Do you think of yourself as intersexed?

[Rachel]

When I first saw my PA-c in 2013 for HRT I told him I believe I am I am intersexed due to my genitals and different body ratios such as leg to torso, index finger length, arm curvature, finger tip to finger tip length to height ratios. He was treating me for being trans and starting my HRT.

I had asked if he would refer me for genetic testing. He said it is not covered by insurance and it is expensive. Further, he said, what does it matter? He said so if you are how will it change things?

I did not say anything to him back but it made a huge difference. It would help me explain why I am trans. I felt very embarrassed being trans. I had a lot of negative feedback growing up.

I eventually showed the mental and psychological profile of a person that is intersexed to my then wife. She said it matched me exactly. I agree.

When Dr. McGinn examined me she  said I am intersexed and that she thought she could correct my genitalia but it was a 50/50 chance the graft would die. If that was the case she would use and alternate method.

I had no material to make labia minora and my entire glandes penis is now my clitoris and it is the perfect size. I had two procedures for clitoplasty. One was under general anesthesia and one with a local.

I have an operation in April for my vagina and surrounding area which is my third. I was going through my Aetna insurance paperwork and throwing some older approvals away. I came across my GCS surgery Aetna paperwork for the 11/15/16 surgery what they state is code 55970 intersexed surgery MTF.

My question
How do you see yourself?

I see myself as female and not intersexed. I never saw myself as intersexed. I considered myself as trans and later as transsexual but never as intersexed.  I was between spinning classes today and used the bathroom. There is a woman's and men's locker room with bathrooms in them. It is binary. So am I transsexual, intersexed or a woman? I see myself as a woman more than transsexual now.

I never considered myself intersexed as a sexuality. It is more an explanation as to why I see things mentally and psychologically the way I do. More so it explains my genitals or lack there of and body dimensions.  My legs are so long (very evident in spin class, I like long lean legs 🙂 ) . How do you see yourself? I see myself as binary and I feel female.

To answer my PA-c I guess it really matters a lot. It is how I explain why I am and how I am. But then we are all unique.  It does not change anything but it explains so much that people that are not intersexed do not ever think about. But then again as time goes by and I continue to align and like who I am the differences really become less important. Although the leg thing is really good 🙂 . 

[zirconia]

Yes, I guess...

At least my doctor seemed to think so when my first ever hormone tests came in. I don't think I'll feel convinced, though, unless I also see chromosome test results that also show something similarly significant.

In any case, to me intersex, while helpful and alluring, is first and foremost merely a diagnosis. I believe that the society I live in feels the same. After all, e.g. diabetics are seen as either male or female—and so will I always be, regardless of what my hormone levels / chromosomes may say.

[ChrissyRyan]

No.  But I used to think that I was genderfluid and before that, simply mixed up!   


Chrissy

[josie76]

I didn't at first but I always wondered why I had such a wide pelvis. Then one day my doctor I was seeing, was checking my abdominal CT for possible kidney stones, He took one look and said they must have mixed up the scans. It is a woman's pelvis. This was before I had finally come out to my wife about my inner feelings. I grew up trying to hide my pelvis because I was ashamed to look even a bit girly. It seemed like a dead give away of the inner self I tried to hide.

Since then I asked that docotr about DES exposure. He was pretty sure it was unlikely. He did get me a karyotype that showed 46XY. Then he said I am most likely Androgen Insensative to some degree after we discussed my slight genetal deformations.

I had a urologist who did my orchi agree that partial androgen insensitivity was very likely. That gene sequence test is very expensive and my docotr said there is no medically necesary reason to get it covered by insurance so he didnt order it. Truns out the only treatment for AIS is hormonal therapy based on the patient's gender identity.

Whatever my particular mutation to the AR gene is, it seemed to affect my early bone and joint shape formation and to a smaller extent my genitals. Other docots have told me that the shape of certain bones is affected ear;y prenatally. In particular the sacroiliac joint shape in the pelvis. This sets the sacral tilt relative to the ilium. Also the joint profile pivot angles in the knees and elbows.
What I have learned from CT scans is that my bones fit closer to female than male using standard anthropologic skeletal sexing measurements. While I have some masculine traits after 40 years of testosterone exposure, they are minor to medium on the scales or in some ways non existant.

[Linde]

I do not understand, what my Klinefelter Syndrom (I am tested XXY, and some more stuff) or such has anything to do with a bathroom or dressing room?

I was born with a variety of intersex syndroms, I am not intersexed (funny term anyway).  This is a physical/biological condition of my body.  I am also transgender, because I was AMAB and transitioned into a woman.  This is a mental condition, my femle oriented brain and my male oriented body did not match!  I go to the bathroom that meets the gender I present with.  My body will always remain to have intersex syndromes, no matter whether I present as male or female.  Any gender affirming surgery changes only the exterior sex characteristics, but will never do anything about the biological makeup of my body!

I consider myself to be born with intersex syndromes, and being a transgender woman, one does not exclude the other!

[GingerVicki]

Itersex is a medical diagnosis. It is either yes or no.

