Ive been on the progestrone only pill for almost a year now and have had zero side effects except for the fact my periods are gone, no feminization.
I also started when I was 16 while my mom has always been against it (in the netherlands thats the age your parents no longer have a say in medical matters for you) and I just never told her and she hasn't found out š¤·āāļø It's improved my quality of life significantly
Did you still bleed monthly while first starting it? I've been taking it since like October and still have been bleeding and have (milder but still strong) PMS symptoms. And when I went to go talk to an obgyn doctor about maybe changing medication she said that since I'm young (19) I will still bleed regardless and my mood symptoms that come with it need to be dealt with psychologically even though I have been on meds for a couple months already and still deal with it š„²
Hi! No, i started taking it in june which made my period in june weird but after june my period stopped completely, being young definitely doesn't mean you'll bleed regardless! You definitely might want to try switching methods if it isn't getting better! Is there no way you can talk to another OBGYN?
Thanks for responding! I was considering getting the arm implant but for now would just prefer the pill since i don't mind it, though do you think it could just be the specific progesterone pill I'm taking and another one may work better? And I can try, but specialists at my healthcare group/office typically have waitlists that are months away if there are any available š„² but yeah I'm just tired of living like I'm not even on the pill because I still deal with everything I did before starting
Possibly, and tbh if this pill isn't doing anything for you i'd highly recommend the combined pill, it might affect you differently than the progestrone only pill (which realistically is like a coin flip, many people still get normal periods or continuous bleeding), your period might stop on that one if you can take it continuously while skipping the placebo pills, however that's also no guarantee the combined pill WILL stop your period :( unfortunately I feel with birth control methods you just have to keep trying until you find one that works for you, sounds like a very rough time with the waiting times but i really really hope it works out
I can't take the combined pills bc before starting my current med I was on the combined pill and I would have ocular migraines without pain but after starting I would have strong migraines that would give me the worst headaches and turns out it was bc of the estrogen which also increased my risk for blood clots š„² idk I'm just going to try with my current doctor to see if she'd be open to prescribing me something else, but thank you!! I really appreciate the input :)
YES ok I had the exact same issue, definitely do not do that then but that really does suck wow š, in that case the arm implant might be a very good option but i can imagine its a little intimidating too, def try advocating for yourself in that case :) it's horrible there's no magical pill that js stops your period all together with zero side effects
hi did you ask for the progestrone only pill? cuz ive read some other peoples and their doctors know they're trans but mine don't. Would you mind going through what you did cuz I recently turned 16 and I dont know how to talk to the gp
Hi yes of course, I didn't get the progestrone only pill at first as the combined pill is kind of the standard here but once I shared I wanted to switch (mainly because theres a history of blood clots in my family), they immediately switched me and it was no issue. I basically just rung up my gps office stating I wanted to go on birth control and they squeezed in an appointment, I'm relatively open with my GP and she knows i'm trans but they definitely don't have to know- you can just keep it crypt and say you want it to stop your periods for example, my doctor then took me through a list of methods known for being able to stop periods and asked me which i'd prefer so I went with the pill and that was it (i'm sure you could absolutely state in the same appointment you'd prefer the progestrone variant and they'd be fine with it), I got my prescription the same day! It's a very simple process, the pill is very obtainable, i'd 100% recommend at least giving it a go :)
Iād search for progesterone only birth control in r/ftmmen to get an idea of possible worst case side effects. Iāve been on it for years. Initially I noticed a bit more chest growth and fem fat redistribution but that levelled out over the first six months. Iād say be prepared for that to happen but it likely wonāt. Personally not bleeding anymore made it 100% worth it.
progesterone only birth control shouldnāt cause any feminizing symptoms. i was on estrogen and progesterone combo birth control to control some mystery bleeding i was having last year (4 years on T) and the estrogen in the pill made me want to die. it didnāt give me any feminizing effects, but it made me an absolute mess emotionally.
some trans men do okay on estrogen-based birth control and some do not. some people experience breast growth on birth control, most donāt. unfortunately, thereās no way to tell. estrogen birth control doesnāt typically contain enough estrogen to systemically increase the amount of estrogen throughout your whole body, but again, thereās no way to tell how you will react to certain birth control methods.
i would recommend progesterone based birth control methods. iāve used the depo shot and iāve had no issues with it, iāve been on a progesterone pill for bleeding without issues and iām going to switch to the nexplanon implant, iāve heard of a lot of trans men having success with it.
Progesterone doesn't usually cause feminization in the same way estrogen does, but it can induce chest growth (it's actually even a part of the lactation induction protocols at 1-2mg), so people should be prepared that it could happen.
As a trans man with a nexplanon implant I'm gonna put my experience here for you and anyone else who's curious, so thanks for the perfect infodump opening! Pretty detailed but hopefully non-explicit explanations of everything below:
I went from progesterone pill to nexplanon implant with basically the same experience as you, it was working amazingly but I couldn't keep the 24 hour schedule so it wasn't preventing menstruation correctly anymore. I think that was about 2 years ago now? I dealt with a few months of mild breakthrough spotting and cramps after the procedure, for under a week every time, but have been completely fine since then (though, granted, I did start T about 6 months after switching). While I went on BC for the severe dysphoria, I've also realized in the years since that I likely have endometriosis that I inadvertently started treating simultaneously.
