diff --git a/Include/cpython/pystate.h b/Include/cpython/pystate.h
index ed3ee090ae53db..bb2af78a376d75 100644
--- a/Include/cpython/pystate.h
+++ b/Include/cpython/pystate.h
@@ -97,10 +97,11 @@ struct _ts {
 #ifdef Py_BUILD_CORE
 #  define _PyThreadState_WHENCE_NOTSET -1
 #  define _PyThreadState_WHENCE_UNKNOWN 0
-#  define _PyThreadState_WHENCE_INTERP 1
-#  define _PyThreadState_WHENCE_THREADING 2
-#  define _PyThreadState_WHENCE_GILSTATE 3
-#  define _PyThreadState_WHENCE_EXEC 4
+#  define _PyThreadState_WHENCE_INIT 1
+#  define _PyThreadState_WHENCE_FINI 2
+#  define _PyThreadState_WHENCE_THREADING 3
+#  define _PyThreadState_WHENCE_GILSTATE 4
+#  define _PyThreadState_WHENCE_EXEC 5
 #endif
     int _whence;
 
diff --git a/Include/internal/pycore_pystate.h b/Include/internal/pycore_pystate.h
index a668d78b969bd9..b0e72523f58ed8 100644
--- a/Include/internal/pycore_pystate.h
+++ b/Include/internal/pycore_pystate.h
@@ -217,10 +217,14 @@ static inline PyInterpreterState* _PyInterpreterState_GET(void) {
 
 // PyThreadState functions
 
-extern PyThreadState * _PyThreadState_New(
+// Export for _testinternalcapi
+PyAPI_FUNC(PyThreadState *) _PyThreadState_New(
     PyInterpreterState *interp,
     int whence);
 extern void _PyThreadState_Bind(PyThreadState *tstate);
+PyAPI_FUNC(PyThreadState *) _PyThreadState_NewBound(
+    PyInterpreterState *interp,
+    int whence);
 extern PyThreadState * _PyThreadState_RemoveExcept(PyThreadState *tstate);
 extern void _PyThreadState_DeleteList(PyThreadState *list);
 extern void _PyThreadState_ClearMimallocHeaps(PyThreadState *tstate);
diff --git a/Include/internal/pycore_tstate.h b/Include/internal/pycore_tstate.h
index 733e3172a1c0ff..befca950920bac 100644
--- a/Include/internal/pycore_tstate.h
+++ b/Include/internal/pycore_tstate.h
@@ -14,13 +14,6 @@ extern "C" {
 #include "pycore_qsbr.h"          // struct qsbr
 
 
-static inline void
-_PyThreadState_SetWhence(PyThreadState *tstate, int whence)
-{
-    tstate->_whence = whence;
-}
-
-
 // Every PyThreadState is actually allocated as a _PyThreadStateImpl. The
 // PyThreadState fields are exposed as part of the C API, although most fields
 // are intended to be private. The _PyThreadStateImpl fields not exposed.
diff --git a/Modules/_testinternalcapi.c b/Modules/_testinternalcapi.c
index 3dd40a66abc1a4..3366706e4c7047 100644
--- a/Modules/_testinternalcapi.c
+++ b/Modules/_testinternalcapi.c
@@ -1586,8 +1586,8 @@ exec_interpreter(PyObject *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs)
     }
 
     PyObject *res = NULL;
-    PyThreadState *tstate = PyThreadState_New(interp);
-    _PyThreadState_SetWhence(tstate, _PyThreadState_WHENCE_EXEC);
+    PyThreadState *tstate =
+        _PyThreadState_NewBound(interp, _PyThreadState_WHENCE_EXEC);
 
     PyThreadState *save_tstate = PyThreadState_Swap(tstate);
 
