Hi all, this is my first post here at Susan's Place. I debated whether to post this in the Introductions or Non-binary forums, but the conversations in this forum are more relevant to my situation.
I'm 61 years old, and have identified as a gay or queer male for most of my adult life. In recent years i've been digging deeper into my personal collection of mental health problems and health curiosities. I confirmed diagnoses of ADD and an autism spectrum disorder a couple of years back on top of other crappy things.
While investigating autism/Asperger's syndrome, I came across discussion of Klinefelter's syndrome/47XXY. I was thunderstruck, because I recognized so many of the developmental and physical symptoms of KS. I started inquiring about KS at another forum, and became convinced that I might have the mosaic version of KS—if this was so, it would explain so many things I've been baffled and pained about since I was little. I also wondered if I was trans in some way, since I have many cross-gender instincts.
I convinced my doctor to have a karyotype done. My results came back 46XY. I was so upset I actually cried for most of the evening after getting the test result. Also, my testosterone results were ambiguous— they hovered from a bit below the bottom of the "normal" range to a bit above it. I was mystified about why I had so many symptoms of having low testosterone throughout my life.
Fast forward a few months to a couple of weeks ago— I sought out the help of a psychotherapist who is also a well-known intersex activist. We've had a few video conferences, and the upshot is this: my curiosity about KS was justified. Physically, he confirmed that I have the "eunuchoid habitus" physique characteristic of KS, and can happily call myself a gender variant or gender non-conforming person if I wish. Additionally, after discussing other details with him, he thinks that I might have some sort of unnamed androgen insensitivity that differs from the more well-known Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome.
I was stunned when he suggested androgen insensitivity. It would explain why I had low normal T but have a history suggestive of much lower T. My local psychiatrist thought what he said was plausible.
I had noticed the discussions about DES here a while back. I asked my video psychotherapist if he was familiar with DES, and if he thought I might have been exposed to it. He said yes, that I very well could have been exposed to DES when I was a wee floaty thing in my mom's belly, because I have symptoms that suggest it.
Of course, this is just speculation at this point. I'm looking for an endocrinologist in my city familiar with things like KS, AIS, DES etc., with my two psych-allies on board to discuss suitable tests and possible TRT.
So I'm a gender variant, non-binary, mildly autistic, androgynous male-ish person who may or may not have something that is near the outer bounds of being an intersex condition, and in the near future I might be starting TRT to transition from being nearly male to being a bit more male. That's freaking awesome, isn't it? Which spectrums and umbrellas do I fit under?
Hello to all of you. I hope I'm in the right place.