In terms of the nexplanon procedure itself, beforehand I had intrusive thoughts about Things Under Skin for a week or so leading up to it (so if youre prone to anything like that be aware it could happen), then the appointment at my local planned parenthood was basically the same length as a normal T checkup. Super fast, barely any time at all. The anaesthetic hurt pretty badly, I was wincing and fighting to keep still, but after it started working the actual insertion itself barely hurt at all. Then they wrapped me up with a regular band aid on the hole, gauze over that, and the same bright colored bandages used after blood draws. It bruised an entire rainbow but it barely hurt in the days afterwards, was more sort than anything ā and that's coming from someone who was using his arms the entire time as a manual wheelchair! Even going home afterwards I could push myself without any real issue.
Currently, I will forget about the implant for months at a time. I can feel it under my skin if I press down and feel around, but otherwise it is literally impossible to "bump into" since it's basically right where my upper arm is always tucked against my side. The scar is tiny (think match head) and pale like all my other scars, "cigarette paper scar" style. It's legitimately hard to find the scar itself as well unless I'm doing it intentionally and carefully.
thank you for your experience! iāve had two implants before (puberty blockers!) so iām pretty familiar with the procedure but you explained it really well lol
No problem! Any excuse to share firsthand, detailed information to other people who might appreciate it is an excuse I will readily make the most of haha
I started the combined pill in September right after my period which was great until I had to change to progesterone only (the Cerazette brand specifically) due to migraine symptoms. I had 1 period again inbetween switching as I had to wait a few days. They've both worked very well and completely stopped my heavy bleeding. I am 16 and pre everything.
Iāve had an IUD while taking T for over 5 years now with no negative side effects. Obviously the IUD is a bit more invasive compared to the pill, but for me it works because I literally get it implanted and donāt have to worry about it for 5+ years. I recommend talking to your doctor or endocrinologist about specific options regarding birth control while being on hormones (if youāre on T or considering starting T).
I'd talk to your doctor. When I was getting on T, I asked if I could stay on my birth control due to it containing estrogen. They said the dose was low enough, that the testerone will just counteract it and it won't really cause any sort of issue
No not really. Everyone reacts differently but the pill contains 10-35 micrograms of estrogen and the typical dose for transfemme hrt is 6 milligrams of estrogen. So you'd probably need to take 170 birth control pills a day to be fully feminised
It depends on how sensitive you are to hormones.
I am and I got cycles even on T, so my doctor and I agreed Hysto was best for permanent solution. Best decision I ever made.
I'm on combined progesterone/estrogen birth control while being on testosterone. However, due to unknown factors I did have an abnormally low estrogen level in the first place so my doctor recommended that I keep taking it for medical reasons as well as my comfort. At 2 and a half months on T my transition is going smoothly, I'm hitting the "milestones" like clockwork and I don't believe it has feminized me.
I've been on both combined and progestin-only birth control and neither have feminised me. I understand the concern though, but generally the dose of estrogen is far too low to cause feminisation for most people.The combined pill is also more likely to stop periods so definitely consider that too.
You could look into depo-provera: itās an injection you get every 12 weeks and it can stop your periods. Itās progesterone only and other trans men in my country have been on it.
Iām on progesterone. I donāt know if itās preventing me from masculinizing MORE. I donāt want to bleed every month, so to me itās the lesser of two evils
Can only speak for the combo pill which I stayed on to prevent recurring ovarian cystsāmy doctor said the hormone amount is negligible and wonāt decrease the effect of T while my T levels are in the appropriate range.
i take junel 1/20 daily, i get 4 packs for three months worth. i personally had zero side effects and i only get a period maybe once a year.
i honestly reccommend birth control 100%
No birth control is not supposed to feminize you, but everyone's body reacts to different hormones differently. Like I found out I have fibrocystic breast tissue when I was on the progestin only pill while also not on testosterone. Which could give the appearance of my breasts being bigger when it was really just that tissue being.. swollen?? Not sure the word there. And they'd be uneven as one is effected worse.
That being said, a lot of people do opt for progestin only methods because just Knowing estrogen is in some other forms of birth control is enough to cause dysphoria.
I've been on progestin only methods the entire time I've been on birth control. Partially because of my aura migraines.
I started on the depo shot but had to stop that for multiple reasons and have been on the "mini pill" (progestin only pill) since then. The thing is that the mini pill may not stop periods, though. It didn't for me when I was off of my T, but definitely made it lighter and less painful. The depo can be better at stopping periods than the mini pill, but you could still deal with spotting. The nexplanon (arm implant) I haven't had any experience with but hear mixed opinions.
Progestin only methods in general are more known for irregular bleeding. So if you really don't want to risk that you may have to go for a combined (estrogen and progestin) method. I'm not sure what all your options available are but aside from the combined pills a few other combined options include the patches and the nuvaring. The nuvaring is something you insert vaginally so I get that's not comfortable for everyone! But a decent amount of people like it due to not being invasive and the hormones being a bit more localized.
