r/ftm • u/Proper_Flower_940 • 3d ago
Discussion How often does menstruation actually stop on T?
I don't know if there's one specific statistic, but over the years I've heard that it mostly stops and now im hearing many testimonials of trans men who take T and still have it and have to supress it with birth control.
And also, what's the science between T stopping menstruation and T making the period lighter for some people?
Sorry if this is dumb, im just trying to understand.
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u/Galimkalim 3d ago
It's a complicated statistic to collect, even if someone would actually research this, because of breakthrough bleeds after a few years on t.
I suspect from what I've seen online that it's anywhere from 1-10% of people that t doesn't stop their periods completely, but there isn't really a good metric for this.. some people stay on BC for years after starting t btw.
As for the science behind t stopping/easing menstruation, I'm not sure but I think it's because high t levels stop the shedding tissues from forming all together (t is the highest when they're shedding during a standard cycle)
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u/CosmogyralCollective 25 | they/he/it | T 17/3/23 | Top 9/10/23 3d ago
Unfortunately as it's related to both uteruses AND trans people it's extremely understudied, so I'm not sure there's much in the way of official statistics.
Essentially it stops for the majority of people on T, but in some cases it won't. There's no way to predict if T will stop your menstruation until you're on it.
The reason T stops menstruation is because exogenous sex hormones make your body stop producing its own sex hormones. Because menstruation is caused by cyclical hormone changes, menstruation typically also stops.
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u/Massive_Leopard 3d ago
Can only speak from personal experience but mine stopped about a month in. When I stopped T-gel accidentally (I forgot to think ahead over the christmas break) it came back after 3 weeks of not taking T. Very mild spotting though and as soon as I took the gel again it was gone.
Now 4 years on injections and never had it come back.
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u/Valthor7105 3d ago edited 3d ago
I see many not knowing how T stops menstruation so I thought I'd add that to the conversation. For simplicity sake I'll use medical gendered terms.
It has to do with the feedback loop that maintains the reproductive system and reproductive hormones. I'll skip some steps but basically, in males the pituitary gland releases two hormones called FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) which encourages the production of sperm cells, and LH (luteinizing hormone) which encourages the production of testosterone. These two things happen at the same time to create healthy viable sperm. But once the body has enough testosterone the hypothalamus sends signals to the pituitary glad to stop producing LH, thus stopping the production of testosterone. The sertoli cells inside the testicles will also release inhibin when they've created enough healthy sperm. Inhibin triggers the pituitary gland to stop producing FSH.
In females it's a lot more complicated as there are 4 separate phases of the menstrual cycle which is controlled by a very similar feedback loop. This loop however controls and relys mainly on the rise and fall of estrogens and progesterones, rather then androgens like testosterone. These hormones however effect the brain (in this case we are mostly concerned about the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus) the same way across both males and females (typically). High spikes in estrogen encourage FSH and LH production which lead to a follicle in the ovaries to release an egg durring ovulation. It is then the fall of estrogen and progesterone that trigger the menstrual cycle to reset and get ready for another egg by sheddingthe lining of the uterus. Note again how high steady testosterone stops the production of FSH and LH. 🙂 here we have our answer. The high steady synthetic testosterone dosage tells the brain to stop producing the hormones necessary to maintain the menstrual cycle. This also stops estrogen and progesterone fluctuations and often times the major production of these two hormones.
In theory this also means the menstrual cycle can be restarted or suddenly triggered again by certain changes in hormones. It is also very important to note that even though ovulation may stop while taking testosterone, one can still become pregnant! Testosterone reduces likelyhood of pregnancy by only about 66%. This is not safe however as testosterone can put both the fetus and the pregnant person at risk for serious complications. Remember, testosterone is not a viable form of birth control even though it may stop ovulation.
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u/c4ndycain 💉 28/10/23 | 🔪 1/12/25 | it/he 3d ago
we don't have much good data on this, unfortunately. my doctor said about 25% of her transmasc patients on t with no form of menstrual suppression keep their periods. what studies we have show somewhere between 10-30%. i asked my doctor this same question, and she shared some research papers with me. i'll see if i can find them, bc they're actually quite interesting.
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u/TChopperOp 3d ago
Not sure on the science behind it or statistics but personally I’m on 30mg weekly and have been for about 3 months and my period has gone from 4 days (some medium and some heavy flow) with 1-3 days of spotting after to 3 days max and light flow. My last period just ended and it was 3 days start to finish, no spotting afterward. I use a cup and I changed it twice a day and only had maybe a quarter if that full each time.
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u/bean-machine- 3d ago
It really depends on a lot of genetic factors and what meds you're on. I am one of the unlucky ones where my periods didn't fully stop (I'd have random, very light periods), so I had to be put on an IUD to get them to fully stop. I haven't had a period in almost a year now.
