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Piercings are known to increase self confidence. Just like someone who feels self conscious about their nose might get a nostril piercing, some trans people seek out genital piercings to help with body dysmorphia. Or, just like someone who likes nipple piercings might get a nipple piercing, trans people might get genital piercings. For whatever the reason, genital piercings are cool and here’s what you need to know.
Should You Get a Genital Piercing Before Starting HRT?
Generally its not recommended that you get a genital piercing before starting hormones. The reason being that your anatomy will change, especially in the first two years. You’ll want to make sure that your new anatomy can support a piercing. That being said, if you already have a genital piercing, most of the time you can keep it through your therapy. Hopefully you already have a piercer you feel open with and you can just let them know your plans. They will likely want you to come in periodically so they can keep an eye on your changing anatomy and the piercing and swap out your jewelry as needed.
Piercing Options for MTF After Hormone Therapy
Luckily for you, if you are MTF, you are eligible for any piercing that a CIS man could get. Your only considerations would be if you plan on getting surgery one day. Doctors generally don’t want you to get any genital piercings that will develop a fistula (piercing scar) on the tissue they use during bottom surgery. A safe example of a pre-op piercing is a Prince Albert. Prince Alberts (or PA for a more gender neutral term) are relatively painless and easy to heal. A piercing you may want to stay away from if you’re considering getting bottom surgery would be a Dydoe. A dydoe could potentially interfere with a MTF GRS.
Piercing Options for FTM After Hormone Therapy
Even luckier for you, after hormone therapy you’re likely able to have even more piercings than a CIS woman. After HRT, your genitals will engorge and can therefore support even more piercings. A lot of post therapy FTM men can actually support the incredibly rare clit piercing. With other genital piercings, you will be able to support a larger gauge which tend to have a more masculine look. If you intend on getting surgery, you’ll want to check with your doctor to be sure, but most genital piercings on FTM men will not cause an issue.
What Are Your Piercing Options After Bottom Surgery?
Some people want to pierce their new goods but are worried about what they may be able to support. Rest assured that in general, you’ll be able to support most piercings a CIS person can post surgery. Keep in mind though that all piercings (especially genital piercings) are anatomy dependent so you won’t be able to be certain until you have your new anatomy checked out by your piercer.
Functionality in Trans Genital Piercings
Some genital piercings offer additional “functionality”. This varies piercing to piercing and person to person. You may experience functionality to the same degree that a cis person would. In general, when trans people do experience additional functionality from a piercing, it tends to be more so than a cis person. This may have less to do with increased stimulation and more from a raise in sexual confidence.
Conclusion
If you suffer from body dysmorphia or low sexual confidence, a genital piercing is a great solution for many people. You may want to wait until you’ve had HRT for at least two years before getting a new piercing to give time for your anatomy to settle. If you plan on getting bottom surgery down the line you may want to ask your doctor which piercings may affect your future anatomy. After surgery, you’ll be able to support most piercings a cis person can.