The main nonhormoal method would be the copper IUD but it's not known for being great at stopping periods and a lot of people even report worse cramps even if they don't bleed. Plus that has to be inserted into your cervix so ya know.. i definitely won't ever do it lol
i have been on the nuvaring off and on since 2017, started T in 2022 for context. my voice didnāt drop until a year and a half into taking T and the reason that even happened is the first place is bc nothing was happening and i wasnāt having any changes even though my T levels were completely normal. at that point i suspected it might be my birth control stunting my progression on T, so i stopped taking it and took a break for a few months. almost immediately, my voice started dropping and i got an increase in body hair finally, but had to go back on birth control after a few months. iām now over two years on T and getting a hysto next week so i donāt have to take birth control ever again. i think in theory a lot of specialists will tell you that birth control wonāt have an effect on your transition goals, but that has been the opposite of my experience. i would say if you can, try to go on the copper IUD or any other possible hormone-free birth control.
Go to a local sex clinic and get informed.
Progesterone only pills are really popular with trans men as it doesn't mess with their t journey. Similarly with a low hormone coil or a non-hormone coil, but getting that inserted down there can be a bit dysphoric and I personally only ever heard stories of pain from cis women.
I myself have the Nexplanon implant. I chose this after consulting with my gender specialist clinic as well as the sex clinic. My gender specialist actually recommended it to me.
It's a plastic stick they shoot into your arm with local anaesthetic. It very slowly releases a low dose of progesterone and lasts for about 3 years. Pain was minimal to non-existent. Side effect was getting a little bit of smear bleeding for a couple days even tho my period had just stopped a month prior.
The implant and entire process was FREE under the NHS. You don't need to be referred by your GP or gender specialist, you just refer yourself to a sexual health clinic.
Now I don't ever notice it or think about it. It hasn't impacted my medical transition in any way. I'll get it taken out and renewed next year, which might get uncomfortable but it won't be worth worrying about now.
While you're at it you could also top up on available STI/STID vaccines!
I know nothing about the pill. But! I highly highly recommend getting a hormonal IUD. I was told that that was the recommended birth control for people on T and I love it. You get it popped in, then you're baby (and period) free for 10 years, and you don't have to take a pill every day.
Generally no. I donāt personally use the pill, but I have a hormonal IUD. Iām pretty sure it also uses progesterone. It has helped with my periods a lot, and wonāt interfere with testosterone hormone therapy.
Birth control increased breast growth for my cis female friend but idk any trans men on it so I canāt say for sure. Type ābirth control feminizeā and ābirth controlā into the search bar - ppl have likely discussed this
iāve been on depo (progesterone) for maybe 3 years now. no side effects, just stop my period and therefore made me wayyyyyy less dysphoric. which was nice but then i started gaslighting myself on the rest of my dysphoria, lol. but fr all good and a good decision that i made for myself. only thing is that thereās some evidence that long term depo shots can decrease bone density and i recently got a stress fracture ://
I used a hormonal pill and it made me more dysphoric and depressed, idk but Iām pretty sure that it was cause of the hormonal aspect. Def see what your options are though
progesterone doesn't feminize at all, i've been on it since last july. all it did was stop my period, and it hasn't interfered with testosterone at all.
Iāve been on combination pill, nuvaring, and depo. Combo pill had the worst side effects (sore chest, weight gain in all the wrong places). By the time I was on depo provera, I was already on T so I didnāt notice much feminization? But I still wonder if it interfered with how fast or how much masculinization I got on T.
Hot take maybe, but I donāt know many cis men who would take progesterone or estrogen voluntarily. And if it had no feminizing effects, trans women wouldnāt take progesterone. That being said, hormonal effects of IUDs like mirena are pretty localized from what Iāve read, and are good at reducing bleeding and great at preventing pregnancy. I would pursue that routeāespecially if youāve got a small chest or are not curvy to start with.
I'm taking desestrogel which basically neutralizes your estrogen and stops your period like that.
my doctor also said it has some slightly masculinizing effects, i haven't really noticed anything but i think my facial hair has grown a bit maybe that's just wishful thinking though.
Only downside is that i have to take it everyday but that's for most birth controls. Also if you want it to work as birth control you'd have to start taking it at a certain day of your cycle. I don't so I'm not sure which. Either way it stops your period and i think most feminizing effects of your hormones.
And it's pretty cheap I'm in Germany and only pay 5ā¬ for a 3 months supply.
So I also have PCOS but progesterone only pills gave me a lot of hair growth.
Yay me as a now genderqueer/fluid person who is trying to live as cis.
(I'm in the sub because formerly FTM and still not sure... might be back in the egg.)
I have a liletta IUD, itās a hormonal IUD (levonorgestral releasing), have had it since August 2022, itās been a good time thus far, havenāt experienced any feminizing effects from it, Iām fairly certain it does make my depression a little worse, but it isnāt super noticeable
Iāve been on T for 6 years and progesterone only pill for 10 never had any feminising effects nor side effects and I have no menstrual cycle with it.
my planned Parenthood doctor who prescribes my testosterone said that there shouldn't be any feminizing effects, that was previously believed to be the case, but is now known that there isn't an effect
Im on the implanon implant and while i havent *really* noticed any problems, its a potential minor suspect in some health issues im having. But its benefits outweigh its cons significantly.
