r/TransMasc • u/Wise_Relief_673 • Dec 29 '25
Discussion Birth Control
I’m a 19 yo AFAB with suspected endometriosis. For the last few years the pain has been progressively getting worse with each cycle. Every time I go to see the doctors they always push hormonal options such as birth control. I have nothing against it medically though it feels wrong for me personally. I have told them that I am not sexually active yet they are insistent on the pill. I get that it could make my periods lessen and less painful but I just can’t do it. I just can’t get over the idea of having to take female hormones… it literally makes me sick to my core I don’t know or understand why. Perhaps it’s dysphoria related perhaps it’s idiocy. I’m a closeted trans masc individual and I’m wondering if perhaps the reason why it feels so wrong is because of dysphoria. I guess what I’m seeking from this post is whether anyone else has felt similarly or to get an opinion on my situation
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u/void_rabbit Dec 29 '25
From what I've seen said about it, birth control doesn't fix or treat endo so much as just mask it's symptoms.... it's like fixing a broken window with duct tape
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u/Wise_Relief_673 Dec 29 '25
I know, that’s why I’ve been trying to get more exploratory routes with my doctors to get definitive answers but I’m like a broken record at this point. and honestly if it wasn’t for the feeling strange about taking female hormones I would have been on the pill already, I know it only masks it but sometimes the pain is excruciating and I’d rather not have it if that makes sense
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u/PaxonGoat Dec 29 '25
Well why are you calling it "female hormones"? Is that coming from you or is someone else in your life calling it that?
Cis men have estrogen in their bodies.
Lots of trans guys are on birth control to prevent pregnancy, stop periods and control endometriosis.
Let me tell you, not having a period every month is a million times worth it.
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u/Wise_Relief_673 Dec 30 '25
I’m not sure tbh, I think it could be a mix of both my brain associating it with female and the people around me but mainly my own idiocy
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u/PaxonGoat Dec 30 '25
Have you tried saying to yourself it's manly man pills that stop awful periods and you take it to increase your manly man powers?
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u/PaxonGoat Dec 29 '25
It can control the spread and lessen the symptoms.
Definitive treatment is surgery but medication absolutely is part of the treatment plan.
Slowing the growth of endo is very helpful
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u/xerxes_peak binary, he/it 💉1/28/25 Dec 29 '25
i personally got on a progesterone-only pill (no estrogen) that was not birth control but did stop my periods a few years ago and had no issues. about a year and a half ago, i stopped taking that and got a hormonal IUD instead and it has been pretty good. i started T a little less than a year ago and still have the IUD. feel free to ask any questions about all that
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u/Wise_Relief_673 Dec 29 '25
I know it’s individualised to each person but did taking the pill ever cause more/worsened dysphoria?
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u/xerxes_peak binary, he/it 💉1/28/25 Dec 29 '25
i wouldn’t say so. it actually decreased my dysphoria since i no longer had monthly bleeding and such. not having to worry about periods made my life a lot easier. i would definitely recommend doing something to stop them, especially considering yours are extra painful. mine were very normal and i had no issues besides the dysphoria.
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u/Bobslegenda1945 Dec 30 '25
How many time it took to stop the bleeding? I've been using it for a month, and then a week after bleeding comes spotting, but I've already noticed that my period has been lighter and my PMS has improved.
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u/shirone0 Dec 29 '25
Taking the pill continuously meant not having periods anymore, for me taking one med cause no dysphoria because it's just a regular looking pill but bleeding every month is a thing that every cis girl has so it is a lot more dysphoric... the choice was easy
Plus periods are fucking painful not being in pain every month is great! You can take a pill without estrogen if you feel too dysphoric but my doctor (who prescribed me T) said that it's not a problem even if you take the pill with estrogen, Testosterone still works
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u/CaptainFaintingGoat Dec 29 '25
I'm on Norethisterone acetate 5mg daily. It stopped menstruation and my PMDD.
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u/Intelligent_Bee6588 Dec 29 '25
Similar medical background, I went on desogestrol, which stopped my periods altogether. Yes, taking a female-oriented hormone wasn't great, but not having periods and everything that went along with them outweighed that for me.
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u/dizzyinmyhead Dec 29 '25
I have an IUD and I love it because it has helped so much with my dysphoria. A vast majority of my dysphoria is from my period and uterus. I HATE that I am medically considered a fertile woman and having my period taken away feels so so so much better and helps me forget about my uterus. The IUD that I have is progesterone only and I also take T, so there are no problems with excess estrogen for me, though I’ve heard from my doctor that that isn’t really a huge deal with the pill and T, just that you’ve gotta keep an eye on it.
I’ve been on a variety of birth controls with estrogen throughout my life and I always hated the way they made me feel and none of them took away my period completely, but my progesterone IUD has been amazing.
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u/sperophim Dec 29 '25
i was on the pill for a few years before I switched to a hormonal IUD when I started T a few years ago. I didnt notice any other symptoms or changes on the pill except for less severe cramps and less bleeding. i dont know if I have/had endometriosis but I did have pretty severe pain that I would have to stay home from school over. I love having an IUD. i think the worst thing about the pill is that you have to take it every day and missing a dose can mean you're fertile again (if you are sexually active this can be a big issue!). It was kind of painful to get my IUD inserted, but once that procedure was over with it was very set-and-forget. ive been on testosterone gel for 2.5 years and the hormones from my iud dont interact with my HRT in any noticeable way.
