Conversations about and representations of all the different people who experience periods; women, trans men, and non-binary people, have been broadening and this includes intersex people too. It isn’t just cisgender women who have periods – and worth noting too – that many cisgender women don’t experience periods either.
If you follow us on Instagram, you’ve probably seen our #RenameDontShame campaign calling for supermarkets to ditch stigmatized and gendered language when it comes to talking about period products. One of our followers asked us if we could extend the conversation to intersex people, and we felt it was important to. So, where and how do intersex people fit into the conversation of periods? Read on to find out.
What does intersex mean?
An intersex person is somebody who was born without falling directly into one of the binary biological sexes assigned at birth – male or female. When you’re born, you are assigned a biological sex based on your genitalia. This is different from your gender identity and is solely based on your biological make up at birth.
Being intersex means you are born with characteristics of both sexes – there are many combinations and developmental causes which will lead someone to be considered intersex. It can present itself externally in the appearance of genitals or internally in a person’s reproductive organs.
People who are not easily categorised to one biological sex are often called intersex, there are other medical terms used as well. If somebody has outwardly visible signs that they’re intersex, it may be identified at birth. But for others, it may not be until later in life, likely at puberty, that they realise they’re intersex due to the way their body changes and works.
How can you tell if somebody is intersex?
If the concept of intersex people is new to you, it’s understandable you might feel curious and want to ask these questions. However, the answer is simple – you likely can’t tell if someone is intersex, neither do you need to.
Somebody else’s biological sex (and gender identity) isn’t anything for you to worry about unless they choose to speak to you about it. When you first meet somebody, it’s a good practice to ask for their pronouns, just like you would their name A pronoun is most likely the only information you’ll need from someone about their biological sex or gender identity. Anything extra might be considered an invasion of privacy.
If you’re concerned about getting someone’s pronouns incorrect, you could try and get into the habit of offering your pronouns first. This can prevent assumptions being made of any of us, and create a space for gender identity introductions which currently isn’t always there
It is always up to an individual what information they choose to disclose about themselves, conversations should always follow that person’s lead, and what they feel comfortable sharing with you.
Is being intersex common?
Research states that 1.7% of the population is born with intersex traits – that’s similar to the amount of people in the world with red hair! Some studies claim it’s much lower than this, but these limit the definition of what is considered intersex.
Due to gender and sex norms in modern society, it may seem surprising to some to learn that people’s biology isn’t always binary and doesn’t always boil down to male or female – there are other possibilities. But humans aren’t the only animals who experience more sexual fluidity than the binary. Did you know that many animals are known to display attributes of both sexes, can change their sex, or change their appearance to look like the other sex? We think these variations are something to embrace and celebrate – in people and the animal kingdom alike!
Is being intersex a health risk?
Being intersex is common enough to make up a significant minority in society, and it’s completely normal. Generally speaking, there are no health risks from being born intersex.
There can sometimes be health-related issues that stem from being intersex. For example, somebody with female genitalia but no uterus may experience trouble with their fertility. Or having a uterus without a uterine or vaginal opening may cause a need for medication or surgery, as menstrual blood has no way of leaving the body. Intersex people may also experience dysphoria if they have been assigned a sex at birth that does not represent their body or identity later in life; sometimes puberty can express a different biological sex than expected for that person. Some of the health risks can be controlled with surgery and hormones – for example creating a vaginal opening for blood to leave the body during menstruation.
Unless there is a health risk that stems from being intersex, there is no real need to go through surgery to be assigned with one biological sex. However, some intersex people may want to do this for their own reasons.
Do intersex people have periods?
As there are so many variations of what it can mean to be intersex, there is no one answer to this question. Mostly, it depends on the sexual and reproductive organs an individual is born with, whether they will have periods or not.
If an intersex person is born with a functioning uterus, ovaries, and a vagina, most likely that person will start menstruating at puberty. The experience of having a period can vary hugely from person to person, and this true for those who are intersex as well! Just remember there is no normal, only what is ‘normal’ for your own body.
Somebody who has typically female organs but typically male appearance features, may also have periods. Similarly, somebody who presents as typically female, but has male reproductive traits may not have periods.
If you would like to find out more, there are some excellent resources out there. Here is a video of three intersex people talking about their experience of life without periods. And here is an intersex person’s experience of puberty with the presence of period symptoms.
Everybody’s experience is different, and it’s important to listen to the people with first-hand experience of life as an intersex person.
If this is something that you need help with or have further questions about, please DM us, email or comment below.
I have at least learnt something that is new to me that I never known for sometime now and thanks for writing this article for it has helped out
I’m intersex and this little essay is okay but it needs some clarification. If an intersex person is born with a uterus and OVARIES AND A VAGINA they might menstruate. If the vagina empties into their penis they will bleed from the their urethra where ever that is. If they have a uterus and ovaries but no vagina they are in BIG trouble and menstruation must be stopped hormonally at least, and sometime surgery to remove the uterus is done as well. We do not yet have a way to construct a neo-vagina that can let menstrual fluid out of the body. That being said, most intersex people do not have a uterus and ovaries. One of the more common forms of intersex, Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, CAH – sometimes includes a uterus, ovaries and vagina but the adrenal glands in this Intersex trait produce so much testosterone that frequently those organs don’t function, or don’t function well and of course sometimes aren’t even present despite the person being XX. Remember, chromosomes “suggest” but do NOT dictate sex. There are intersex people who are XY females able to get pregnant and give birth and aren’t likely to ever know they are XY and vice versa. Do Intersex people have periods? Is kind of a silly question. The answer is “only if they have the equipment and hormones to operate it.” People who are XXY, CAIS, PAIS, 5-ARD and many others NEVER DO. Some who are XX CAH do but some don’t. Infertility among us is common. Thanks for keeping this essay accurate. There is a new book out that is pretty good for further info on us, “A Comprehensive Guide to Intersex” Jay Kyle Peterson
Hey James, thanks so much for reading and for your comment. We’ve made some corrections to the blog post based on your comment, thank you for helping us to better understand and write about this topic. We completely understand that this blog post covers some of the basics and we hope to write more about it moving forwards so that we can be a little more detailed. This piece is largely an introduction to help answer some initial questions people may have, but there is absolutely more to discuss. Thanks so much for the book recommendation too, we will take a look!
I am born intersex; i have occasionally period but without the bleeding. -i couldn’t agree or explain it better than you did.
There is no such thing as XXY in females, the condition is instead called Turner syndrome, whereas Klinefelter’s Syndrome only affects males. A karyotype or chromosomal test needs to be done in order to confirm either diagnosis. Hormone tests alone only show a deficiency of hormones. XXY is NOT defined as intersex but it increases the chances ever so slightly at birth. (by less than 2%)
Source: Me, XXY and my life experience.
Hey, thanks so much for your comment and this insight – we’ve edited the blog post to reflect your input. We really appreciate you calling us in on this.
If you count PCOS as an intersex condition—and some people do, given that it can induce things like pattern baldness, facial hair, and deepening of the voice in AFAB people—then yes, that category can have periods, complete with PMS, menorraghia, and menorrhea.
(And that’s a whole ‘nother minefield, tying into the whole issue of hormone levels and the definition of gender—which gets used to disqualify athletes in women’s sports, particularly if they’re of color, differing from white standards of feminine beauty and presentation, and/or just too danged good at sports.)