This is long and rant-ish, but input is still welcome and appreciated. =)
Ugh, there doesn't seem to ANY way to stop them (periods) without some kind of potentially health-hazardous side effects or paying way too much money. It just makes me so mad because stopping my menstrual cycle is one of the only serious changes I absolutely need to make for myself for the next ten years or so.
So, from what I've read of some transguys' accounts of "the cycle," I feel at least a little bit lucky, lol. I've read about a lot of transguys who have to deal with extremely heavy periods, crippling pain, sickness and all kinds of other nightmares when they're "on the rag," and I really feel for and have respect for transguys who have to go through that on a monthly basis. However, my period is pretty light-to-regular, with minor bloating and discomfort, and no pain that can't be stopped with a couple Advils. At least, that's how things are now (I'm 17, almost 18), but who knows how things will be in the future. Anyway, my periods aren't a complete nightmare for me, but they're still a source of extreme dysphoria and it's still upsetting and frustrating when I get it - even though it doesn't really "disable" me, I just feel really down and depressed when I get it, and I don't feel like doing much at all.
The two main sources of physical dysphoria, for me, are my chest and my periods. These are both things that I really don't wanna have to deal with for much longer and want to change as soon as possible. With my parents' help, I'm looking into top surgery soon, so hopefully I'll have that part covered. Still, there are the periods. From what I've read, there are four different ways I've seen various transguys use to stop their periods: T, hysterectomy, birth control, and hormone blockers. Unfortunately, I seem to have found extreme negatives for each option.

T - Not to sound vain as hell or anything, but apparently guys who go on T risk balding earlier than the average guy, especially if they're genetically predisposed to it (my dad is 47 and isn't balding, but with the men on my mom's side there is some considerable Baldness). I have no idea if I'll end up balding or not, and I certainly won't mind balding in my 40s and 50s, but I really don't want to lose my hair at 20. Aside from that rather stupid reason, T also apparently can do serious damage to the female reproductive organs, and I don't wanna be dealing with ovarian cysts and tumors, etc. either.
Birth control - Stops periods, but also comes with a lot of health risks, and further feminizes the body, which definitely isn't something I want.
Hormone blockers - apparently when used long-term on people who have already gone through puberty, hormone blockers basically induce early menopause, which can mean osteoporosis and heart problems and ->-bleeped-<-, and just like I don't want to go bald at 20, I don't want to be breaking my hip at 20 just because I ran into a wall, lmao. I mean come on, I'll have plenty of time to do that when I'm 60.
Hysterectomy - ok, so basically if a woman with extensive damage to her uterus needs a hysterectomy, it can cost 4000 dollars or less (or be entirely covered by health insurance), but if one of us transguys needs a hysterectomy to prevent suicide-and-severe-depression-inducing dysphoria, the price is hiked up to insane numbers (20 thousand dollars?! really?) just because it's "elective surgery." I won't go into how much that pisses me off, but yeah, this option is totally unrealistic at the moment too.

I dunno, I know I've been going on for way too long, but I am just so sick of periods and the dysphoria that comes with them. I wish there could be a simple way to put an end to them, but it just seems like there's no way you can stop periods and just be completely satisfied with the results - there just has to be a catch for everything and it's so incredibly frustrating and depressing.

I don't know exactly what I'm asking here, I kind of just wanted to vent about The Frustration a bit and maybe someone will get where I'm Comin' From. I think I'm gonna talk to my gender therapist about my options but i don't really know what that will accomplish. What do you guys think is the best option, between T/birth control/blockers? Do you think maybe going on a low dose of T will cause periods to stop but won't induce balding? I guess maybe I could just get over it and accept that if I'm going to have male hormones in my body, I can deal with the male side effects, but even for really young bio-guys early balding is kind of upsetting. So I don't know exactly. 

For balding, there's Rogaine. For everything else, there's MasterCard. No, I'm kidding... just made me think of those ads from whenever it was.

