Question: Agender and dreaming of a Hysterectomy
Elm asks…
I am Agender and suffer from Gender Dysphoria, a big part of my Disphoria stems from my female cycles, which only serve to remind me of my female body.
I am on the pill, but I have learned quite quickly that it only serves as a control and not an eradication of the problem.
I am interested in getting a hysterectomy. I do not care if I have biological children or not so that is not an issue.
I want to know if this option is available to me? Advice from people who have had the operation? And lastly I want to know the opinion/advice the readers of Genderfork can give me about this?
Please post your response in the comments below.
» Ask Genderfork «
Posted by Freiya on August 10th, 2015 at 08:00 am
Category: questions 5 comments »
August 10th, 2015 at 10:37 am |
It is possible to have an elective hysterectomy, but I would advise against it.
Any doctor worth their salt will not perform a hysterectomy unless it’s a medical necessity and all other medications and treatments have failed or if they would be more detrimental than the surgery. Even then, it’s sometimes a fight to get the surgery.
My mother had fibroids, was bleeding longer than normal, passing out at random times/places because of anemia and even knowing she needed a hysterectomy, the doctors still tried a few different treatments before scheduling her for surgery. The surgery was then scheduled a month out to make sure there was nothing else that could be attempted.
Insurance companies will not pay for an elective operation. It’s actually better for your health to keep your uterus because of hormones and other reasons.
No matter how much you may want this operation, I would be leery of any doctor who jumps to perform this surgery. They are only looking at dollar signs and not looking out of your health.
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Anonymous replied:
August 10th, 2015 at 2:46 pm
There are doctors willing to work with nonbinary/genderqueer/agender patients, you just have to do your research. You can also work with your doctor/surgeon to find out if there is a way to have your insurance cover it, but this also takes some work and may not be possible depending on your insurance.
They can do a hysterectomy without taking your ovaries (often just removing the uterus and cervix; I have heard this referred to as a Total Hysterectomy), therefore allowing your body to continue making its own hormones. (The removal of the ovaries is called an oophorectomy and is not necessary to stop your cycle. If you do have them removed, you will be placed on hormone replacement).
I am not a doctor/medical professional/expert, I have merely done research on my own because I also have this particular dysphoria. One of the most helpful resources I have come across is Neutrois Nonsense (neutrois.me/tag/hysterectomy). They are not a doctor, but they are an individual who has documented their experience with this procedure.
I hope this is helpful. Good Luck.
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August 12th, 2015 at 3:39 pm |
I’m in a similar situation. I’m 26 and am about to consult with a gynecologist about getting a subtotal hysterectomy—removal of the uterus only, leaving the ovaries and cervix, et. al. I have a family history of difficult periods, endometriosis, and poor response to hormonal birth control and tubal ligation. Having children is not in my plans, ever, and I was just diagnosed with ovarian cysts (which, based on my current symptoms, I now know that I’ve been dealing with for years).
I hope that my family and personal medical histories make a subtotal hysto a logical procedure for me, and that my gynecologist will hear me out—I’ve heard that most doctors won’t even entertain the idea of a sterilization procedure on “women” under 30. Neutrois Nonsense has been a great resource for me too, and has helped me start finding other resources of information on this and similar procedures. I feel empowered to start a conversation with my doctor, at least.
My current insurance is not genderqueer-friendly. It will only cover “transgender care” in specific cases. For a hysto to be covered (if my medical history isn’t enough of a reason), I would have to be FtM transgender and (paraphrasing) “wish to live full-time as a member of the opposite sex”. The insurance company’s themselves conflate sex and gender, and confirmation procedures/therapies are only covered if you’re “fully transitioning” into whatever sex you weren’t assigned at birth. For this reason, I’m not disclosing my gender identity to my current gynecologist, whose LGBTQ-friendliness I don’t yet know, even though dysphoria is a big reason for wanting the procedure.
If there is an LGBTQ support organization in your area, see if they maintain a list of affirming doctors. An new org. called MyTransHealth has been tweeted about a bit recently; it looks like they’re going to start a US-wide database of affirming medical professionals. We’ll see. I hope that you can find a good doctor near you, who will hear you out and work with you towards a good course of action. <3
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October 8th, 2015 at 2:19 pm |
Hi, sorry for finding this a few months late, but hope my experience will be helpful to you.
I had a laparoscopically-assisted vaginal total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingectomy a few years ago. I am grateful for it every day and it is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
The main reason for it was because of crippling endometriosis, which was pretty much completely cured by it and has not recurred since, touch wood. The surgeon originally was going to try to clean up the cysts and mess the endometriosis had made and not remove anything else, but I asked him to do the hysterectomy as well and he respected my request. Before finding this gynaecologist, I had asked the same of another gynaecologist who refused to do it and insisted that I must want to have children even though I did not — a very disrespectful and unprofessional medical professional!
I think I do have some kind of gender dysphoria now, although I didn’t really understand it at the time. I have always hated having a uterus and menstruation ruined my life and made me feel disgusting, and I detest sexual intercourse as a woman. I remembered going through puberty and menarche being later than everyone else, and hoping that I perhaps did not have a uterus or had some sort of unseen deformity that meant it would not work. It was traumatic when it did. The thought that a foetus could potentially grow inside me made me uncomfortable. I guess I’m happy being a female person, but I just would rather not be a woman.
There are of course risks to any surgery, but if something is making your life a misery, you have to weigh up those risks against the benefits you’re likely to get if it’s successful.
I hope you can find a surgeon who will give you the operation you want. I would recommend you keep your ovaries but have your cervix and Fallopian tubes removed. Having ovaries or testicles is an important part of your endocrine system and loss of the hormones they produce can be harmful to your health. You don’t need to keep your Fallopian tubes or cervix though, and getting rid of them at the same time will reduce your risk of some kinds of cancer and means you won’t get any bleeding from the remaining uterine tissue attached to the cervix. :-)
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June 28th, 2018 at 4:26 am |
I plan on getting top surgery and possibly a surgery to stop periods, but for now just want to try birth control. I\’m concerned i have endometriosis, as also my periods are now starting to get back and hip pain to. I already get bad cramps anyway (which i wake up at 1 AM from, which today i didnt but i did the last 2 times).
i\’m agender, I also can\’t do it till later anyways since i am a minor, i\’d have to latest wait a year if i really needed it (gender dysphoria)*im talking about top surgery for a sec*. For the birth control, if it didn\’t work when try it, i don\’t know if i could do surgery (as like insurance and surgeons wise)
I think my mother had endometriosis (she passed away), and also think my aunt has it. She had to stay home from school during her periods when she lived with my mom (obviously when they were younger).
I am on a med that makes my periods messed up*Topiramate, for Migraines, used orignally for epilepsy and seizures*, which is another reason for wanting to go on birth control, as my period is becoming more messed up (it is now 2 times this month, 15 days early).I now have migraines during my period too, and got PMS and cramps a few cycles after my first, but i didnt get them too early (unlike my mom and nana who got them both when they were 7)
I got a lot of my problems and looks from my aunt and mom XD (migraines and period, facial features)
I don\’t know what surgery i could get, or if i would want to have them check for endometriosis. (i identify as asexual. i\’d rather be under anesthsia and be cut a little bit open or whatever, at least i think that now, then have someone put their hand in me or put a stick in me to check for something that i possibly don\’t have. I don\’t even want sex or biological kids)
Sorry, i know this was from years ago and for like someone asking about a surgery XD. was looking for something and this came up in the google search.
Bye!
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