How do you stop a period?

[Jorden]

I am wondering if anybody knows of a way to get rid of a period from happening. A few people have suggested birth control to me but I can't but would be extremely awkward and a lot worse for me to think that I'm taking pills so I don't have children. I already struggle with the fact people want me to have children I don't want to constantly think I'm on a pill to stop me from having them it's a constant reminder that I am inside this body. So that's out of the question and I don't know what else I can do I am NOT ready to take HRT and I don't even know if I want to because there are moments that I still am very genderqueer and I can't always pick between gender even though I prefer male pronouns and everything.

[Another One]

I used to have the same problem with birth control pills that were recommended for me because I suffered from severe pains during periods since my puberty. Then one day I just thought it was a wrong way to look at pills. As far as I don't care about childbirth, for me they are just a relief for my pain and have nothing to do with birth control. Maybe you can also try to change your perception of this kind of medicines, before you leave this possibility out of the question?

Good luck, hope you find your way.

[MoraDollie]

Honestly birth control is the closest way to it. The pill also doesn't have as much estrogen as say, the patch. More hormones in your body (most birth control is around 35% extra, the patch is about 65% extra), MIGHT make your body be like "oh wait...extra hormones? STOP OVULATING! D:". But on a serious note, everyone reacts differently to hormones.

Your period is basically getting rid of waste and removing dead cell tissues.

[Qwerty321]

That's a stupid stereotype. I took bith control pills for pure medical reasons, and even didn't have any sex in that time.

I heard, there are some pills that can be taken without 7-day breaks, so no periods. You'd better to consult a gynecologist, if you decide to go for it, there are many contra-indications for them, including taking antidepresssants.

Probably, hysterectomy (removing the wobm) must stop periods, but that's a major surgery, I doubt they will make it just because you don't like periods.

[silverlinings]

i am on the depo injection, and that stops periods in most people and you get it every three months. so it's not taking a pill every day, you just gotta show up to an appointment every 12 weeks or so. but as Kumo said, everyone reacts differently, and it does take the body some time to adjust, so i can't say "this *will* stop your period".

[allrightalready]

i only know of three ways (there may be more) each has different costs and consequences

first a hysterectomy (expensive and very hard to talk any doctor into unless you have a severe condition AND are past a certain age - even though this method has fewer side effects, as an aside if you take this route you will have to take something either HRT estrogen or testosterone or there is another far more expensive drug to prevent osteoporosis but unless you do one of the three you will have health consequences)

birth control (several different ways and everyones body will react differently to them, less expensive, far easier to talk a doctor into but this is taking you in the opposite direction you seem to want)

HRT, the trans men i have known said within a couple months it was gone and bonus they felt better about a lot of things (in and of itself HRT is not too expensive but the process of being allowed to get it can be arduous and expensive, also you have already said you are not ready for it)

[Guest]

Maybe a question that's out of place, so do forgive me, but is stopping periods altogether a good idea? I have irregular periods and was told this is unhealthy, which is why I take meds to have them every three months.

[marauders]

As far as my understanding is, there are only really three ways to stop your period: HRT, birth control, or hysterectomy. I mean, there might be others, but those are the only ones I am aware of. All of those have been covered by the others commenting in this thread, so I won't go into detail about them.

I think birth control might be your only option. If that is the case, then the comment that silverlinings made above about depo injections might be worth looking into, especially if you would like to avoid taking a pill daily.

Good luck! I hope that you get enough information to make the decision that is right for you.

[Qwerty321]

Btw, I heard there were some pills, that can be taken by trans teenagers to delay their pubescence and reduce their gender dysphoria untill they become adult and be able to take a decision about transition. Probably, it does the thing you want. It's a completely reversive method. Thought you're not a teenager, could it be a solution for a growт-up person? I don't know much about the subject, but there should be some information on web.

[Jorden]

Maybe a question that's out of place, so do forgive me, but is stopping periods altogether a good idea? I have irregular periods and was told this is unhealthy, which is why I take meds to have them every three months.

I don't know but I get dysphoria over it not anything very severe but it still bothers me I could probably just deal with it but there always seems to be a process where something gets worse and I don't want this to start getting worse also

[Jorden]

Honestly birth control is the closest way to it. The pill also doesn't have as much estrogen as say, the patch. More hormones in your body (most birth control is around 35% extra, the patch is about 65% extra), MIGHT make your body be like "oh wait...extra hormones? STOP OVULATING! D:". But on a serious note, everyone reacts differently to hormones.

