I don't know if I regret it or not, but it certainly did
change me into a different person I didn't know well, as far as my emotions are concerned. And it did affect my physical appearance. I had a GREAT complexion everyone was jealous of. Hah... plus the other things above that I quoted.
Also, my boobs didn't really grow at all. I went from an almost A to an A.. so I'm still having peri. I lucked out there. If my boobs had grown, I probably would've regretted it for sure.
Note: My DAD even thinks I'm a lot less crazy post-birth control. Even better plus-testosterone. I used to get irrationally frustrated at him for even suggesting we talk about something for NO reason. I'm a lot more willing to sit down and listen and generally the kind of person I want to be. Oddly, I noticed more drastic EMOTIONAL effects with not taking birth control than with starting T. --shrug-- I don't know if the changes from the latter happened more gradually?
I would not recommend using birth control to stop periods, for any guy, unless they are making you unable to function.
In my case I was too depressed and skipping school every time I got a period. took it for about 2 years. When I first started it, it made me feel really sick. Before I stopped it I was having 'spotting' every day for months and it was driving me into a violent rage where I had constant thoughts of mutilating that crap down there. Then I took the period week twice in a month to try and make it stop. ended up stopping the cycle completely since early Dec of last year to the present. not sure if my messing with the pill caused it but w/e. I don't think you should do that though. could cause cancer or something. :P
I regret taking the pill. It probably feminized my body more (i think it made my hips fatter. reduced acne. howeverno change in chest size at all. it works differently for some people i guess. It's also possible my lack of menses is completley unrelated to having been on the pill. That could of meant that the pill was just trying to continue the cycle instead of letting it die off anyways)... Well my point is i guess that adding more estrogen to your body will only intensify your dysphoria and whatever reactions you have to estrogen.. however imo bleeding every month is worse than not. but then if you get spotting it could possibly make you more dysphoric than having normal predictable periods.
An alternative I guess before T is to try the Moon Cup or something. tho I've never used it. and you sort of have to put it inside that hole.