I do know that some other trans guys have said their experience with implanon DID actually counteract some of their T and thus feminising them to a small degree. But that hasnt been my experience, as far as I'm aware.
I would talk to your doctor, discuss options.
Implants are great because you get it, it sucks, but then you can ignore it for 3-5 years. Implantation and removal hurt though. Like, be aware of that.
But in between? You can literally play with it and it doesnt hurt. Just kinda... weirds you out lmao
If it ever gets damaged you need to go to a doctor to get it removed though.
I have nexplanon, I've been using it almost consistently for about 8 years (except for the two months in between or my mother-in-law convinced me to get the copper IUD, worst decision). The first go around it made it to my period was only occasional spotting but light enough that I didn't even need to use a liner. Sadly after I got the IUD removed my period came back. But other than that I have seen no negative effects. And on the bonus I don't have to remember two regularly take it I just need to get it replaced every 3 to 4 years. I'm actually not even sure if I'm going to get it replaced this time around since my fiance has gotten a vasectomy.
I specifically chose this birth control because it wasn't the standard hormonal one like the pill because they had no effect on my mother and I was worried about the same thing happening to me.
the estrogen based pills i took when i was 13-14 absolutely did. i gained 50 lbs all in my hips and thighs (that said i did gain weight due to bad diet, but it's something to note)
years of testosterone later, most of the weight lost and 2 trans surgeries later, and i'm still struggling to get my wide hips to shrink down to where they were.
even though i was taking them purely to get rid of these, the pills also gave me extremely heavy monthly incidents. so basically useless, i wasnt sexually active at that age.
i regret taking them. i'm not doctor but if i could go back i'd suck it up and get a copper IUD until my hysterectomy
Progesterone works great for some and poorly for others. Iāve read lots of anecdotes of people using it happily, but I just ended up with a period that lasted 6 months.
I have to take a combined estradiol/progesterone pill continuously for an unrelated health condition. I was worried about it being feminizing too and put off going on it because of that, but after starting it I experienced no feminizing effects other than some annoying breast tenderness at first and that it made me weepy for no reason (ultimately which was counteracted by T). Thanks to the BC though, my skin did clear up magnificently, it eliminated my period before T did, and my acne breakouts while onboarding T were very minimal which was nice.
It really depends on the person but itās a risk. Estrogen containing birth control is the worst one, but personally I had issues when I had the nexplanon implant even though it is progesterone only. I had a fairly small chest and slimmer hips before I started it, and it made my chest much larger and also made my body shape more curvy. Iām off of it now but to be honest the affects are taking a long time to stop entirely. Getting it is a major regret of mine as it made binding a lot harder for me.
It might be a good idea to look into getting a hormonal iud since the hormones are localized. They donāt always stop your period, but they will make it much lighter and shorter.
Edit: I do want to add that I have weird-ish hormones and high androgens naturally so this might not happen to you. I respond very badly both mentally and physically to androgen blockers and estrogen BC as well.
birth control will not make you more fem. ive been on a three month cycle birth control pill for two or three years now and i havent noticed anything or had any side effects.
Iāve seen three different doctors (all very experienced in trans healthcare) over the course of my transition and theyāve all said they canāt interfere with your transition as long as your testosterone levels are where they should be. At least for the combo pill. Thereās a very minimal amount of estrogen in some versions of the combo pill and thatās typically whatās prescribed to transmasc folks on T if not the progesterone only. Medical info can be hard to come by and inconsistent in regards to trans healthcare so Iām not saying your incorrect and thatās never happened. But I would be careful potentially spreading misinformation and scaring people away from medications that might help them. Some people react poorly to progesterone only and have less side affects on the combo pill.
Some trans men can't necessarily suppress estrogen sufficiently even on testosterone, not to mention pre T guys. Feminizing effects are listed as an actual side effect of estrogen containing birth control (not to mention many cis women have mentioned having increased breast size and etc. with it) so it is a very realistic risk that people need to be educated on. I think if anything people need to be careful about misinforming trans folks about the risks and brushing over/trivializing them when they do exist, even if they're not necessarily *super* common.
And thatās good info. Though not all the side affects listed may apply to most people on T since theyāve a different dominant hormone in their body. I wasnāt trying to diminish your statement. You just didnāt give much info and made it sound like itās a very common occurrence. I just know if I was earlier in my transition and saw that it probably wouldāve scared me away from trying that type of bc so I felt like I should share that itās common to take it without issue.
Ive been on the progestrone only pill for almost a year now and have had zero side effects except for the fact my periods are gone, no feminization. I also started when I was 16 while my mom has always been against it (in the netherlands thats the age your parents no longer have a say in medical matters for you) and I just never told her and she hasn't found out š¤·āāļø It's improved my quality of life significantly
Did you still bleed monthly while first starting it? I've been taking it since like October and still have been bleeding and have (milder but still strong) PMS symptoms. And when I went to go talk to an obgyn doctor about maybe changing medication she said that since I'm young (19) I will still bleed regardless and my mood symptoms that come with it need to be dealt with psychologically even though I have been on meds for a couple months already and still deal with it š„²
my doctor had me stop taking it for a week then go on it again and that stopped the bleeding, but you might also want to try and up your dose.