Your period is basically getting rid of waste and removing dead cell tissues.

I don't really know what to think about all of this yet I don't know what I end up deciding but these comments are still nice to have all of them are options even if they're not necessarily something I want it's a way.

[Jorden]

I used to have the same problem with birth control pills that were recommended for me because I suffered from severe pains during periods since my puberty. Then one day I just thought it was a wrong way to look at pills. As far as I don't care about childbirth, for me they are just a relief for my pain and have nothing to do with birth control. Maybe you can also try to change your perception of this kind of medicines, before you leave this possibility out of the question?

Good luck, hope you find your way.

I don't know I'll have to take time and think about everything to be honest. I just know I do want children but not in the female way and not how everyone in my family seems to be assuming. Everything's really uncomfortable and confusing and frustrating for me at the moment so I'm sure none of these questions or concerns will be answered inside my mind but all of these options giving to me or something I can definitely think over and in the future maybe decide or at least that's my plan.

[dissolved]

It's pretty dangerous to go without periods... You're recommended to have three a year to be "safe". Say for example they stop due to whatever medical issue, you'd have to have them artificially induced by something like norethisterone (which is also used to delay periods if you want to go on holiday etc and avoid it). Some birth control (I want to call it "the pill" :P) will reduce the amount of menstrual blood you store up, so it's safe to be like that for about three years. The implant is your best bet if you want something temporary because it's reversible. It's also the form that people feel most stable on, rather than having peaks and troughs of oral medication, you have a very regular release of a lower dose into your blood stream which minimises the side effects. Long term... not a good idea. You need breaks from all hormones, ideally.

[Guest]

Maybe a question that's out of place, so do forgive me, but is stopping periods altogether a good idea? I have irregular periods and was told this is unhealthy, which is why I take meds to have them every three months.

I don't know but I get dysphoria over it not anything very severe but it still bothers me I could probably just deal with it but there always seems to be a process where something gets worse and I don't want this to start getting worse also

That's understandable. I don't know much about it, whether not having periods at all would be all that serious healthwise or not. My gyn told me "it's kind of like not mowing your lawn", the lining builds up and all. They didn't go into details on the effects this could have or anything. Perhaps there are ways to simply have periods less often. But again, I don't know much about it, for all I know it really isn't that big a deal.

[Emery.]

I don't think it's gonna be helpful, but I used to stress over periods a lot, to the point that my anxiety made my cramps much worse than they needed to be. I just started ignoring periods at some point. Avoiding "celebration": "tomorrow is the day, it's gonna be painful", "fate is coming", "I have to wear a dress for nobody to see my towel", "I can't do sports/go out, becuase my stomach is gonna be worse if I get tired". You see how the tension builds up? I also had a concept in my head that periods and pregnency is why the female gender roles looks the way it looks, and I thought that having periods means I have to do all the "things women do" and "be a woman". Which is basically BS. I cried a couple of days before a period, because I didn't want it. It was in my early teens... As I said, at some point I started ignoring periods and ignoring that others are gonna see it. And ignoring all the associated ideas. Because the truth is that it's only a bit of blood and a stomach ache. Equally well, you could have eaten a toxic burito and feel the same, minus the blood. Peiod doesn't have any meaning by itself.

[Kaven]

There are times when the benefits of a hysterectomy far out weigh the consequences, but If you're young it raises your risk of heart attack and stroke. The risk levels off as you get older, so there are medical reasons doctors refuse to perform them on young woman unless there is a medical benefit that over rides the risk.

There are other birth control methods other than the pill that may or may not stop your period. I know someone with IUD that stopped her periods, but it seems not everyone has that response.

[Emery.]

There are times when the benefits of a hysterectomy far out weigh the consequences, but If you're young it raises your risk of heart attack and stroke. The risk levels off as you get older, so there are medical reasons doctors refuse to perform them on young woman unless there is a medical benefit that over rides the risk.

There are other birth control methods other than the pill that may or may not stop your period. I know someone with IUD that stopped her periods, but it seems not everyone has that response.

