do hormone blockers stop periods

If you were born female, taking hormone blockers might limit or completely stop the following things:

• Development of breast tissue
• Hip broadening
• Monthly menstruation

Full Answer

How do estrogen blockers work?

Estrogen blockers are chemicals that prevent cells from producing estrogen. It’s a kind of hormone antagonist or antiestrogen used in hormone therapy. All this means is that it stops the production of estrogen.

Can I Stop my periods?

There are now oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) on the market that offer the ability to suppress menstruation. These pills are intended to change a woman's bleeding pattern to produce either no periods (Lybrel) or just four periods a year (Seasonale and Seasonique), instead of a dozen.

How do hormone ‘blockers’ help transition?

To help the transitioning process some choose to take hormone ‘blockers’ to reduce the effects of testosterone and allow for estrogen to be the majority hormone found in the body. To help aid estrogen and limit the effects of testosterone, antiandrogens are used.

Can pubertal blockers suppress puberty?

Transgender and gender-diverse children might choose to temporarily suppress puberty through the use of prescription medications called pubertal blockers. But deciding to get this treatment is a big step.

Can estrogen blockers cause weight gain?

Can hormone blockers stop your period?

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How long does it take for hormone blockers to stop periods?

Menstrual suppression typically takes 3 to 6 months before periods are stopped completely. The hormonal medications used for menstrual suppression act on receptors located in the cells of the uterine lining to keep this lining thin.

What happens if you take hormone blockers after puberty?

After taking puberty blockers, a person may start taking estrogen or testosterone hormones. These can cause irreversible changes to the body, such as the development of breasts or a deepening of the voice.

Do puberty blockers completely stop periods?

A puberty blocker safely and reversibly pauses puberty, allowing time for gender identity to be further explored and solidified in a trans or gender-diverse youth. "Puberty blockers generally will stop a period," she says.

What do hormone blockers do to your body?

By blocking the sex hormones testosterone and estrogen, puberty blockers delay changes that can affect gender expression, including: Breast growth. Facial hair growth. Periods.

At what age can you take puberty blockers?

For most children, puberty begins around ages 10 to 11, though puberty sometimes starts earlier. The effect of pubertal blockers depends on when a child begins to take the medication. GnRH analogue treatment can begin at the start of puberty to delay secondary sex characteristics.

Do puberty blockers make you infertile?

Taking puberty blockers alone should not affect your ability to have a baby in the future. But if you also take estrogen or testosterone, this can affect it. If your body has ovaries that produce eggs, taking testosterone can affect the ability to produce them.

How do I permanently stop my period?

To permanently stop a period, you can have a surgical procedure to have your uterus removed, known as a hysterectomy. There is also a procedure that removes an internal part of the uterus, known as an endometrial ablation.

What age can you start hormone therapy?

If used in an adolescent, hormone therapy typically begins at age 16. Ideally, treatment starts before the development of secondary sex characteristics so that teens can go through puberty as their identified gender. Many trans girls are treated with a medication to delay the start of puberty.

What is the average age women's periods stop?

Menopause is the time that marks the end of your menstrual cycles. It's diagnosed after you've gone 12 months without a menstrual period. Menopause can happen in your 40s or 50s, but the average age is 51 in the United States.

What happens when you stop taking hormone blockers?

There are no known irreversible effects of puberty blockers. If you decide to stop taking them, your body will go through puberty just the way it would have if you had not taken puberty blockers at all.

What do estrogen blockers do for females?

What do estrogen blockers do for females? Estrogen blockers are chemicals that essentially prevent cancer cells in females from getting the hormones they need to grow, like estrogen. Many breast cancers are sensitive to hormones like estrogen and respond to this type of treatment.

What are the side effects of estrogen blockers?

Common side effectsHot flashes and night sweats.Joint and muscle pain.Loss of bone mineral density (may lead to osteoporosis or bone fractures)Loss of sex drive.Vaginal dryness or itching.

Can you take puberty blockers at 14?

The longer blockers are used past the typical start of puberty — generally age 14, at the latest — the greater the possible risk. When blockers are initiated in the early stages of puberty, Dr. Rosenthal typically suggests that his patients stop using them by age 14.

