Reminder to newly out trans women/fems or anyone else on E, don’t let anyone gaslight you about your period symptoms. don’t let anyone with a child’s level understanding of how periods work make you feel like you’re stupid or delusional for experiencing period symptoms, especially if you think there might be something wrong.
things like endometriosis can develop in an estrogen-dominated system, because its the hormones that cause the growth of endometrial lesions, not the “parts” themselves. If you’re experiencing unusually painful symptoms* then you have a right to find a doctor who will take you seriously and not try to gaslight you into thinking that the pain is “normal”.
*period pain is not supposed to affect your daily life. It’s supposed to feel more like an inconvenience rather than a medical emergency. If you are struggling to go about your life, if you can’t move due to the pain, if you’re bed-ridden for the majority of your period, then that is not normal and you need to find a doctor who is going to take your pain seriously. This obviously goes for anyone who experiences periods because unfortunately it’s not common knowledge that experiencing agonising levels of pain is NOT NORMAL!!!
https://extrapelvicnotrare.org/endometriosis-in-males/
TW for medical descriptions of anatomy and referral to the anatomy as "male". Emphasis is mine.
Since Oliker and Harris published “Endometriosis of the bladder in a male patient” in the Journal of Urology in 1971, there are about 20 case studies in the scientific community. The majority of these cases have two things in common:
1. The endometriosis lesion occur along the path of cells laid down during early embryo and fetus development. The majority of these cells normally ‘regress’ (disappear) before being born. However, it’s normal for a small portion of cells to remain after birth. These cells are inactive, dormant. They are referred to as embryonic cell rests. In development of endometriosis lesions among males, it’s suggested these cells are stimulated and continue to differentiate. Lesions that develop into ‘endometriosis’ present with specific characteristics to include glands, stroma and hormone receptivity to estrogen and progesterone.
2. Elevated circulating estrogen is suggested as a stimulating factor in most cases.
Locations of endometriosis in males has been reported at the bladder (3,6-7,10), inguinal canal adjacent to the spermatic cord (Mf, 8-9,12), epididymis (14), vas deferens (11) testes (2,13,16), prostate and abdominal wall. (5)