Really though, the way I see it is there's pros and cons to it no matter what you choose. If you don't do anything about it, you'll still get periods, and that totally sucks. If you take T, yeah, you might lose some hair, but like I said, there's always Rogaine. And, don't quote me on this, but I think the "serious damage" you were talking about would actually take several years (and, from my point of view, I want a hysterectomy eventually anyway, so getting one done 5 years after starting T sounds fine to me).

As for birth control, well, personally, I think that's the worst choice, especially if dysphoria is an issue (and you said it was). You said that hormone blockers induce early menopause. Well, I'm not trying to be an @$$, but what do you think happens when you stop getting periods? You go through menopause. Whether you stop getting them because you're on T, or taking hormone blockers, you will go through menopause, because menopause is simply what happens when your periods stop.

In my opinion, if you have the option between taking hormone blockers and taking T, it seems more logical to take T, because otherwise your body is left without having a primary hormone, which, I've heard, can really mess things up in the long run. If you're worried about osteoporosis, increase the amount of vegetables you have in your diet and consider taking a calcium supplement. As for heart problems, well, I think all you can do about that is be as healthy as you can (exercise, eat right, etc) and hope for the best.

Where I live, if you get an "elective" hysterectomy and don't have insurance, it's around $12,000 to $15,000, depending on where you go. Maybe you could research it a little more and see if you might be able to save several thousand just by going to a surgeon out of state, or whatever. Either way though, I agree, it's insanely expensive and totally ridiculous that it's supposedly an "elective" surgery if you're not dealing with ovarian cancer or whatever.

Just to clarify things, I'm not trying to convince you that T is the best choice. It was for me, it might not be for you. Weigh the pros and cons, figure out what you really want more, and go with it.

Quote from: quinn on August 04, 2011, 09:30:45 PM
Well, I'm not trying to be an @$$, but what do you think happens when you stop getting periods? You go through menopause. Whether you stop getting them because you're on T, or taking hormone blockers, you will go through menopause, because menopause is simply what happens when your periods stop.

I'm certainly no expert on this topic but I'm pretty sure just because those stop it isn't auto-menopause. My mom had something wrong with her ovaries when she was like 27 and her periods stopped for like 4 years. 2 years later she had me. Also, women who take those birth control pills where you only have like 3 periods a year or something are obv not going into menopause just because they're not having 9 periods. It's my understanding that menopause is a more complex process that happens at a certain age when production of eggs ceases and hormonal changes start.

I'm on a depo provera shot, and I had one short period, then it was over. Two months in, haven't had anything. But now I'm afraid my body's being girlied up by it, now that you've said that. XD It's less dysphoric for me, though, because (my) pills don't stop it and it's a constant reminder. >_>

Honestly, though, I'd go with T over the other options -- it's your choice, but hey. Rogaine. (Or minoxidil, it's cheaper and is the same thing, really.) A hysterectomy just sounds unnecessary, to me at least.

Quote from: insideontheoutside on August 04, 2011, 10:52:07 PM
I'm certainly no expert on this topic but I'm pretty sure just because those stop it isn't auto-menopause. My mom had something wrong with her ovaries when she was like 27 and her periods stopped for like 4 years. 2 years later she had me. Also, women who take those birth control pills where you only have like 3 periods a year or something are obv not going into menopause just because they're not having 9 periods. It's my understanding that menopause is a more complex process that happens at a certain age when production of eggs ceases and hormonal changes start.

I meant when they stop permanently.

I decided I couldn't go about picking and choosing what I wanted, so I accepted the fact that I may bald etc.

The single best thing coming out of T for me was my mental outlook.  The second best was no more monthly mess/hormonal craziness.  If I go bald, so be it.  If I had been born in the correct body I may have gone bald anyway!

To be honest nobody really knows what the effect of T on our bodies is.  Not enough studies. 

Out of all the choices you listed... in my opinion T is far better than birth control.

If you want a hysto get one when you're still listed as female under insurance, if you still are.  I wish I had gone that route but too late now.  I didn't have health insurances until after I started transitioning.