Genuine question - can trans women experience cramps during their ‘time of the month’?

[Picklemeyellow]

This is a genuine question as I am baffled.

I looking on Tik Tok last night (don’t judge me, I’m addicted lol)and I notice on my For You section there is often a trans women doing live Q&A’s. I stopped and watched for a while, out of curiosity tbh as DH has a couple of transgender people in his family and I do try to remain as ‘on the fence’ as possible with this subject.

However, this person on TT said something which does not make much sense to me.

They were saying they take HRT and this gives them ‘a time of the month’ when they experience a very emotional dip and have crying spells and feel low etc. I suppose that may make some sense due to the hormones they take but then they went on to say they also experience cramping during this time and started rubbing their lower tummy in the area where a woman’s uterus is located.
It was difficult to establish why this happens because anyone actually questioning this gets blocked and only those agreeing with them get to stay to ask questions! I appreciate they probably receive some very negative replies but blocking doesn’t answer the questions to people who really would like to know.

I genuinely can not understand where the cramps would originate in a person without female anatomy?

As someone who has been under the gynae department for 20+ years, has had to live their live around horrendous periods, has had endless hysteroscopies and uterine polyp removals, ovulation so painful I couldn’t sit properly, a failed uterine ablation, going through an awful perimenopause and now, at 50 only just discovering this is probably all due to the fact I actually have endometriosis and adenomyosis and have been gas lit for all this time having being told that some women just have awful periods etc, I more than understand where my cramps and pain come from. From my shit malfunctioning uterus and hormones which have never been my friend.

But where would a trans woman’s ‘time of the month’ cramps come from? What part of their body cramps due to the addition of female hormones? I’ve tried googling this but there’s very little. Can the hormones cramp the muscles or bowel in this area or something similar?

I think the original post really illustrates how the trans ideology has caught on. The OP is clearly a sensible woman who is able to articulate her own experiences and understanding and can come on here and post about her confusion. Despite her knowledge and experience, the confusion is still there due to female socialisation of ‘be kind.’

Now apply this to the many young people who know bugger all about their own biology and don’t have the confidence to question what they are told, and have been indoctrinated to mindlessly consume social media content without applying any sort of critical thinking.

it’s terrifying.

Thanks for giving this due attention, OP. I bet it’s made many silent readers stop in their tracks.

No. AI set out the types of HRT for women. One of which (1 out of 3) is cyclical. The standard regimes of cross-sex hormones given to men are not cyclical.

Tired of seeing period cramps represented as something we indulge ourselves in like its an excuse to sit curled up in jammies, crying about boys with a hot water bottle and bar of chocolate.

Yes. This is exactly the trope that these men latch on to. I’ve seen it on many a TW’s TikTok. They want to snuggle under a blanket and cry at romcoms while someone brings them chocolate- they think this is what periods are about because they’ve seen it on telly. They like this idea of being a helpless victim who needs cosseting. It goes hand in hand with the female = submissive idea they enjoy and thus is probably also linked to the not uncommon fetish for sissy porn. This is what they actually ‘identify’ with- not womanhood. You soon realise when you listen to these people that they see women as two-dimensional characters made up of stereotypes, and have no real idea what our lives are like.

So it is tedious for us to talk about it but not tedious for you to tell us off for talking about it?

Why don't you just scroll on by instead of posting?

Couldn’t agree more. They see us real women as objects to be played with and as you mentioned sissy porn has a lot to do with it.

I believe there is a difference between those who believe they are born in the wrong body and those who like to dress as women as a sexual fetish.

I don’t think that’s the case in the US is it?

No one is born in the wrong body. They’re just born in their body

and How do we tell the difference on a day to day practical basis?

That’s why I said “believe they are” and not “are”.

Why on earth would cyclical wrong sex hormones be given to a transwoman?

Unless they were wanting to experience hormone swings. In which case they can fuck off with their “oh poor little me with my non-uterine cramps and cyclical hormone symptoms” fuckery.

Honestly, can’t the apologists in here see how offensive this is?

For a woman, you seem astonishingly ill-informed about the basic workings of your own body. Would be more useful to know about your own hormonal profile and the hormonal changes that will occur with age than what cross-sex hormones are or are not distributed in whatever parts of the US.

I thought it was.

But if you have access to information that says it's different in USA why haven't you posted this so we can all read and learn ?

@MintyfreshSW has been very selective in their choice of quote. This is a link from Modibodi period underwear manufacturers. It doesn’t actually mention transwomen in the quote and it also says that women experience these symptoms as a direct result of the fluctuating hormones during their menstrual cycle.
Many women choose to have hormone treatment whereby their levels remain static whilst they are on that treatment. This isnt possible to be reproduced in males. Even ones in dresses.

And so what if they believe they are???

how do we tell the difference on a day to day practical basis?