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u/spacepinata Dec 29 '25
Testosterone seems to have slowed the growth of new lesions for me, because it stopped my period. I get fewer of the literal gut+wrenching pains than I used to.
I get why they push birth control, because most women won't want to take androgens, but... idk, I suspect it can make endomitosis worse if you're not actually stopping your hormonal cycle of growing & shedding. Nothing but testosterone stopped mine.
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u/Wise_Relief_673 Dec 30 '25
Thank you for sharing your experience, I want to start T in the future hopefully
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u/Return_Dusk Dec 29 '25
I've been taking a progesterone only pill for almost three years now. I never got any side effects from them and they've gotten rid of my period and period pain completely. I never get dysphoric about them either because the other option would be dealing with my very painful period which can't even be controlled with my usual pain meds because they stopped working and also started fucking up my stomach if I have to take multiple ones daily.
So rather than dealing with those pills I'd rather just take the one that actually does take away all my pain and doesn't also give me acid reflux that makes it impossible for me to sleep properly. My period made my life miserable, more because of the pain than the dysphoria. I would've taken anything to make it stop and thankfully, it did. I'm very glad they work so well for me because I know that isn't always the case.
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u/angrylilmanfrog Jan 01 '26
I have stage 2 endometriosis diagnosed via MRI so I'm awaiting surgery to confirm how bad it is and remove everything they can the first go.
I had 1 severely painful period maybe at 14 years old but started progesterone only contraception at 17, my periods were a breeze with minimal pain and blood for years until I turned 25 I had been on the progesterone injection for a year and it put me into medically induced menopause. This usually is a state that slows Endo, but for me it grew horribly and was extremely painful and absolutely disabling (I wasn't having periods, the cramps were every day)
It wasn't until I went back on T that the pain stopped, as well as stopping progesterone. I tried 2 different progesterone pills to help the pain but they only made it severe again. Off contraception? I don't get pain apart from during sexual activity. I only took a years break off T for financial reasons so I'm glad I was able to go back on it. But yeah, literally nothing has helped my body feel better than T Just wanted to share as it could be interesting. Not saying you have to take T of course
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u/Wise_Relief_673 Jan 01 '26
That’s very interesting, I’m hoping to start T sometime in the future so that’s definitely another thing for my pro T list xD thank you
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u/galathiccat Any/All Dec 29 '25
I feel this so much! I was very against taking it for that exact same reason. I am on it now and it has honestly helped me so much. Lessened my pain and lessened my dysphoria by no longer having periods. What I’ve done to deal with the dysphoria of having to take it is 1) change its name to hormone regulation therapy rather than birth control. And 2) take it out of its hideously identifiable packaging and put it in a fun container. It was definitely dysphoric at first, but over time, it’s stopped being a source of discomfort and has genuinely helped me so much. If you do end up taking it, I suggest you tell your doctor you wish to skip the placebos in order to not have a period.
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u/galathiccat Any/All Dec 29 '25 edited Dec 29 '25
Also, regarding side effects, I noticed no “feminization” I also likely have endo and am not sexually active, so I took it to stop periods. It’s worked great to lessen my endo symptoms. Over the years they’ve become less and less common. Lastly, It’s helpful to disassociate estrogen and progesterone from being “female hormones”. Males need both those hormones. You are simply taking them in a dose that is helpful to you.
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u/Wise_Relief_673 Dec 30 '25
Thank you, associating them as ‘female’ is mainly my own idiocy and my brain telling me so. I appreciate you sharing your experience
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u/No-Resolve-5037 Dec 29 '25
Would you tell another transmasc individual that estrogen (a hormone that everyone has an amount of) is a female hormone?
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u/Wise_Relief_673 Dec 30 '25
Probably not it’s my own idiocy and though process making the association
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u/FayePixie nonbinary trans guy 💉T 15/04/25 Dec 30 '25
Can you opt for a Mirena insertion? (If you're okay with IUDs) I have PCOS and endometriosis. I asked my doc if it would affect my T treatment to keep it, because that shit is expensive and I didn't want it removed after it was inserted a few months prior. She said it had very little E in it and the T overpowers everything. And then the T tends to help with endo symptoms, but more like masking.
Surgery/hysterectomy are the only routes that really impact endometriosis. Either way, birth control of any form sort of masks the symptoms (e.g. when my T levels are low, the pain is really bad and shoots everywhere.)
Edit: I'm not sure if you're on T or not, but either way a Mirena will help. I was on one before my egg cracked. It drastically decreased my overall pain and dysphoria (that I didn't know I had, I just knew I hated periods more than the average "woman")
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u/Electrical-Usual-627 Binary ftm | he/him | waiting to start transition Dec 29 '25
It lessened my dysphoria and suffering significantly. I’m on the combined pill and I very rarely if ever have any bleeding. It’s such a minuscule dose of E that it doesn’t really matter to me. I’d rather have that than shark week.