Experiences of menopause among non-binary and trans people

Abstract

Background: Conventional categorizations of menopause can be difficult to apply to trans, gender non-conforming and non-binary (TGNB) populations. Menopause has biological, psychological and social meanings that may be hard to clearly apply within a context of diverse experiences of sex and gender. Nonetheless, some TGNB people do experience menopause, and their experiences may be different from those of other groups due to those diverse biopsychosocial understandings and experiences. Method: This paper thematically analyses the responses of 15 TGNB respondents who responded to a larger survey about LGBTQ+ experiences of menopause. Results: Two key themes were identified: Menopause and embodied identities, and Navigating gender normativity and gender binarism. The first of these contains two sub-themes, shifting and (un)settled gender identities, and embodied dis/connections with femaleness. Conclusions: These findings appear to be comparatively novel within the published academic literature but potentially have some parallels with prior observations regarding interactions between puberty and gender identity, and also regarding TGNB people’s experiences of challenges in navigating other health and life experiences normatively understood as female. These explorations raise a number of potentially sensitive questions, given the current debate and controversies around gender, sex and identity. Nonetheless, they point to a need for further research and practice into menopause that is inclusive and supportive of a range of gender and sexual identities.