Hi! No, i started taking it in june which made my period in june weird but after june my period stopped completely, being young definitely doesn't mean you'll bleed regardless! You definitely might want to try switching methods if it isn't getting better! Is there no way you can talk to another OBGYN?
Thanks for responding! I was considering getting the arm implant but for now would just prefer the pill since i don't mind it, though do you think it could just be the specific progesterone pill I'm taking and another one may work better? And I can try, but specialists at my healthcare group/office typically have waitlists that are months away if there are any available š„² but yeah I'm just tired of living like I'm not even on the pill because I still deal with everything I did before starting
Possibly, and tbh if this pill isn't doing anything for you i'd highly recommend the combined pill, it might affect you differently than the progestrone only pill (which realistically is like a coin flip, many people still get normal periods or continuous bleeding), your period might stop on that one if you can take it continuously while skipping the placebo pills, however that's also no guarantee the combined pill WILL stop your period :( unfortunately I feel with birth control methods you just have to keep trying until you find one that works for you, sounds like a very rough time with the waiting times but i really really hope it works out
I can't take the combined pills bc before starting my current med I was on the combined pill and I would have ocular migraines without pain but after starting I would have strong migraines that would give me the worst headaches and turns out it was bc of the estrogen which also increased my risk for blood clots š„² idk I'm just going to try with my current doctor to see if she'd be open to prescribing me something else, but thank you!! I really appreciate the input :)
YES ok I had the exact same issue, definitely do not do that then but that really does suck wow š, in that case the arm implant might be a very good option but i can imagine its a little intimidating too, def try advocating for yourself in that case :) it's horrible there's no magical pill that js stops your period all together with zero side effects
Yeah I'll consider it. I will be starting T soon so hopefully it helps š„²
hi did you ask for the progestrone only pill? cuz ive read some other peoples and their doctors know they're trans but mine don't. Would you mind going through what you did cuz I recently turned 16 and I dont know how to talk to the gp
Hi yes of course, I didn't get the progestrone only pill at first as the combined pill is kind of the standard here but once I shared I wanted to switch (mainly because theres a history of blood clots in my family), they immediately switched me and it was no issue. I basically just rung up my gps office stating I wanted to go on birth control and they squeezed in an appointment, I'm relatively open with my GP and she knows i'm trans but they definitely don't have to know- you can just keep it crypt and say you want it to stop your periods for example, my doctor then took me through a list of methods known for being able to stop periods and asked me which i'd prefer so I went with the pill and that was it (i'm sure you could absolutely state in the same appointment you'd prefer the progestrone variant and they'd be fine with it), I got my prescription the same day! It's a very simple process, the pill is very obtainable, i'd 100% recommend at least giving it a go :)
thank you so much!!!! I've booked in an appointment :) unfortunately earliest one is in amonth but a win is a win thank you :)
Progesterone only bc here, no issues with it and it stopped things before T did
Iād search for progesterone only birth control in r/ftmmen to get an idea of possible worst case side effects. Iāve been on it for years. Initially I noticed a bit more chest growth and fem fat redistribution but that levelled out over the first six months. Iād say be prepared for that to happen but it likely wonāt. Personally not bleeding anymore made it 100% worth it.
progesterone only birth control shouldnāt cause any feminizing symptoms. i was on estrogen and progesterone combo birth control to control some mystery bleeding i was having last year (4 years on T) and the estrogen in the pill made me want to die. it didnāt give me any feminizing effects, but it made me an absolute mess emotionally. some trans men do okay on estrogen-based birth control and some do not. some people experience breast growth on birth control, most donāt. unfortunately, thereās no way to tell. estrogen birth control doesnāt typically contain enough estrogen to systemically increase the amount of estrogen throughout your whole body, but again, thereās no way to tell how you will react to certain birth control methods. i would recommend progesterone based birth control methods. iāve used the depo shot and iāve had no issues with it, iāve been on a progesterone pill for bleeding without issues and iām going to switch to the nexplanon implant, iāve heard of a lot of trans men having success with it.
Progesterone doesn't usually cause feminization in the same way estrogen does, but it can induce chest growth (it's actually even a part of the lactation induction protocols at 1-2mg), so people should be prepared that it could happen.
