Naturally Occuring Hormones

[Guest Katrina_Carter]

There are many men and women in this world who are not transgendered, but show a significant amount of physical masculinity or femininity which is opposite their genetic gender. Also I am aware that all men and women produce testosterone and estrogen naturally, just in varying amounts dependent on genetic gender. So my question is for those of us who show a noticeable amount of the opposite gender naturally (facial hair on women, breasts and general body shape on men), are there medical conditions that cause this? Is it possible that some men and women over produce the hormone for their opposite genetic gender, or is it a lack of production of the hormone for their gender? Or are there other causes for this?

[Guest Donna Jean]

Interestinng...

I guess that it works both ways...one hormone may be stronger or more apparent in a person...

For instance...

My doc told me that my begining Testosterone level was 420 which she said was on the low male side...

Girlfriends Lizzy started with about 240 and that crazy Sally started with only 120 (What's with that, Sally?????)

So, many of us are not at "normal " levels when we start transition. But, of course many are at or above the birth gender levels and that has to be overcome with meds...

Donna Jean

[Guest julia_d]

This is an interesting topic.. Did any of you low T girls find you were easily angered and annoyed by stupid things. A study I came across seemed to imply that it's males with low T who are overly aggressive and possibly violent whereas the normal levels (along with a male brain wiring of course) seem to be pretty easy going guys. (study was done on serial killers and repeat violent offenders and showed T readings in the low 200's or below)

My T level recently was 227 .. that's after 9 years estrogen and NO T blockers (they weren't about when I started.. and nobody cares enough about me on the NHS to do anything about it now it seems) and I remember before the E I was a pretty aggressive and forceful up front person in male mode.

The E has worked wonders in that respect.. I'm still pretty pushy but now I know that I'm big enough to look after myself, and my chemical balance seems better.

Could the low T levels be a kind of mental trigger for transition? The anger turns inwards and drives the need to fix it?

[Guest N. Jane]

There ARE medical conditions that effect a body's natural hormone levels.

At age 18 I had half the normal male level of testosterone and half the normal female level of estrogen but no "cause" was diagnosed. Development was split 50/50 not achieving normal development in either.

After SRS and a gonadectomy, my hormone levels dropped to "post-menopausal".

[Guest Joanna Phipps]

Interestinng...

I guess that it works both ways...one hormone may be stronger or more apparent in a person...

For instance...

My doc told me that my begining Testosterone level was 420 which she said was on the low male side...

Girlfriends Lizzy started with about 240 and that crazy Sally started with only 120 (What's with that, Sally?????)

So, many of us are not at "normal " levels when we start transition. But, of course many are at or above the birth gender levels and that has to be overcome with meds...

Donna Jean

420, on the low side???? mine was 240 when I started hrt its now 23Ng/Dl

[Guest Donna Jean]

420, on the low side???? mine was 240 when I started hrt its now 23Ng/Dl

Right...she said on the "Low side" for a male reading....

Mine is now 25Ng/Dl

Donna Jean

[Guest Elizabeth K]

Started 240 - now 24

But before HRT - about a year and one half - because of diabetic problems I was fighting male performance problems (erectile disfuntion) and my endo put me on testosterone. I went crazy - super aggressive and combatative. I had to quit the 'T" (ironic). We now think I have conditions in my body that resist testosterone.

So it can be different for everyone - for reasons that MAY not be sexual dysphoria in origin.

[Guest Katrina_Carter]

Low T levels increase violent tendencies? I would always have assumed the opposite, I thought testosterone was the hormone that triggered aggressive behavior.

The reason I asked the original questions was that I was wondering of there might be more to it than just brain development. If naturally occurring hormone levels was a reason that some people appear to have multiple aspects of the opposite gender without being transgendered. Also partly why I had enough feminine aspects to my body to be assumed female by about 5% of the people I met when I was hiding who I was and trying to be as masculine as possible. Was looking into the idea that it may have been a hormone production issue.

[Guest Elizabeth K]

Yes - there are other medical conditions both feminizing and masculinizing. Google 'intersexed' for some of the causes. But I think you are asking a personal question as to the effects you might have had toward trangender, from organic causes - particularly hormones.

I am not a physician nor a medical researcher, so I cannot give a definitive answer. I do know that all my life I have had a feminized face - and never understood why. Yet in the general male population this is fairly common so I wasn't out of the statistical probability. BUT - I never have developed an Adam's Apple, not has my beard ever appeared other than in the moustache area and under the chin. I started puberty way past age 16. No hair on the body other than upper arms and lower legs. NOW I am loving all that! Before I thought I was not really very masculine.

Something was going on. I got on HRT and BOOM - feminized very quickly! So I don't know.

Am I transsexual because of this? No - I HAVE A MENTAL FEMALE MINDSET THAT MAKES ME TRANSSEXUAL. But the body has always wanted to be female I think. My therapist and prescribing physician both pointed this out to me.

Does this help?

I suspect there is little or no research on all this.

Lizzy

[Guest Katrina_Carter]

It helps, though I know the reason I am transgendered is simply because my brain developed as a female instead of male. The hormone thing I was curious if there were known medical issues, because it seems aside from the penis my body has also neen developing slightly as female instead of male.

[Guest ricka]

I've never had my hormone levels tested but I assume I have always had high estrogen levels. I developed female breasts during puberty. I have always had facial features of a girl/woman and never developed an adam's apple or muscles and my body was always soft and curvy. I was always effeminate too in my mannerisms and voice. It is my understanding that estrogen is produced in the mammary glands as well as the ovaries and I have fully developed female mammary glands which give my breast a totally different shape than man-boobs. Dressing as a woman came much later but when I started I lost my feelings of self-consciousness and inadequacy trying to be male and found myself feeling self-confident and "congruent" if that makes sense. I never thought of this as a "medical condition" per se. I am otherwise healthy. I was never had typical guy interests and was always romantically and sexually attracted to males.

Ricka