I often wonder if I'm intersex

[Burna]

I need y'alls help! My name is Burna I'm 25 years old raised up as a female. I was born a normal female and throughout my childhood. I started puberty at 10 still remained a normal female and my periods were regular until, I turned 16 my body started to go the opposite direction? My periods have stopped and my shoulders got wider and my hips got narrower and my rib cage grew twice the size it was before. My hips no longer round like they were and my breast also got smaller. I noticed at age 19 I started to develop a ridge across my eyebrows and I stated to get body and Facial hair. Strange thing is my voice is still female and I so badly want to wear cute girly dresses but when I do people stare at me, laugh at me and take pictures and laugh. I often avoid public restrooms because of if I use the women's room they will scream gtfo and if I use the men's room I could get raped.
I still do have full female privates and breasts but look masculine in appearance. I do not have pcos or cushings. I am trying to figure out why my body wanted to reverse into a man. I do not want to be a male I want to remain female. I still love girly stuff and my favorite color is still pink. Now in order to get my period I have to be on birth control which I am on the mini pill has regulated quite a bit. I often get depressed and angry because of my situation. Men often perceive me as one of them and I have more male friends . Females seem to be uncomfortable around me and treat me like a perverted male. I cannot talk to females as they look at me all weird. I so badly want female friends I can look up to as sisters and do girly stuff like go shopping and get hair and nails done. I have been told I'm infertile but I can have children of I went through treatments and yes I have full female reproductive system. No inner testes or streak ovarie. I am just so confused on why this happened to me my testosterone levels are normal for an adult female my age. I need awnsers!

[Dena]

Welcome to Susan's Place. I suspect more knowledgable people will check in over the next week or so but we are a little short on information. There are a series of genetic test that could be run on you that might provide a clue as to what is going on. The full test is somewhat expensive and are not always run. Exact levels for Testosterone and estrogen from your blood results would also be useful. Are you under the treatment of an endocrinologist and is there a formal diagnosis?

As I know far to little about intersex variations, it almost sounds as if your body went into menopause at a very early age and your testosterone levels while low, are sufficient to masculinize your features. This is why knowledge of your estrogen levels might be helpful.

To rule out one other thing that's kicking around in the back of my mind, what is your hight. If your are over 6 foot tall are you continuing to gain hight?

I am also a bit suspicious of why you are on birth controls pills. An endocrinologist would be more likely to provide estrogen and progesterone as separate medications as the dosage would be far easer to regulate.

The changes that have taken place most likely will remain the same. Like the MTFs on this site, you need to be careful with fashion selection to diminish your shoulders and hair/makeup to control your facial appearance. If you have the money and desire Facial Feminization Surgery is an option to undo the changes to your face. FFS is expensive and needs careful surgeon selection but it can greatly change your features.

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[cheryl reeves]

I'm mtf and have always passed for female even with a boys haircut, when puberty hit I developed like a female,i have a penis and fathered 3 children ,but I also have breasts they are between a aa and a b cup. I learned to walk my own walk and don't care what others say about me.  Being who we are is a tough road to walk neither being fully female or male. That's me in my profile pic when I'm dressed girly,most times I look like a hillbilly.

[Burna]

@cheryl you have made my day! I no longer feel alone i guess its the way nature made us. I still see myself as female and always will.

[Ms Grace]

It may be a genetic issue, an extra chromosome or something. I'd suggest you talk to your doctor about being referred to a specialist who can give you some solid answers.

[Burna]

@Ms grace you are probably right, it may be genetic. I could be XXY instead of XX if that's the case than I would be partially intersex. Most XXY women look like normal girls before puberty. I do think like a normal female and have female genetalia and reproductive organs but my body shape and skeletal frame is more male. If I am XXY than I may be able to bear children because I've heard stories about XXY females bearing children with fertility treatments.

[Ms Grace]

Best to get tested. I was tested twice for XXY since I had a number of the physical signs of that condition and I guess they were surprised it didn't show up the first time. But apparently I am XY...or XYZ as I like to think.