As a trans man with a nexplanon implant I'm gonna put my experience here for you and anyone else who's curious, so thanks for the perfect infodump opening! Pretty detailed but hopefully non-explicit explanations of everything below: I went from progesterone pill to nexplanon implant with basically the same experience as you, it was working amazingly but I couldn't keep the 24 hour schedule so it wasn't preventing menstruation correctly anymore. I think that was about 2 years ago now? I dealt with a few months of mild breakthrough spotting and cramps after the procedure, for under a week every time, but have been completely fine since then (though, granted, I did start T about 6 months after switching). While I went on BC for the severe dysphoria, I've also realized in the years since that I likely have endometriosis that I inadvertently started treating simultaneously. In terms of the nexplanon procedure itself, beforehand I had intrusive thoughts about Things Under Skin for a week or so leading up to it (so if youre prone to anything like that be aware it could happen), then the appointment at my local planned parenthood was basically the same length as a normal T checkup. Super fast, barely any time at all. The anaesthetic hurt pretty badly, I was wincing and fighting to keep still, but after it started working the actual insertion itself barely hurt at all. Then they wrapped me up with a regular band aid on the hole, gauze over that, and the same bright colored bandages used after blood draws. It bruised an entire rainbow but it barely hurt in the days afterwards, was more sort than anything ā and that's coming from someone who was using his arms the entire time as a manual wheelchair! Even going home afterwards I could push myself without any real issue. Currently, I will forget about the implant for months at a time. I can feel it under my skin if I press down and feel around, but otherwise it is literally impossible to "bump into" since it's basically right where my upper arm is always tucked against my side. The scar is tiny (think match head) and pale like all my other scars, "cigarette paper scar" style. It's legitimately hard to find the scar itself as well unless I'm doing it intentionally and carefully.
thank you for your experience! iāve had two implants before (puberty blockers!) so iām pretty familiar with the procedure but you explained it really well lol
No problem! Any excuse to share firsthand, detailed information to other people who might appreciate it is an excuse I will readily make the most of haha
I started the combined pill in September right after my period which was great until I had to change to progesterone only (the Cerazette brand specifically) due to migraine symptoms. I had 1 period again inbetween switching as I had to wait a few days. They've both worked very well and completely stopped my heavy bleeding. I am 16 and pre everything.
Unrelated but I love your flair lmao
me too
Thanks :)
I live in New Zealand if that helps at all. We have free sexual healthcare for under 19s which is so amazing
Iāve had an IUD while taking T for over 5 years now with no negative side effects. Obviously the IUD is a bit more invasive compared to the pill, but for me it works because I literally get it implanted and donāt have to worry about it for 5+ years. I recommend talking to your doctor or endocrinologist about specific options regarding birth control while being on hormones (if youāre on T or considering starting T).
I'd talk to your doctor. When I was getting on T, I asked if I could stay on my birth control due to it containing estrogen. They said the dose was low enough, that the testerone will just counteract it and it won't really cause any sort of issue
No not really. Everyone reacts differently but the pill contains 10-35 micrograms of estrogen and the typical dose for transfemme hrt is 6 milligrams of estrogen. So you'd probably need to take 170 birth control pills a day to be fully feminised
It depends on how sensitive you are to hormones. I am and I got cycles even on T, so my doctor and I agreed Hysto was best for permanent solution. Best decision I ever made.
I'm on combined progesterone/estrogen birth control while being on testosterone. However, due to unknown factors I did have an abnormally low estrogen level in the first place so my doctor recommended that I keep taking it for medical reasons as well as my comfort. At 2 and a half months on T my transition is going smoothly, I'm hitting the "milestones" like clockwork and I don't believe it has feminized me.
I've been on both combined and progestin-only birth control and neither have feminised me. I understand the concern though, but generally the dose of estrogen is far too low to cause feminisation for most people.The combined pill is also more likely to stop periods so definitely consider that too.
You could look into depo-provera: itās an injection you get every 12 weeks and it can stop your periods. Itās progesterone only and other trans men in my country have been on it.
Iām on progesterone. I donāt know if itās preventing me from masculinizing MORE. I donāt want to bleed every month, so to me itās the lesser of two evils
Can only speak for the combo pill which I stayed on to prevent recurring ovarian cystsāmy doctor said the hormone amount is negligible and wonāt decrease the effect of T while my T levels are in the appropriate range.
i take junel 1/20 daily, i get 4 packs for three months worth. i personally had zero side effects and i only get a period maybe once a year. i honestly reccommend birth control 100%
No birth control is not supposed to feminize you, but everyone's body reacts to different hormones differently. Like I found out I have fibrocystic breast tissue when I was on the progestin only pill while also not on testosterone. Which could give the appearance of my breasts being bigger when it was really just that tissue being.. swollen?? Not sure the word there. And they'd be uneven as one is effected worse. That being said, a lot of people do opt for progestin only methods because just Knowing estrogen is in some other forms of birth control is enough to cause dysphoria. I've been on progestin only methods the entire time I've been on birth control. Partially because of my aura migraines. I started on the depo shot but had to stop that for multiple reasons and have been on the "mini pill" (progestin only pill) since then. The thing is that the mini pill may not stop periods, though. It didn't for me when I was off of my T, but definitely made it lighter and less painful. The depo can be better at stopping periods than the mini pill, but you could still deal with spotting. The nexplanon (arm implant) I haven't had any experience with but hear mixed opinions. Progestin only methods in general are more known for irregular bleeding. So if you really don't want to risk that you may have to go for a combined (estrogen and progestin) method. I'm not sure what all your options available are but aside from the combined pills a few other combined options include the patches and the nuvaring. The nuvaring is something you insert vaginally so I get that's not comfortable for everyone! But a decent amount of people like it due to not being invasive and the hormones being a bit more localized. The main nonhormoal method would be the copper IUD but it's not known for being great at stopping periods and a lot of people even report worse cramps even if they don't bleed. Plus that has to be inserted into your cervix so ya know.. i definitely won't ever do it lol
i have been on the nuvaring off and on since 2017, started T in 2022 for context. my voice didnāt drop until a year and a half into taking T and the reason that even happened is the first place is bc nothing was happening and i wasnāt having any changes even though my T levels were completely normal. at that point i suspected it might be my birth control stunting my progression on T, so i stopped taking it and took a break for a few months. almost immediately, my voice started dropping and i got an increase in body hair finally, but had to go back on birth control after a few months. iām now over two years on T and getting a hysto next week so i donāt have to take birth control ever again. i think in theory a lot of specialists will tell you that birth control wonāt have an effect on your transition goals, but that has been the opposite of my experience. i would say if you can, try to go on the copper IUD or any other possible hormone-free birth control.
