The Bloodless Period: A Transfeminine Experience

Authors

Rin Nguyen, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Dena M. Abbott

Date of this Version

4-2024

Citation

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial Fulfillment of requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts

Major: Educational Psychology

Under the supervision of Professor Dena M. Abbott

Lincoln, Nebraska, April, 2024

Comments

Copyright 2024, Rin Nguyen. Used by permission

Abstract

There is limited research exploring menstruation in transgender and gender diverse (TGD) populations, and studies have primarily examined the relationship between menstruation and gender congruence. Findings revealed menstruating TGD people experienced distress related to decreased gender congruence (Eisenberg et al., 2021), and 88% of TGD people expressed interest in menstrual suppression to manage the distress (Schwartz et al., 2022). By contrast, Lowik (2020) highlighted a transfeminine person who wished to menstruate to achieve womanhood and commented on the “bloodless period” (i.e., menstrual-like symptoms in the absence of bleeding) upon receiving gender-affirming hormone therapy. To the author’s knowledge, there is no published research focused on menstruation in the transfeminine population.

This study was the first study to capture the lived menstrual experiences of transfeminine people and explore the concept of a “bloodless period” among ten White transfeminine adults in the United States. A critical (Horkheimer, 1975) queer (Gamson, 2000; Wozolek, 2019) interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith and Osborn, 2008) was applied, and the results revealed five themes: (1) emotionally and physically adjusting to GAHT, (2) learning to engage in menstrual management in daily life, (3) menstrual symptoms support positive gender congruence, (4) need for increased transfeminine inclusivity, and (5) unlearning binary and sex-negative social messages.

Advisor: Dena M. Abbott