“Just because I don't bleed, doesn't mean I don't go through it”: Expanding knowledge on trans and non-binary menstruators

Abstract

Objectives

Critical menstruation studies is a field in its nascence, marginalized within the broader area of reproductive health research. Menstruation-related research is virtually absent from trans studies, itself a marginalized field of inquiry. This article focuses on the experiences of trans and non-binary menstruators, to contribute to this burgeoning area of study.

Methods

This article involves secondary data analysis of a qualitative dissertation research study on trans people’s reproductive lives, health, and decision-making processes. Of the fourteen participants in the broader study, eleven discussed their perceptions of and experiences with menstruation and menstrual health. Those experiences where subjected to thematic narrative analysis, with a focus on themes that were substantively significant.

Results

Participants describe experiences with amenorrhea associated with the use of testosterone, menstrual resumption following the cessation of testosterone and for other reasons, menstruation-related dysphoria management strategies beyond medical interventions, as well as barriers to menstruation-related health care. One participant describes bloodless periods as a trans woman, a phenomenon altogether absent from the clinical and experiential literature in this field. The article explores how cisnormativity, repronormativity and transnormativity informed the participants experiences of menstruation and reproductive health care.

Conclusions

Contributing novel stories to the literature, this article illustrates how clinically focused research fails to attend to the experiential components of menstruation for trans and non-binary people. Expanded knowledge is beneficial to the development of gender-inclusive menstruation research, clinical interventions, healthcare environments, and activist efforts.

Keywords:

• Transgender
• non-binary
• menstruation
• reproductive health
• secondary analysis

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the participants of this research for trusting me with your stories. Many thanks to Sally Hines, Damien Riggs, Ruth Pearce, Carla Pfeffer, Francis Ray White, and everyone affiliated with the Trans Pregnancy study for organizing the 2020 Trans Pregnancy Conference and editing this important special issue.

Disclosure of Conflicts

The author has no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Ethics

This research was approved from the Office of Research Ethics’ Ethical Review Board at the University of British Columbia.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by a SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship – Doctoral Award.