Em,well, medicine is not magic... Hysectomy is cutting into the middle of guts, doing mess, opening the way into them for many microorganisms and viruses free for until the wounds heals, and carries many other risks. Surgeons are just people, narcosis is juust chemistry, human bodies often "know better" what they want to do and behave in an unpredicted manner... Surgeries are dangerous. The more you open the body, the more dangerous it is. If the person having a surgery is going to die, the risk is worth undertaking for sure.

And, probably many of you havn't had any surgeries. Let me say something: uterus at the bottom of the abdomen and surgeon has to cut through skin and muscle. Having a muscle cut through is the worst part, because you can't use it for a long time, it's pain to stand or sit straight. Then, your abdomen is weak for a long time. Ad you lose feeling in the area. Personally, I wouldn't like to repeat this experience. If somebody is into it, okey. But not that nobody warned.

I know of cis women who take birth control to stop periods, I think they have them every 3 months or so. But they're past 30 and with kids, so doctors no longer care... It's not that you take pills not to have children. Where did you take it from? If you have a purpose of not having period, then it's a period remedy.

[dash]

IMO, it's a huge issue to refer to hormone pills as "birth control." They're hormone pills, and they are taken by people for a variety of reasons. One of these reasons is contraception. They're also prescribed for acne, to stop menses (e.g. for dysmenorrhea, as well as for dysphoria), and for other reasons. They're not "birth control." They're estrogen/progestin (or progestin only) tablets.

I am absolutely not OK with people talking about my body in terms of childbirth, or sex. But these pills actually have nothing to do with either. They're hormones that my body produces, and by taking them at the same dose orally every day, I can stop the "cycle" of hormone fluctuations and maintain a steady state. This helped immensely with my physical and emotional health. Am I ever coming into contact with anyone else's genitals? Hell no. Some people take these pills to prevent pregnancy, but as I said, the same drugs have multiple uses.

(Like, there really isn't any other point to some other forms of "birth control" other than as birth control, so I wouldn't want to touch those things, because it reminds me of sex. But as I said above, these are hormones my body produces anyway. I'm just taking a continuous dose.)

If someone says I am on "birth control," and I have the time and energy to explain, I tell them no, I am a sex-repulsed asexual who has never, and will never, "have sex." I am on the pills for extreme pelvic pain and for gender dysphoria. And I ask people to call the pills what they are, "hormone pills," or just by the medication name.

I suppose I could be snarky and say yes, they're birth control -- I'm asexual, you see, and if I didn't take these pills, I would spontaneously self-impregnate and reproduce by budding, and that would be terribly inconvenient. :)

In all seriousness, I think AVEN needs an FAQ about this topic, because a lot of people ask these questions, e.g. "How do I stop my period?" A sticky with some basic info to take to one's doctors would be really helpful.

1. Estrogen + progestin pills, patches, implants

2. Lupron

3. Depo-Provera

4. Surgery

No, you do not have to take "breaks" from the pills, you can safely take them continuously.

Yes, many doctors (at least in my region) will prescribe them to teens, and no, it doesn't have to be with the assumption that the teens are having sex (I took them for a short time in high school for acne).

Etc.

[Penny Dreadful]

That's a stupid stereotype. I took bith control pills for pure medical reasons, and even didn't have any sex in that time.

I heard, there are some pills that can be taken without 7-day breaks, so no periods. You'd better to consult a gynecologist, if you decide to go for it, there are many contra-indications for them, including taking antidepresssants.

Probably, hysterectomy (removing the wobm) must stop periods, but that's a major surgery, I doubt they will make it just because you don't like periods.

You're right, they told us about this type of birth control in OBGYN class.

^

Regarding the continuous birth control.

[dash]

That's a stupid stereotype. I took bith control pills for pure medical reasons, and even didn't have any sex in that time.

I heard, there are some pills that can be taken without 7-day breaks, so no periods. You'd better to consult a gynecologist, if you decide to go for it, there are many contra-indications for them, including taking antidepresssants.

Probably, hysterectomy (removing the wobm) must stop periods, but that's a major surgery, I doubt they will make it just because you don't like periods.

You're right, they told us about this type of birth control in OBGYN class.

^

Regarding the continuous birth control.

So, I'm on those pills. Yes, they exist. :) (And the ones with the blank pills can be prescribed with "take continuously, no placebos" and you can get refills sooner than you could otherwise.)