Don't be ridiculous. Keep off TikTok - it's full of very stupid people doing and saying very stupid things

Do you believe that those who believe they are born in the wrong body actually are born in the wrong body? In other words, do you believe that men and women have different types of brain, and the obvious dfferences between our bodies are just a red herring? Or do you believe it's just kind to pretend they are real women?

a quick glance at google seems to bring up mostly US based articles and experiences of trans women using hormonal treatments so I’ve presumed that it’s obviously something you can access there if you say it’s not the case in the UK. I’m not pretending to be an expert.

I am highly encouraged by the amount of raw fury on this thread.

Oh dear @MintyfreshSW , you need to do some reading. Mary be Trans by Helen Joyce?

@MintyfreshSW You seem very keen to make it sound reasonable for TW to talk about having periods. It doesn’t matter what hormone regime a transwoman takes. They do not have a uterus, will never have a period and do not experience PMS (clue is in the name).

The hormones that they take may well cause symptoms in their bodies (taking large amounts of hormones that are not designed for your body is bound to have side effects) and some of these symptoms might be similar to PMS- but they are not actually PMS.

Last week I experienced a sudden crushing pain in my left shoulder and arm, and momentarily thought I was having a heart attack (I wasn’t). My friend who has had a heart attack said it sounded exactly like what she experienced. Hers was a heart attack and mine wasn’t. The symptoms were incredibly similar but were not caused by the same thing. I will not be telling anyone I had a heart attack or even that I know how it feels to have a heart attack- because I don’t.

It would be quite reasonable and straightforward for transwomen to tell people they are experiencing xyz symptoms as a result of the medicines they take. Why not just do that instead of telling people they are having a period or a cycle?

Because it is appropriation.

I believe there is a difference between those who believe they are born in the wrong body and those who like to dress as women as a sexual fetish.

Yes, there is. The difference is simply their motivation. There is no difference in how female they are (i.e. not at all). And no difference in what spaces they should be allowed into.

If one man had a fetish about being a child, and another man genuinely believed he was an adult trapped in a child's body, should we say to the second man 'Yes ok, you're a child', treat him as a child and admit him to children's activities etc, any more than we would for the first man?

It's the same thing. Your desire to be, or belief that you are, something you're not does not trump reality or other people's rights or safety, or the definition of the actual category of human being they belong to. By saying 'That man is a child', you negate the concept of childhood. By saying 'That man is a woman' you negate the concept of womanhood.

@AuntDilemma
The trans issue is such a tightrope - I think it is possible for some people to be trans. We're at a really uncomfortable stage where we know in relatively recent times gay people were considered mentally ill and perverse to be gay, but we know now in fact it's just a totally normal, non-medical thing. With trans people we're sort of half way treating it like a mental illness and half celebrating it like a 'normal' thing like being gay. It's really difficult to actually know what it is. The sweeping up of young people in what feels like a trend is where the biggest issue for me is.

What is considered "trans" is a whole load of different scenarios, purposely fudged together, which doesn't help general understanding. You could be talking about a small child who wants to be the opposite sex - at an age where the difference between boys and girls, as they understand it, is stuff like toys and hair length. You could be talking about a teen girl who's traumatised and autistic and struggling with female objectification and puberty. You could be talking about a middle aged male with a fetish who suddenly wants to be a "trans girl". You could be talking about someone who's always struggled with mental anguish that they are not the opposite sex and has chosen, as an informed adult, to take the risks associated with medical transition as still better and a happier way to live.

The last group seems to be proportionally much rarer, to the point where I'm starting to wonder if they exist at all, or if there is always more psychological stuff to it. Regardless, all those in the other groups have been encouraged to believe, or act as if, this is their situation. Presumably because so many of us were/are happy to not go into the finer details and to some extent play along with someone in mental anguish. (Unfortunately giving this inch has led to the taking of a mile, including this deeply offensive appropriation of women's pain.)

Thing is, even if we accept the existence of this group, it wouldn't mean they actually are the sex they wish to be. Nor would it automatically follow that this nebulous concept of internal gender identity should override sex, in practical terms. Even if brain differences between the sexes were clear cut and obvious (they are not), it would simply mean that some males (men) have the brain type we had previously assumed was limited to females (women), and vice versa. Society needs to be more tolerant of difference, and different ways to be a man or woman, not pretend that if you don't fit a narrow gender stereotype you are somehow the opposite sex.

The oft-made comparison with gay rights is simply a tool to guilt people into thinking this is a progressive movement, not a deeply regressive one wedded to gender sterotypes. It is not a legitimate comparison as gay people did not claim to be part of another group that they are not, as we see here with males claiming to be women.

Right but your the one making the claim it's different in USA - why are you expecting other posters to go and and google to back up your claims ?

I have posted links to answer other questions - but I don't know what links you seeing or what search your using because I'm not seeing anything about cyclical hormone regimes for transwomen in US .

So I'm asking why you "believe" this - is there any basis other than you think it must be so based on your very limited understanding?

I never claimed you were posing as an expert but you are making statements that differ from my current understand - so I'm asking for more information about why and getting vague disclaimers and go off and google comments back .