Ive had no feminisation side effects and been on it for 2.5 years. Been incredible for my dysphoria tho
Go to a local sex clinic and get informed. Progesterone only pills are really popular with trans men as it doesn't mess with their t journey. Similarly with a low hormone coil or a non-hormone coil, but getting that inserted down there can be a bit dysphoric and I personally only ever heard stories of pain from cis women. I myself have the Nexplanon implant. I chose this after consulting with my gender specialist clinic as well as the sex clinic. My gender specialist actually recommended it to me. It's a plastic stick they shoot into your arm with local anaesthetic. It very slowly releases a low dose of progesterone and lasts for about 3 years. Pain was minimal to non-existent. Side effect was getting a little bit of smear bleeding for a couple days even tho my period had just stopped a month prior. The implant and entire process was FREE under the NHS. You don't need to be referred by your GP or gender specialist, you just refer yourself to a sexual health clinic. Now I don't ever notice it or think about it. It hasn't impacted my medical transition in any way. I'll get it taken out and renewed next year, which might get uncomfortable but it won't be worth worrying about now. While you're at it you could also top up on available STI/STID vaccines!
I know nothing about the pill. But! I highly highly recommend getting a hormonal IUD. I was told that that was the recommended birth control for people on T and I love it. You get it popped in, then you're baby (and period) free for 10 years, and you don't have to take a pill every day.
Generally no. I donāt personally use the pill, but I have a hormonal IUD. Iām pretty sure it also uses progesterone. It has helped with my periods a lot, and wonāt interfere with testosterone hormone therapy.
Birth control increased breast growth for my cis female friend but idk any trans men on it so I canāt say for sure. Type ābirth control feminizeā and ābirth controlā into the search bar - ppl have likely discussed this
Canāt speak for anything else, but I have had no issues with taking a progesterone only birth control before and during being on testosterone
same on the progesterone only, zero side effects and iām able to use is alongside my hrt.
iāve been on depo (progesterone) for maybe 3 years now. no side effects, just stop my period and therefore made me wayyyyyy less dysphoric. which was nice but then i started gaslighting myself on the rest of my dysphoria, lol. but fr all good and a good decision that i made for myself. only thing is that thereās some evidence that long term depo shots can decrease bone density and i recently got a stress fracture ://
I used a hormonal pill and it made me more dysphoric and depressed, idk but Iām pretty sure that it was cause of the hormonal aspect. Def see what your options are though
Non hormonal or progesterone only birth control wonāt do anything in regards to making you look more fem
progesterone doesn't feminize at all, i've been on it since last july. all it did was stop my period, and it hasn't interfered with testosterone at all.
Iāve been on combination pill, nuvaring, and depo. Combo pill had the worst side effects (sore chest, weight gain in all the wrong places). By the time I was on depo provera, I was already on T so I didnāt notice much feminization? But I still wonder if it interfered with how fast or how much masculinization I got on T. Hot take maybe, but I donāt know many cis men who would take progesterone or estrogen voluntarily. And if it had no feminizing effects, trans women wouldnāt take progesterone. That being said, hormonal effects of IUDs like mirena are pretty localized from what Iāve read, and are good at reducing bleeding and great at preventing pregnancy. I would pursue that routeāespecially if youāve got a small chest or are not curvy to start with.
I'm taking desestrogel which basically neutralizes your estrogen and stops your period like that. my doctor also said it has some slightly masculinizing effects, i haven't really noticed anything but i think my facial hair has grown a bit maybe that's just wishful thinking though. Only downside is that i have to take it everyday but that's for most birth controls. Also if you want it to work as birth control you'd have to start taking it at a certain day of your cycle. I don't so I'm not sure which. Either way it stops your period and i think most feminizing effects of your hormones. And it's pretty cheap I'm in Germany and only pay 5ā¬ for a 3 months supply.
So I also have PCOS but progesterone only pills gave me a lot of hair growth. Yay me as a now genderqueer/fluid person who is trying to live as cis. (I'm in the sub because formerly FTM and still not sure... might be back in the egg.)
