On being nonbinary and having an evil uterus

So I have this evil uterus. I have almost passed out in scalding hot baths, I have writhed and screamed, and I have been put on all the hormonal birth control. I am also, most definitely, not a woman.

I don’t know why, when bad periods are just way excessive bleeding and cramps, the doctors automatically prescribe things that mess with your weight, ovulation, appetite, moods, libido, etc. I’ve tried daily progesteroney pills, which made me sad and unsexy. I’ve tried hormonal implants in my arm, which made me feel like a periodless cyborg but on the downside made me constantly hungry and gain a load of weight in a very female shape. And one memorable time I was prescribed mefenamic acid, which is sort of like a very powerful painkiller and anti-inflammatory (like Ibuprofen), which can’t be bought over the counter, and reduced the pain slightly. None of those things worked in the long term, because either my periods still hurt, or they stopped entirely and turned me into a different person.

I live in the land of free healthcare (the UK), and so I get to go to a gynaecologist for free. It is something I will always be thankful for, and also as a sidenote the Tories can go die in a hole.

Here’s all the information about what the gynaecologist did/told me and what I do to manage my periods that actually works for me. (Useful information: I am 28, thin, white, able-bodied.)

Tranexamic acid . I don’t know why I was only just told about this, because the number of times I’ve been anaemic or near-anaemic is ridiculous. Tranexamic acid vastly reduces bleeding. My periods are normally very heavy, we’re talking emptying the Mooncup every couple of hours on the heavy days. Mooncups are usually emptied once in the morning and once at night. Why wikipedia says it’s firstline when I only just found out about it I have no idea. Inexpensive and abundant.

. I don’t know why I was only just told about this, because the number of times I’ve been anaemic or near-anaemic is ridiculous. Tranexamic acid vastly reduces bleeding. My periods are normally very heavy, we’re talking emptying the Mooncup every couple of hours on the heavy days. Mooncups are usually emptied once in the morning and once at night. Why wikipedia says it’s firstline when I only just found out about it I have no idea. Inexpensive and abundant. Mefenamic acid . This further reduces bleeding, and works on the remaining pain aspect. It can be prescribed for periods by your GP easy peasy in the UK, but if it’s not 100% effective please don’t be afraid to push for tranexamic acid as well. The supply is a little irregular in the UK so be sure to always have plenty of stock in, don’t wait until you’re almost out before getting more. Get this: in the US one week’s supply is over $400 USD (£250), but in the UK it’s £1.66 (~$2.50). What the hell, North America. Fortunately, if you’re in the US, tranexamic acid will alleviate a lot of your pain on its own.

. This further reduces bleeding, and works on the remaining pain aspect. It can be prescribed for periods by your GP easy peasy in the UK, but if it’s not 100% effective please don’t be afraid to push for tranexamic acid as well. The supply is a little irregular in the UK so be sure to always have plenty of stock in, don’t wait until you’re almost out before getting more. Get this: in the US one week’s supply is over $400 USD (£250), but in the UK it’s £1.66 (~$2.50). What the hell, North America. Fortunately, if you’re in the US, tranexamic acid will alleviate a lot of your pain on its own. Mooncup. That is an affiliate link, meaning if you buy a Mooncup after clicking it I get a little bit of money. If you’d like to avoid giving me money (which is fine), please feel free to go to Mooncup.co.uk. In the US, I think Divacup is more common. The Mooncup costs about £20, but you won’t have to buy tampons or pads for the next 10+ years. I’m using one that I bought when I was 20, and now I’m 28. It’s a medical-grade silicon cup that you fold down, squoosh into your vagina, and then it pops open and catches all your menstrual gumph leak-free until you take it out, empty and rinse it, and put it back in. One thing for all levels of bleeding. You can sterilise it after each period by boiling it for 5 minutes on the stove. You will come to appreciate single-stall public toilets on your heavier days, but if you want you can ask me about things like public toilets, etc. The reason I like it as a nonbinary thing is because there is no string, no feeling of a pad in your pants, and it doesn’t require underwear of a particular shape to work. No external indication that you’re bleeding at all. It feels very non-gender-coded for all of these reasons. So I just wear my usual boxers and everything is groovy.

So there we are. How to period as a nonbinary person without anyone mucking about with your hormones.

And also, please know this:

Your periods are not supposed to hurt and be heavy and make you feel ill. They are not supposed to affect your ability to think or move or work or learn. If they do, it’s not something you’re doing wrong, it’s your periods that need to change. Periods are not inherently healthy (though the lack of them without human intervention is generally a sign of a health issue). You do not need to keep bleeding copiously and being crippled by pain of any level. You are not a better person for letting your body do its own natural thing. Pain does not strengthen character. Medication-free periods are not “normal” or “better”. The natural state for humans is pain-free and with all the blood inside the body. No matter what you have been told, you deserve to menstruate pain-free, lightly, or not at all if you would prefer. Anyone who says otherwise can go hang out with the Tories in that hole I mentioned. Perhaps they will be forced to eat each other to survive.

Be free, my lovelies. <3