Also, reminder, see above, I don't take "birth control," even if many people use the same substance for that purpose.

[S.Kobold]

Not going to stop your periods, but this might help cut down on the dysphoria:

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/11/17/company-creates-period-shorts-for-transgender-men/?utm_source=ET&utm_medium=ETFB&utm_campaign=portal&ts_pid=535&utm_content=inf_17_60_2

Also, I have extremely sporadic and seemingly random periods (I can go a loooong time between them) and no doctor has ever expressed concern over this. The only time I've ever been offered medication that would sort it out was when I expressed discomfort at other side effects of PCOS. So I don't think the lack of periods is a problem, however that may be reliant on underlying causes.

[dash]

Not going to stop your periods, but this might help cut down on the dysphoria:

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/11/17/company-creates-period-shorts-for-transgender-men/?utm_source=ET&utm_medium=ETFB&utm_campaign=portal&ts_pid=535&utm_content=inf_17_60_2

Also, I have extremely sporadic and seemingly random periods (I can go a loooong time between them) and no doctor has ever expressed concern over this. The only time I've ever been offered medication that would sort it out was when I expressed discomfort at other side effects of PCOS. So I don't think the lack of periods is a problem, however that may be reliant on underlying causes.

That's an interesting link, thanks. I just want to know more about how it works. When I menstruated, I had a very heavy flow, and I don't think those shorts would have done very much. And even for days with light flow, not being able to rip the smelly parts out and change them seems like it could get very uncomfortable very quickly.

It would have helped my dysphoria somewhat if menstrual products weren't labeled as "feminine hygiene," etc. I realize this is a lot to ask for, because it makes me sound like a "special snowflake/I want to inconvenience the whole world with a change most people would see as 'PC gone overboard', so I don't get triggered" type -- I'm not saying that the experience was triggering, just uncomfortable -- and I really don't want to be read that way. It's just that not being a woman, but being read as one anyway, and going to buy menstrual pads in an aisle called "feminine hygiene," can be an uncomfortable experience. Yes, the employees and the other shoppers really didn't care, and yes, people do buy things all the time for other people, but there are some ways that relatively "small" things in society can make trans people feel invisible.

I think that guy is brave for talking about it. I never would have done that.

Edit: Maybe the shorts have to be worn with tampons? I physically can't do those. And I know there are other people who can't, too. On the other hand, maybe they do work with pads, but if that's the case, I already own stretchy "boy shorts" you can stick a pad in, my mom got them long ago at some department store. Some of them kind of fell apart after a short while, but that was because they're a super cheap fabric. So, maybe this is like that, only better quality. (And what I had didn't actually help with my dysphoria, but that's just me. Part of the issue was that it was still marketed as "women's underwear.) What would be super helpful for trans guys is underwear you can pack with, and still wear menstrual products with.

[Emery.]

Not going to stop your periods, but this might help cut down on the dysphoria:

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/11/17/company-creates-period-shorts-for-transgender-men/?utm_source=ET&utm_medium=ETFB&utm_campaign=portal&ts_pid=535&utm_content=inf_17_60_2

Wow, that's cool :) I'm surprised nobody before came up with fluid-absorbent underwear.

Hey, dash, cheer up, no matter what they market some things as, it is not what they really mean. E.g. I have loads of underwear that is plain cotton underwear and was marketed for women, but IMO looks pretty neutral. Or elastic boy shorts marketed to women :P Or even a boyish looking bra. "Seek and you shall find" :)

I haven't seen the problem of "feminine hygene" before I moved to UK. In my country they call it "intimate hygene" and that's what it'll stay for me, but "feminine" is a bit offputting. Like it had to be all in pink flowers or something . That's my association. If they called it "female hygene", that woud make a bit more sense. But hey, it's just downstairs junk, it doesn't define anyone, even though nobody will escape false labels.

[S.Kobold]

I imagine they're much like these, which are for women; (tw: open talk about menstruation)

I've used reusable pads before, and not found it uncomfortable. However if you have to hand wash the underwear I can imagine people being uncomfortable with that...

[Emery.]