Can you take puberty blockers at 13?

Puberty blockers are only given to children who have started puberty. For a child who is assigned female at birth, Dr. Cartaya says puberty typically starts between the ages of 8 and 13. For a child who was assigned male at birth, the range is between 9 and 14.

Can I go through puberty again?

Second puberty is just a slang term that refers to the way your body changes in adulthood. The term can be misleading, since you don't actually go through another puberty after adolescence.

How can I postpone puberty?

For central precocious puberty, medications called GnRH analogs are the standard treatment. They work by blocking the hormones coming from the pituitary gland that trigger puberty. Most children who need treatment get these medicines as injections or implants.

Male to Female Transitioning

Those transitioning from male to female naturally produce testosterone. Testosterone affects bone mass, fat distribution, muscle mass, sex drive, and production of sperm. Those looking to transition would like to limit the effect testosterone has on their body and introduce estrogen.

Female to Male Transitioning

Those looking to transition to male will most likely go through masculinizing hormone therapy where the development of male secondary sex characteristics develops.

Puberty Blockers for Youth

Puberty blockers help delay puberty in transgender youth and are considered safe for use. As children develop differently there is not set age, though best outcomes occur when starting puberty blockers in early stages of puberty to limit the development of unwanted sex characteristics.

Sources

Deutsch, M. B., MD, MPH. (2016, June 17). Overview of feminizing hormone therapy. Retrieved February 28, 2021, from https://transcare.ucsf.edu/guidelines/feminizing-hormone-therapy

What do pubertal blockers do?

When taken regularly, GnRH analogues suppress the body's release of sex hormones, including testosterone and estrogen, during puberty.

What are the benefits of use of pubertal blockers?

Gender dysphoria is the feeling of discomfort or distress that might accompany a difference between experienced or expressed gender and sex assigned at birth. Gender dysphoria that starts in childhood and worsens with the start of puberty rarely goes away.

What is the typical treatment time frame?

For most children, puberty begins around ages 10 to 11, though puberty sometimes starts earlier. The effect of pubertal blockers depends on when a child begins to take the medication. GnRH analogue treatment can begin at the start of puberty to delay secondary sex characteristics. In slightly later stages of puberty, the treatment could be used to stop menstruation or erections or to prevent further development of undesired secondary sex characteristics.

How do transgender children suppress puberty?

Transgender and gender-diverse children might choose to temporarily suppress puberty through the use of prescription medications called pubertal blockers. But deciding to get this treatment is a big step.

What is the medication that suppresses puberty?

The medications mostly commonly used to suppress puberty are known as gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues. Here's what you need to know about the benefits, side effects and long-term effects.

Can GNRH delay puberty?

GnRH analogues aren't the only medications that can delay puberty. If you're interested in alternative treatments, talk to your child's doctor.

Can a child take a blood test while taking pubertal blockers?

While taking pubertal blockers, your child will have regular blood tests to monitor the medication's effectiveness. Your child will also be monitored for any side effects.

How long can you block estrogen?

The amount of time it's healthy for blocking estrogen depends on your health. In some cases, women can block estrogen for months or even years. It may make the difference between living a life without cancer or worrying about going in remission.

What happens when you block estrogen?

What happens to your body when you block estrogen? Estrogen is a female hormone that affects every aspect of women's health. The compound supports good mental health, brain function, menstruation, and fertility. It's even possible that balanced estrogen slows Alzheimer's disease from starting. In most cases, blocking estrogen goes ...

When are estrogen blockers used?

According to the American Cancer Association, about 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in the United States. (2) Breast cancer cells use estrogen or progesterone for continued growth. Progesterone is another important female sex hormone and provides a balance for estrogen. 2 out of 2 breast cancers are hormone-dependent. If hormones play a role, the cancers either have receptors for estrogen or progesterone. Both make cancer grow and spread.

How long can you take estrogen blockers after breast cancer surgery?

Instead of attacking the cancer cells, the growth is cut off from its food supply. Women may take estrogen blockers for 5-10 years after surgery ...

What hormones are involved in breast cancer?

2 out of 2 breast cancers are hormone-dependent. If hormones play a role, the cancers either have receptors for estrogen or progesterone. Both make cancer grow and spread.