diff --git a/Python/crossinterp.c b/Python/crossinterp.c
index 367e29d40d895a..a03456a8bbfd6f 100644
--- a/Python/crossinterp.c
+++ b/Python/crossinterp.c
@@ -1544,8 +1544,7 @@ _enter_session(_PyXI_session *session, PyInterpreterState *interp)
     PyThreadState *tstate = PyThreadState_Get();
     PyThreadState *prev = tstate;
     if (interp != tstate->interp) {
-        tstate = PyThreadState_New(interp);
-        _PyThreadState_SetWhence(tstate, _PyThreadState_WHENCE_EXEC);
+        tstate = _PyThreadState_NewBound(interp, _PyThreadState_WHENCE_EXEC);
         // XXX Possible GILState issues?
         session->prev_tstate = PyThreadState_Swap(tstate);
         assert(session->prev_tstate == prev);
@@ -1895,8 +1894,7 @@ _PyXI_EndInterpreter(PyInterpreterState *interp,
             tstate = cur_tstate;
         }
         else {
-            tstate = PyThreadState_New(interp);
-            _PyThreadState_SetWhence(tstate, _PyThreadState_WHENCE_INTERP);
+            tstate = _PyThreadState_NewBound(interp, _PyThreadState_WHENCE_FINI);
             assert(tstate != NULL);
             save_tstate = PyThreadState_Swap(tstate);
         }
diff --git a/Python/import.c b/Python/import.c
index 366c0167d03976..20ad10020044df 100644
--- a/Python/import.c
+++ b/Python/import.c
@@ -1518,11 +1518,11 @@ switch_to_main_interpreter(PyThreadState *tstate)
     if (_Py_IsMainInterpreter(tstate->interp)) {
         return tstate;
     }
-    PyThreadState *main_tstate = PyThreadState_New(_PyInterpreterState_Main());
+    PyThreadState *main_tstate = _PyThreadState_NewBound(
+            _PyInterpreterState_Main(), _PyThreadState_WHENCE_EXEC);
     if (main_tstate == NULL) {
         return NULL;
     }
-    main_tstate->_whence = _PyThreadState_WHENCE_EXEC;
 #ifndef NDEBUG
     PyThreadState *old_tstate = PyThreadState_Swap(main_tstate);
     assert(old_tstate == tstate);
diff --git a/Python/pylifecycle.c b/Python/pylifecycle.c
index a7b4d7ecc7c3ad..9b599cba241445 100644
--- a/Python/pylifecycle.c
+++ b/Python/pylifecycle.c
@@ -677,7 +677,7 @@ pycore_create_interpreter(_PyRuntimeState *runtime,
     }
 
     PyThreadState *tstate = _PyThreadState_New(interp,
-                                               _PyThreadState_WHENCE_INTERP);
+                                               _PyThreadState_WHENCE_INIT);
     if (tstate == NULL) {
         return _PyStatus_ERR("can't make first thread");
     }
@@ -2233,7 +2233,7 @@ new_interpreter(PyThreadState **tstate_p,
         goto error;
     }
 
-    tstate = _PyThreadState_New(interp, _PyThreadState_WHENCE_INTERP);
+    tstate = _PyThreadState_New(interp, _PyThreadState_WHENCE_INIT);
     if (tstate == NULL) {
         status = _PyStatus_NO_MEMORY();
         goto error;
diff --git a/Python/pystate.c b/Python/pystate.c
index 8d31a4db200d74..602b13e18c71ae 100644
--- a/Python/pystate.c
+++ b/Python/pystate.c
@@ -1293,9 +1293,8 @@ _PyInterpreterState_IDDecref(PyInterpreterState *interp)
     PyThread_release_lock(interp->id_mutex);
 
     if (refcount == 0 && interp->requires_idref) {
-        PyThreadState *tstate = _PyThreadState_New(interp,
-                                                   _PyThreadState_WHENCE_INTERP);
-        _PyThreadState_Bind(tstate);
+        PyThreadState *tstate =
+            _PyThreadState_NewBound(interp, _PyThreadState_WHENCE_FINI);
 
         // XXX Possible GILState issues?
         PyThreadState *save_tstate = _PyThreadState_Swap(runtime, tstate);
@@ -1603,8 +1602,13 @@ new_threadstate(PyInterpreterState *interp, int whence)
 PyThreadState *
 PyThreadState_New(PyInterpreterState *interp)
 {
-    PyThreadState *tstate = new_threadstate(interp,
-                                            _PyThreadState_WHENCE_UNKNOWN);
+    return _PyThreadState_NewBound(interp, _PyThreadState_WHENCE_UNKNOWN);
+}
+
+PyThreadState *
+_PyThreadState_NewBound(PyInterpreterState *interp, int whence)
+{
+    PyThreadState *tstate = new_threadstate(interp, whence);
     if (tstate) {
         bind_tstate(tstate);
         // This makes sure there's a gilstate tstate bound