Wow, I'm gonna buy those panties! :) I have to handwash my underwear either way, because my period is irregular (doctor said there's nothing bad about it, especially as it seems genetic, and they do happen at least once every two months) and wearing pads for e.g. two weeks out of being scared of period starting - it's not comfy at all. I prefer washing. Btw, it's cool that women included in this video aren't all the "feminine" type, which is often the case.

[Sisky]

I haven't seen the problem of "feminine hygene" before I moved to UK. In my country they call it "intimate hygene" and that's what it'll stay for me, but "feminine" is a bit offputting. Like it had to be all in pink flowers or something . That's my association. If they called it "female hygene", that woud make a bit more sense. But hey, it's just downstairs junk, it doesn't define anyone, even though nobody will escape false labels.

I'm always really confused when other countries put gender labels on stuff. I think it's pretty much just "hygiene" here, no odd extra words referring to gender. Not that there would be a need. The section is pink enough as is.

[dash]

Not going to stop your periods, but this might help cut down on the dysphoria:

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/11/17/company-creates-period-shorts-for-transgender-men/?utm_source=ET&utm_medium=ETFB&utm_campaign=portal&ts_pid=535&utm_content=inf_17_60_2

Wow, that's cool :) I'm surprised nobody before came up with fluid-absorbent underwear.

Hey, dash, cheer up, no matter what they market some things as, it is not what they really mean. E.g. I have loads of underwear that is plain cotton underwear and was marketed for women, but IMO looks pretty neutral. Or elastic boy shorts marketed to women :P Or even a boyish looking bra. "Seek and you shall find" :)

I haven't seen the problem of "feminine hygiene" before I moved to UK. In my country they call it "intimate hygiene" and that's what it'll stay for me, but "feminine" is a bit off-putting. Like it had to be all in pink flowers or something . That's my association. If they called it "female hygiene", that would make a bit more sense. But hey, it's just downstairs junk, it doesn't define anyone, even though nobody will escape false labels.

Yes, "female hygiene" would make more sense. "Feminine hygiene" invokes flowers and pinkness, and sadly, that's actually how they market some of this stuff!

Anyway, I no longer menstruate, so it's a bit of a moot point. But the marketing of undergarments does really matter to me -- actual shorts for boys aren't marketed as "boy shorts." That's code, at least in this country, for "women's underwear that's made to sort of look like men's underwear, except it's not." There's a lot of that in women's clothing marketing -- pockets that don't work, cuts of the outfits that make them a "sexy" or "curvy" version of the male version, etc. And I have no idea what a "boyish-looking bra" would look like, especially for a large-chested person. Can you tell me where to find that?

[Emery.]

In my country it's named boxer briefs.

Hm, by boyinsh looking bra I meant this: men's underwear often has a certain design with a broad rubber band and single coloured rest. The colour is something neutral like grey or flashy like red or dark green. More often it's grey. The bra I'm talking about is dark grey and plain, with those broad rubber bands. No laces. No bows. It has no cups, but holds really well and is comfy. I'm not sure how it would work for larger chests, mine is what I consider medium - a D on a small ribcage. I found it in Klein underwear shop, so pretty expensive, but the quality is worth it.

Well, I hate the "sexy version" phenomenon. Let's take a coat. A men's coat will end at the lower area of hips and hence be warm. It would have space underneath to put it onto a sweater. They make a "female version" - too short, too tight, impractical, yet "sexy". They don't consider that women want to do stuff, not just look sexy *facepalm*. I understand making a felame version with more room for curves and less for shoulders, but they make everything uncomfortably tight instead. And oddly enough, don't make room for curves. :S

[Emery.]

With boxer briefs I meant simply marketing this underwear as boxer briefs, for women, not as boy shorts. Sorry for muliple posts. Im on mobile and cant edit

[Nylocke]

I find if you exercise a lot your period might be irregular for the first 6 months of a new exercising regiment but thats kinda not good for you either because its bad for your bones to not get your period. Though when I started exercising back in high school my period stopped for 6 months and back then it was a relief but stressful at the same time. In middle school when I started my period I used to bleed really heavy and there was nothing anyone could do about it and I just had to deal with it. Things normalized once I got to high school or at least I knew how combat the situation a little better. But it still stressed me out because I thought something was wrong and legit thought I had cancer or something with my dumb self.

I still do get my period regularly despite exercising so vigorously like I do but I guess my body is used to exercising now for all these years xD