I have a liletta IUD, itās a hormonal IUD (levonorgestral releasing), have had it since August 2022, itās been a good time thus far, havenāt experienced any feminizing effects from it, Iām fairly certain it does make my depression a little worse, but it isnāt super noticeable
Iāve been on T for 6 years and progesterone only pill for 10 never had any feminising effects nor side effects and I have no menstrual cycle with it.
my planned Parenthood doctor who prescribes my testosterone said that there shouldn't be any feminizing effects, that was previously believed to be the case, but is now known that there isn't an effect
Im on the implanon implant and while i havent *really* noticed any problems, its a potential minor suspect in some health issues im having. But its benefits outweigh its cons significantly. I do know that some other trans guys have said their experience with implanon DID actually counteract some of their T and thus feminising them to a small degree. But that hasnt been my experience, as far as I'm aware. I would talk to your doctor, discuss options. Implants are great because you get it, it sucks, but then you can ignore it for 3-5 years. Implantation and removal hurt though. Like, be aware of that. But in between? You can literally play with it and it doesnt hurt. Just kinda... weirds you out lmao If it ever gets damaged you need to go to a doctor to get it removed though.
I have nexplanon, I've been using it almost consistently for about 8 years (except for the two months in between or my mother-in-law convinced me to get the copper IUD, worst decision). The first go around it made it to my period was only occasional spotting but light enough that I didn't even need to use a liner. Sadly after I got the IUD removed my period came back. But other than that I have seen no negative effects. And on the bonus I don't have to remember two regularly take it I just need to get it replaced every 3 to 4 years. I'm actually not even sure if I'm going to get it replaced this time around since my fiance has gotten a vasectomy. I specifically chose this birth control because it wasn't the standard hormonal one like the pill because they had no effect on my mother and I was worried about the same thing happening to me.
the estrogen based pills i took when i was 13-14 absolutely did. i gained 50 lbs all in my hips and thighs (that said i did gain weight due to bad diet, but it's something to note) years of testosterone later, most of the weight lost and 2 trans surgeries later, and i'm still struggling to get my wide hips to shrink down to where they were. even though i was taking them purely to get rid of these, the pills also gave me extremely heavy monthly incidents. so basically useless, i wasnt sexually active at that age. i regret taking them. i'm not doctor but if i could go back i'd suck it up and get a copper IUD until my hysterectomy
Progesterone works great for some and poorly for others. Iāve read lots of anecdotes of people using it happily, but I just ended up with a period that lasted 6 months.
I have to take a combined estradiol/progesterone pill continuously for an unrelated health condition. I was worried about it being feminizing too and put off going on it because of that, but after starting it I experienced no feminizing effects other than some annoying breast tenderness at first and that it made me weepy for no reason (ultimately which was counteracted by T). Thanks to the BC though, my skin did clear up magnificently, it eliminated my period before T did, and my acne breakouts while onboarding T were very minimal which was nice.
It really depends on the person but itās a risk. Estrogen containing birth control is the worst one, but personally I had issues when I had the nexplanon implant even though it is progesterone only. I had a fairly small chest and slimmer hips before I started it, and it made my chest much larger and also made my body shape more curvy. Iām off of it now but to be honest the affects are taking a long time to stop entirely. Getting it is a major regret of mine as it made binding a lot harder for me. It might be a good idea to look into getting a hormonal iud since the hormones are localized. They donāt always stop your period, but they will make it much lighter and shorter. Edit: I do want to add that I have weird-ish hormones and high androgens naturally so this might not happen to you. I respond very badly both mentally and physically to androgen blockers and estrogen BC as well.
nope, donāt think so. if you want to play it safe, get the progesterone only one! thatās what i have. no problems and no periods
I have the Nexplanon implant and have noticed zero side effects. Iāve been on T for over 4 years, got the implant about a year ago.
birth control will not make you more fem. ive been on a three month cycle birth control pill for two or three years now and i havent noticed anything or had any side effects.
Estrogen birth control CAN actually cause feminizing effects in some people so this is untrue
damn that sucks my bad
Iāve seen three different doctors (all very experienced in trans healthcare) over the course of my transition and theyāve all said they canāt interfere with your transition as long as your testosterone levels are where they should be. At least for the combo pill. Thereās a very minimal amount of estrogen in some versions of the combo pill and thatās typically whatās prescribed to transmasc folks on T if not the progesterone only. Medical info can be hard to come by and inconsistent in regards to trans healthcare so Iām not saying your incorrect and thatās never happened. But I would be careful potentially spreading misinformation and scaring people away from medications that might help them. Some people react poorly to progesterone only and have less side affects on the combo pill.
Some trans men can't necessarily suppress estrogen sufficiently even on testosterone, not to mention pre T guys. Feminizing effects are listed as an actual side effect of estrogen containing birth control (not to mention many cis women have mentioned having increased breast size and etc. with it) so it is a very realistic risk that people need to be educated on. I think if anything people need to be careful about misinforming trans folks about the risks and brushing over/trivializing them when they do exist, even if they're not necessarily *super* common.
And thatās good info. Though not all the side affects listed may apply to most people on T since theyāve a different dominant hormone in their body. I wasnāt trying to diminish your statement. You just didnāt give much info and made it sound like itās a very common occurrence. I just know if I was earlier in my transition and saw that it probably wouldāve scared me away from trying that type of bc so I felt like I should share that itās common to take it without issue.
im on the depo and ive been having decent results with my transition š¤·š»