[cheryl reeves]

I've never been tested, when I was born I looked like a girl, but since I had male genitals, my dad decided to make me a boy. I was allowed to be a girl til I was 3 and my dad put a stop to it. Growing up whenever they had a documentary on what is now called transgender,we would watch them. I didn't grow facial or body hair til I shaved for a few yrs,sometimes I regret ever getting the bright idea to shave. I'm 50 and people still think I'm 35. I have the frame of a woman and like I said puberty did a whammy on me and my friends started to find excuses to stay away from me. Being who we are is a gift for we are given a chance to walk in both world's unseen. My sister look more boyish then I do and hates dressed, My little sis doesn't like dressed to much,me I would love to wear dressed and skirts all the time, but I stay to means and t shirts,i don't take my short off in public,it's been since I was 12yrs  that I went shirtless in public.

[Gertrude]

Shaving doesn't cause an increase in the number of hairs


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[abd789]

My current HRT doctor doesnt think I am out of the ordinary... but they didnt really look me over.

I am a split myself and have a penis, testicles and fathered 3 children as well. But I also have a 2-3 inch cavity that works alot like a vagina. I looked girly in my young pictures and always had "curves" which led to me being bullied and called fat... so I got fatter and covered them up. Now that I am losing weight and started HRT, the girls body is really starting to show.

I also had "mystery" surgery when I was 12 and have a huge scar to prove they did something to me...

funny, Im 48 and get called 30 or less on a regular basis, I always get carded and I love every minute of it

[Lady Sarah]

I have been tested. The results were XY. That fails to explain why I never entered puberty until age 17, and still looked like 95% female (but without breasts) 8 years later ... when I started estrogen therapy. Even the surgeon that performed my orchiectomy listed me as intersex. Of course, he saw the x rays of my pelvic bone, and drew his conclusion from that.

There do seem to be many different types of intersex ... most of which, many doctors never come across. Many cannot even recognize it when presented with a patient exhibiting symptoms. This is especially problematic in areas far from major municipalities.

[Dena]

There are a couple of variations that are not covered by a simple XY test. There is a more extensive (and costly) genetic test that checks for additional genes that are associated with intersex. Another possibly is androgen insensitivity. With this condition, male hormones can have little or no effect. If your testosterone levels were extremely low before starting HRT, your body would default to feminine.

I haven't a clue if I have any intersex features because the above test didn't exist when I transitioned and I no longer care to find out. My body other than my face has little hair growth and physically I never developed much strength.

If you really wish to know, the tests are available but you will have to ask for them as they aren't normally run.

[Lady Sarah]

It is highly likely my insurance would cover such tests, as they are likely not medically necessary. It's much like the government saying Medicare will cover SRS when medically necessary, then saying it is purely a cosmetic procedure.

I realize that androgen insensitivity likely kept my body young looking, just like many of the transgender youth these days getting puberty blockers. When I found a guy I graduated with (on a dating site), he said he thought I was on hormones while in high school ... which I graduated in 1984 ... way before puberty blockers were available to TG youth.

Thoughts regarding my gender were emphasized when I missed a month and a half of school due to an appendectomy, and I returned to school with a 6 inch vertical scar on my pelvis. At that time, I had no interest in boys (girls either), but there were a few boys interested in me.

[dmj23]

@Ms grace you are probably right, it may be genetic. I could be XXY instead of XX if that's the case than I would be partially intersex. Most XXY women look like normal girls before puberty. I do think like a normal female and have female genetalia and reproductive organs but my body shape and skeletal frame is more male. If I am XXY than I may be able to bear children because I've heard stories about XXY females bearing children with fertility treatments.

I did a DNA test last summer and had a karyotype of xxy. But I have had no signs really. Of virilization. I'm actually pretty small and tiny and very top heavy like busty it didnt mess with my hormone level much besides my prolactin level being very high. I had a u/s showed no abnormalities both now and when I was 12. The structure thing though was correct for me I did get broad shoulders and narrow hips. But thats about it.