Do Trans Women Have Periods? Uncover the Shocking Truth

Do Trans Women Have Periods? – Periods in One of the things that binds all women together is the fact that they all experience periods or menstruation- a monthly cycle of shedding of the uterus lining. This factor makes womanhood a shared experience, wherein women from any part of the globe unite together to discuss and make arguments regarding their physical, mental, psychological health, and well-being.

But have we, as a society, ever included a transgender woman in such discussions or social settings? What happens to those identities that don’t fall in line with the societal expectations of what it means to be a female?

In this article, we are going to address and explore one of the most misunderstood phenomena of menstruation in transgender women. It is an unexplored concept and needs significant attention.

Who are Transgender Women?

There’s always confusion around the concepts of Sex and Gender. Sex is biological. Example – Your physicality. Whereas Gender is socially constructed. Examples- How people from a particular sex are supposed to behave. Our society has always operated under the notion of gender binary- the belief that there are only two genders, masculine and feminine. Contrary to this notion, there are several people who may not fall into either of these categories and identify themselves as transgender.

Transgender Men: The individuals who are assigned female at birth but identify themselves as male.
Transgender Women: The individuals who are assigned male at birth but identify themselves as female.

Gender Dysphoria

Since transgender identities are in minorities and are marginalised by most of the people around them, they can feel alienated and may suffer from various mental and psychological breakdowns. One of the most commonly felt emotions is gender dysphoria. It is a term that is used to describe the feeling of concern that a person goes through because their gender identity doesn’t align with their biological sex/ sex assigned at birth. ^[1] These emotions can take serious forms such as anxiety, depression, and isolation, having harmful implications.

Lack of Menstruation in Transgender women can be a source of gender dysphoria.

They can have a strong desire to conform to the traits and characteristics of a cis women as their preferred gender identity. They can express this by transforming the way they look, express, and behave.

Gender dysphoria often happens around puberty when young people may feel that their physical appearance doesn’t match their gender identity. Some of them may also want to go through hormonal treatment, such as HRT and physical surgeries, in order to look and feel more feminine.

Hormone Replacement Therapy(HRT)

It refers to the medical process that is used to align an individual’s physical characteristics with the gender identity they prefer and express themselves with. Thus, it is also known as gender affirming hormone treatment. ^[2]

HRT has its own pros and cons. Thus, it is important to have proper consultation from an expert before enrolling in this treatment.

In case of a transgender woman, HRT involves taking anti-androgens (which block male hormones such as testosterone) and consumption of estrogens, which will trigger the development feminine bodily appearance and other sex characteristics, including physical changes such as breast growth, skin softening, etc.

But it is important to note that HRT can help them feel more comfortable with their gender identities, boosting their confidence and self-esteem, but it doesn’t let trans women experience Menstruation. Menstruation is a biological process that requires having ovaries and a uterus as reproductive organs. However, trans women with HRT medication can experience PMS-like symptoms or PMDD.

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)

These are hormonal fluctuations comprising a lot of physical and emotional symptoms that an individual feels before they get their period.

Most women experience PMS.

PMDD is similar to PMS, but its symptoms are more severe than PMS. Examples: Depression, suicidal thoughts, severe anxiety. Doctors describe PMDD as a depressive disorder with a significant impact on a person’s day-to-day life.^[3]

Physical symptoms include: Back Pain, headaches, nausea, acne, bloating, cramps, breast tenderness, heaviness in the abdomen, etc.
Emotional symptoms include: mood swings, irritation, feeling depressed, etc.

Trans women under HRT medication can go through PMS-like symptoms, periodically every month, due to the fluctuating estrogen levels. But they should not misinterpret it as menstruation because it is clearly not menstruation in the traditional sense (shedding of the uterus lining or bleeding) as they don’t have the required organs for this process to take place.

Trans women can keep track of their PMS symptoms through simple methods like keeping a record in a diary or using a period-tracking app. This way, they can monitor their symptoms and seek mediation accordingly.

Importance of Emotional and psychological support

Menstruation is already a stigmatized issue in our society, attached with a lot of taboos, and when it comes to transgender it is even worse. They face several barriers in accessing appropriate healthcare for themselves. Identities like Trans women need a supportive environment around them to talk about their issues. The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and the Endocrine Society are organisations that created transgender-specific guidelines for hormonal therapy, which serve as a framework for healthcare providers for gender minority patients.^[4]

Every individual should show respect towards them by being more inclusive, open to diversity, and embracing differences. This way, they’ll not feel gender dysphoria or a need to affirm themselves with binary genders (through HRT), lessening all the adverse emotional and psychological feelings and distress.

Additionally, there should exist special medical practitioners who understand transgender health needs to help them with their health-related concerns.

A Note from Kamarth – Do trans women have periods?

The experiences of trans women, particularly concerning menstruation and its related symptoms, are complex and often overlooked. There are not enough studies and research done in this area, giving rise to a lot of misunderstanding and assumptions.

Trans women do not menstruate in a dominant and traditional sense, but they can feel symptoms of PMS due to HRT. There is a need to broaden the definition of womanhood and menstruation, which doesn’t include people from different identities.

Read Also: What is right age to have sex?

Some Additional Doubts

Question: Can transgender women have periods?
Answer: No, they can’t experience menstruation in traditional form (bleeding); however, they can feel PMS-like symptoms, due to HRT medication.

Question: How lack of menstruation cause gender dysphoria in trans women?
Answer: Trans women can feel a sense of dissatisfaction or gender dysphoria because they don’t have the required organs for menstruation, so they may feel that their body doesn’t fully align with their gender identity.

Question: Can HRT cause trans women to menstruate?
Answer: No, HRT is just for producing more estrogen in the body while blocking testosterone.
This is done to make trans women feel and have more feminine characteristics. It can only give rise to PMS-like symptoms.

Question: How can a trans woman track PMS-like symptoms?
Answer: They can track symptoms periodically by keeping a diary or using any free tracking app to observe patterns and then seek medication accordingly.

Question: What PMS-like symptoms can a trans woman experience?
Answer: They can experience bloating, cramps, back pain, acne, headaches, etc.

Read More:

References:-

Do Trans Women Have Periods? Uncover the Shocking Truth

Table of Contents