Why is estrogen important for conceiving?

Both critical for conceiving a healthy child. Estrogen levels increase as the ovaries prepare to release an egg during ovulation. Standards continue to rise to help with implantation in the uterus. Blocking estrogen impairs this crucial reproductive process.

What to do if you think your body isn't producing enough estrogen?

If you suspect you need estrogen blockers or think your body isn't producing enough estrogen, make an appointment with your healthcare provider. Estrogen is a critical hormone in balancing many vital functions, including your overall well being.

Why do women suppress their periods?

Women's individual experiences of, and attitudes about, menstruation play an important role in determining their interest in menstrual suppression and may also affect the level of satisfaction with the method. For women who have pain or other discomforts with their period, the option to suppress menstruation can be a welcome relief. Some women find the thought of fewer periods, or no periods, appealing for its convenience. But others express a preference for monthly menstruation because they rely on it as a signal that they are not pregnant or because they view it as a sign that their bodies are functioning normally. These women may be less likely to choose or be satisfied with a method that reduces the frequency of their periods.

Why do women not menstruate?

Several physicians have referred to the experience of women in earlier eras who menstruated less than women today due to more frequent pregnancies and longer periods of amenorrhea (absence of a menstrual period) associated with breastfeeding to support the claim that women weren't intended to menstruate as much as they do today. One gynecologist who conducted research on menstrual suppression said "It's having seven or 10 kids that are natural," explaining that menstrual suppression "gets women to a more natural state." [4] It is accurate to say that women menstruate more today than they have at other times, but the assertion that monthly menstruation is unnatural is unfounded.

How many periods does Lybrel have?

These pills are intended to change a woman's bleeding pattern to produce either no periods (Lybrel) or just four periods a year (Seasonale and Seasonique), instead of a dozen. Menstrual suppression products are chemically identical to traditional oral contraceptive pills. The active tablets contain a combination of levonorgestrel ...

What is withdrawal bleeding?

Instead of a ‘natural’ menstrual cycle controlled by the body's own hormonal fluctuations, withdrawal bleeding is the body's reaction to the cessation of the hormone dose that the contraceptive has been providing. [1] CenterWatch Website, Seasonale, Boston, MA: CenterWatch 2013.

How does a manufacturer distorted women's feelings about menstruation?

One manufacturer presented a distorted picture of women's feelings about menstruation by misrepresenting data from a survey that the company commissioned. In a news release about the survey the company wrote that more than half of women feel "messy, fat and unattractive" during their periods; but in fact, only a third of women reported feeling unattractive during their period, and 68 percent of women said they feel healthy.

Why do women prefer monthly menstruation?

But others express a preference for monthly menstruation because they rely on it as a signal that they are not pregnant or because they view it as a sign that their bodies are functioning normally. These women may be less likely to choose or be satisfied with a method that reduces the frequency of their periods.

Can you take Lybrel with birth control?

From a safety perspective, OCPs like Seasonale or Lybrel are options for most women. If your health care provider has determined that you can take birth control pills safely, you can probably take these.

Can estrogen blockers cause weight gain?

They are not meant to be taken as birth control, though, so always use protection still if you do use estrogen blockers. Doctors will say the same thing about T, because even though you're not menstruating, you never know when your period could randomly start up again -- it happens to enough people. They can also lead to weight gain, but this differs from person to person, however it is a common side-effect.

Can hormone blockers stop your period?

Yes, hormone blockers can stop your period because it's not testosterone that stops your period, but simply less estrogen in your system -- the blockers are blocking your estrogen, essentially, so you'll experience pretty much many of the same things as you would on T but to a lesser extreme (you might experience slightly more body hair, slight breast reduction). They basically stop puberty symptoms (periods, breast growth, etc.) in AFAB people.

Male to Female Transitioning

Female to Male Transitioning

Puberty Blockers For Youth

• Puberty blockers help delay puberty in transgender youth and are considered safe for use. As children develop differently there is not set age, though best outcomes occur when starting puberty blockers in early stages of puberty to limit the development of unwanted sex characteristics. These effects are not permanent and can be reversed by simply s...

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Sources