What exactly comes to mind when I think of menopause is different from mine. (Photo: William Cuthbert)
this summerI started going through menopause.
But as a non-binary trans man, I want you to menopause. And therein lies the problem…
Even though I deserve fully comprehensive care just like anyone else, the research and resources that currently exist to address this tumultuous life change are not designed for people like me.
I say that has to change.
I came out as a trance In the summer of 2021, I knew I needed to take hormones to feel happy in my body.
Fortunately, I started hormone replacement therapy (HRT) through folk remedies in December of the same year. I soon began to grow body hair and muscle tissue, which allowed me to look in the mirror with a joy I had never felt before.
Then last year my period stopped.
This break from my old heavy flow has been a great relief, but I still suffer from occasional menstrual cramps and mood swings.
I knew I still had some kind of menstrual cycle, but it didn’t occur to me, even if it wasn’t an actual period. for menopause soon of late.
For weeks my life was thrown into disarray by pain, illness and extreme fatigue. (Photo: William Cuthbert)
Nonetheless, I realized that taking testosterone (T) could trigger menopause because I had heard several stories from other trans men about their experiences.
Some required topical estrogen treatment to combat symptoms, such as an increased risk of UTIs. But if the T regimen alleviates the decline in estrogen associated with ovarian failure and menopause, others may remain completely symptom-free.
Two and a half years after starting HRT, nothing and no one could have truly prepared me for the symptoms I would experience.
For weeks my life was thrown into disarray by pain, illness and extreme fatigue, and at first I didn’t even think this could be the beginning. menopausal. I thought I just had a stomach virus.
I had diarrhea, abdominal bloating, and lower abdominal pain. I find it strange that it affects me intermittently for almost a week instead of usually lasting a day or two.
About two weeks later, I woke up after a sunny weekend. pride celebration From heatstroke.
I’ve suffered from this a few times before due to being careless in places with too much sunlight, but never has it exhausted me as much as it did that Monday.
After throwing up, I spent the rest of the day in bed. I barely had the energy to take paracetamol and stomach sedatives with water and peppermint tea.
I suffered from sleeping problems, hot flushes, and indigestion. (Photo: William Cuthbert)
It took several days for my appetite to fully return.
My energy levels have never been like that.
Even after I started feeling better, my sleep was interrupted, hot flashesDigestive discomfort of paroxysms and onset.
As another week passed and I had an ongoing mix of on-and-off symptoms, in addition to two bouts of cystitis, I thought I was actually experiencing menopause.
Typically, symptoms develop over several months or years before menopause completely stops menstruation. But in 2023, when HRT stopped my periods, I was technically in menopause before menopause.
It’s uncomfortable and frustrating, but I’m going through this about 10 years earlier than the average cisgender woman. I am only 32 years old. I regret my medical transition..
My biggest problem is do It is important to find support that is transgender-inclusive.
Firstly, when I made my GP appointment, the care navigator I spoke to on the phone apologized profusely, saying he needed to educate me on women’s health.
At this point, I’m used to facing this kind of gendered language and treatment for certain medical appointments along with other ‘women’s health’ needs like smears.
But that doesn’t mean the medical industry is opposed to using gender-neutral terminology across the board to avoid it.
I can’t remember a time when medical professionals or copywriters have tried to provide relief or comfort. (Photo: William Cuthbert)
Yes, together With a smear test And I mean, family planning is another area that doesn’t need gender-specific language. This is not the case when discussing these things in general terms.
No matter what people read or hear, it’s still perfectly fine for cis women to be called women.
But I can’t rely on existing definitions or treatments for menopause. Because my body, my hormone therapy, and my very existence as a non-binary person overturn all binary gender assumptions.
My hormonal balance operates completely differently than the assumed cis female norm. And because I am already on gender-affirming hormone replacement therapy (HRT), I cannot take the hormone therapy typically prescribed to menopausal women in case taking estrogen has unwanted effects on my body or health.
This also means that there is no way to guess when your symptoms will stop or go away due to your period not already existing.
So how can you get help and treatment?
Well, I was sent by my doctor to try herbal remedies, which could take up to 6 months to be effective, and the instructions were even on the regular web page.
But these sites are often created to reassure middle-aged (mostly white, straight, non-disabled) women that there is a community of other women like them. It makes you feel forgetful, watery, hot, sweaty, and a mess with a dry vagina.
It is difficult to express in words how deep the pain is. (Photo: William Cuthbert)
Of course, I’m glad that these resources exist for older cis women who are just as emotionally and physically vulnerable or even more vulnerable than I am now. But it is clear that they are not for me.
I can’t think of a time when medical professionals and copywriters try to offer reassurance or comfort. People like me don’t like it when we try to apply the best methods before and after menopause.
It’s hard to explain how deeply hurtful it is to be seen as unworthy of attention, let alone access to treatment that acknowledges the transgender experience.
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For trans+ people like me to act humanely menopause treatmentOur treatments must be considered valid and medical research is needed.
This hasn’t happened yet, and with trans+ transgender health care under threat from misinformation, anti-trans legislation, and drug bans, it’s unlikely to happen anytime soon. But I hold out hope that one day it will happen.
For now, simply acknowledging that cis women are not the only ones going through menopause would go a long way to making medical help and advice more welcome.
Until those with power over our health care start to take notice, I will continue to speak as a perimenopausal, non-binary, and trans masculine person. Because we all deserve care and healing that accepts and values us for our full selves and life experiences.
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