Some may think that taking birth control pills can help a man become more feminine. This is not the case. If femininity is the goal, there are safer and more effective ways to achieve the result.
The first might be adopting more feminine behaviors and dress. A man can also look for clubs and groups of people who identify in a similar way and that offer support, friendship and activities to people who are exploring gender identity.
Find a therapist or counselor who can help you understand the reasons you're exploring femininity. Seeing a therapist is often a required step before hormone therapy can begin [source: Go Ask Alice ]. So if you're a man considering taking birth control pills, stop.
Look at the reasons for your curiosity and what you hope to achieve. Next, find someone — a doctor or therapist — who can help you figure out the best way to reach your goals. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. In the past 50 years, there have been few changes in male contraception compared with the range of options available to women. Some men use withdrawal to try to prevent pregnancy, when they pull their penis out of their partner's vagina before ejaculating.
However, this is not a recommended method of contraception. Sperm can be released from the penis before ejaculation. Researchers are optimistic that a safe, effective and reversible method of male contraception will eventually become a reality, although this is still several years away. In fertile men, new sperm cells are constantly created in the testicles. This process is triggered by the hormone testosterone.
The goal of hormonal contraception research is to find a way of temporarily blocking the effects of testosterone so testicles stop producing healthy sperm cells. However, this needs to be achieved without lowering testosterone levels to such an extent that it triggers side effects, such as a loss of sexual desire.
One way of doing this is by giving men a synthetic version of testosterone, together with a hormone called progestogen. Progestogens are synthetic versions of a female sex hormone often found in female hormonal contraceptives, such as the progestogen-only pill. This approach stops the testes producing testosterone which, in most cases, prevents normal sperm production. However, at the same time it keeps the amount of testosterone in the blood normal, preventing side effects.
This is a very effective approach, but some men still carry on producing enough sperm to cause a pregnancy. The reason why this happens is unknown, but it may be that some men carry on producing enough testosterone to continue to stimulate some sperm production. Here are a few other male family planning options that have not yet come to the market. This year, a study revealed men could regularly take a hormone pill called dimethandrolone undecanoate DMAU to prevent pregnancy without significant side effects.
The male birth control method lowers levels of testosterone and other hormones in the blood, cutting down on sperm production. After men took the DMAU pill daily for a month, their testosterone dropped to what was described as castrate levels. This means the hormone was as low as if they were castrated. A series of longer-term studies on it may be in the works in the future. Vasagel is a gel that gets injected into the vas deferens. Unlike a vasectomy, the non-hormonal birth control is easily reversible.
If you want to manage certain symptoms that are often treated with contraceptives but you want to avoid hormonal birth control , talk to a doctor. The side effects vary from person to person. They depend on the type of birth control you choose.
For this reason, a doctor will take your blood pressure and ask about your medical history before prescribing any contraceptives. Fact: Testosterone often makes your period less regular and more sparse, but many people who take testosterone still menstruate. Long-term use of testosterone usually stops menstruation. For example, people who are assigned male at birth but identify as something other than male might consider feminizing hormone therapy.
The process of hormonal transitioning is complex. It requires specialized medication and the supervision of an expert. According to Mayo Clinic , there are a few potential side effects of feminizing hormone therapy. Hormone therapy can be riskier for people with certain conditions, such as people with a history of hormone-sensitive cancer like prostate cancer or high blood pressure.
Myth: Estrogen-based hormonal birth control is a feminizing treatment that can form a type of hormone therapy for people assigned male at birth. People who are assigned female at birth — including transgender men taking testosterone — can take hormonal birth control pills safely.
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