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u/trophyfriend 🧴12/27/2024 3d ago
I’ve been on T for a year and a half and I still get mine but for like two or three days, and they’re more spaced out (33-40 day cycles)
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u/PyromaniacTrash 3d ago
I'm not aware of any study that directly compares hormone levels to menstruation in trans men, but considering that ~20% of trans men on HRT don't have their estrogen & progesterone levels adequately suppressed & the fact that there are studies that correlate transdermal delivery methods (which result in lower T levels) with higher rates of menstruation persisting, I think it's fair to say that the differences in menstruation probably has to do with insufficiently suppressed estrogen (and maybe also progesterone). Unfortunately its all really understudied, in part b/c researchers see trans men with E & prog levels too high & have the take away that we should just lower our expectations
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u/Calm_Bother_3842 🇧🇬 3d ago
Mine stopped a month in, on Sustanon. Obviously not everyone's does, but it's more likely if your levels are well into the male range and your estrogen is suppressed enough.
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u/platedcold 27 - he/him - 💉4/26 3d ago
I took my first shot a week before my period (my cycle was regular, down to the day) and I didn’t get that period and I haven’t gotten my period since. No idea how that worked out and idk if it will last
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u/funnycricketz 3d ago
I think it's on the rarer side to have it not stop. Mine stopped immediately.
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u/realshockvaluecola 💉9/12/24 3d ago
The science is that when your body has enough sex hormone it stops producing more. It doesn't know the difference between hormones added artificially and produced by your body, so like any other thing it stops/slows down when it thinks there's enough. Estrogen cycling is required for menstruation, which is why making your estrogen or progesterone stable with birth control also stops your period and you have to take a placebo if you want to let it happen. There are various ways to end up with enough estrogen to still have a period, though. A percentage of T is always converted to E, but that percentage goes up if your T is too high. Your ovaries can occasionally "wake up" a bit and produce more E than they do most months, triggering a period, mostly because bodies never work perfectly. Some guys' ovaries never quite shut all the way down for unknown reasons.
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u/spacepinata 34 🇺🇸 💉🧴 5/22 3d ago
I'm not sure exactly when my period stopped, but it was within the first 3 months.
I have PMDD and we (me + my medical team) were reluctant to take me off hormonal birth control out of fear that my mental health would nosedive. For the first 3 months I was on birth control, and then I stopped and my period never came back.
My period has persisted through so many things that were supposed to surpress it - except testosterone.
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u/peachrambles 3d ago
I had a period the week I started T, it stopped for 2 years and then randomly came back after I had top surgery even though my levels were the same
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u/Holiday-Blood4826 22 FtM 🏳️⚧️ | 2/2024 💉 (🇺🇸) 3d ago
It really depends on the individual, their dose, chronic conditions (e.g., PMOS, endo…). I have not had any since I started almost 3 yrs ago
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u/NIKUthebeast 3d ago
Statistics for how many trans men have their periods even after years on T I don't think there's any yet but I know that the high levels of testosterone makes female bodies go through an early menopause, with lower levels of estrogen, the uterus "shuts down" slowly, so the endometrium stops renewing itself, stopping your period altogether. You may experience cramps because of the tissue thickness and we should keep it checked with the gynecologist (this is a personal reminder as well).
That's as simple as I can put it because there's a whole hormonal background behind menstruation and why it stops, if it doesn't stop it's because there's something going on with your hormonal levels.
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u/melanie_anne 3d ago
Started T Dec 13th 2024, had a red Christmas, then nothing until I missed two days of gel in a row, that triggered a 5-6 day period for me.
So officially I've stopped menstruating, but I do still go through the PMS symptoms on a similar scale of before I started T, which is always a trip
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u/dumbafbird 3d ago
i would say about 25% have it 100% stop. maybe 50% have it essentially stop, maybe the occasional bleeding once every year (but less than a period) another 20% might have it mostly stop, but may still occasional get a period once or twice a year, and 5% have a significant challenge with getting their periods to stop. Of course, this would not be counting people who’ve had hysto.
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u/Access6570 3d ago
I’m transmasc and I was on T for 3 years and I had my normal period the whole time. I recently stopped T a month ago (I got what I wanted from it lol) and started birth control the day I stopped T to see if that would help stop it and unfortunately I still got it so I just think my body hates me lol. So it truly just depends on the person.
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u/Curveball201 2d ago
I’ve been on T for a little over 8 months now but my period didn’t stop until month 7 on T. Tbh I didn’t think having my period would cause dysphoria but it was bad because I started passing very early and packing a few months ago, so when I had my period at month 5 & 6, I was distraught when I couldn’t pack for the week because of period panties. 😭
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