[Lady Sarah]

I may have XY chromosomes, but there are things that indicate an intersexed condition. The most important is that just prior to my orchiectomy, the surgeon was looking at my xrays, and told me my pelvic bone is typical for a female, and if there was anything he should know. I have also had 2 other doctors that told me I was made for birthing children.

Puberty started at age 17 for me. At age 25 (when I started HRT) i was still not sexually mature. Pelvic rotation took place. Within a week of HRT, people noticed enough changes to know I was changing from male to female.

Do I consider myself intersexed? Yeah, but it doesn't change anything.

[GingerVicki]

We are all different and I do not believe that XY defines our gender or sexuality. Intersex is a very specific diagnosis and requires a medical diagnosis.

I doubt that it really matters myself.

[Linde]

We are all different and I do not believe that XY defines our gender or sexuality. Intersex is a very specific diagnosis and requires a medical diagnosis.

I doubt that it really matters myself.

It does only if, like in my case, one never developed any secondary male sex characteristics, and thus has it way easier (from the appearance of ones body) to change into a female.  I did not have to bother with all the stuff, others have to deal with in order to eliminate all those secondary things.  I had never any body hair, I did not need to remove it.  I have no Adams Apple, I don't need surgery to shave it.
But the mental part of the  transition does not change at all.  I was socialized as a male, and have to change all this learned behavior to be a female.

But I still don't understand why being a person with intersex syndromes cannot be a trans person at the same time?

[V.as.in.Victor]

I was intersex before starting HRT, and now I consider myself even more intersex. I'm a biologist, and the child of doctors, and I do consider sex and gender to be two different things.  Specifically, I think sex is such a technical thing it should basically only come up in regards to medical issues, and only a narrow category of those.  No one besides your doctor needs to know your sex.
In my thoughts (and I have no desire to force this on anyone else, please don't feel attacked if you don't like this) intersex is a term that covers the reasonably large percent of the population who don't fit perfectly within the textbook boundaries for medically male or medically female, and it doesn't matter how one got to that state. Also in my head, the main reason for this would be to have an indication on a patient's medical chart which basically means "read this person's record more carefully, you idiot" so a doctor won't prescribe a medication for a patient's prostate without first checking to see if they have a prostate.  It doesn't matter if they never had a prostate, or if it was removed some years ago due to cancer, the point is that you (the medical professional) shouldn't assume you know everything about how this person is built because their gender marker is M.

[Lilis]

In my thoughts (and I have no desire to force this on anyone else, please don't feel attacked if you don't like this) intersex is a term that covers the reasonably large percent of the population who don't fit perfectly within the textbook boundaries for medically male or medically female, and it doesn't matter how one got to that state.

Hiee V.as.in.Victor,

I feel the same way about sex and gender being different.

Like you, I also see myself as intersex even before starting HRT. Since puberty, my body didn't develop like most AMAB, and my experiences never lined up neatly with the typical male/female boxes either.

I'm not AFAB, it feels like there are parallels from the opposite side of the spectrum.

I don't have medical records to "prove" anything, but at this point in my life, it doesn't matter, it's simply the truth of how I understand myself.


~ Lilis 🌷

[Sarah B]

Hi Victor

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.  I agree with you that sex and gender are different.  I also respect how you describe yourself and I appreciate that you shared this as your own view rather than trying to impose it on others.

You are also right that doctors need to know a patient's sex since differences in liver and kidney function can affect how drugs are processed.  Getting the wrong dosage can in fact cause life threatening problems.  This is exactly why your concern is valid.  In modern practice the safest approach is not just a binary male or female marker but your personal medical history.  That way dosing and monitoring decisions are based on what organs, hormones and physiological features are actually present.

If you attend the ER you can choose what to tell the triage nurse, but if you are unconscious this is not possible.  That is the dilemma I have faced a couple of times.  For instance I have had ultrasounds on various organs and a colonoscopy exam and in both cases I chose not to tell them.  Last time I was admitted into hospital for rib problems they just assumed I was a female.

This is also why I prefer to stay with the same doctor so they know my history.  If I have to see a different doctor, like for a tetanus injection, they do not need to know.  I have also asked my main doctor not to record certain details if it can be avoided.

Clinically the word intersex usually refers to congenital variations in sex characteristics.  Extending it to acquired states such as surgical changes or hormone exposure can cause confusion in records, eligibility criteria and epidemiology.  Your personal medical history with the appropriate physician would ensure your safety.

Prevalence estimates also vary by definition.  It is always worth showing how such figures are calculated so people understand where they come from.

Safety is an issue for all of us.  For me personally it is one of the reasons why I do not tell people about my past.  My family knows and they accept me unconditionally even though they have not always kept it private.  At least this way when people meet me they do not see the word 'trans' branded on my forehead, figuratively speaking.

Take care and may all your dreams come true.

Best Wishes Always
Sarah B
Global Moderator
@V.as.in.Victor

[Maid Marion]

Yes.  Thinning female hair pattern that matches my long hair that goes down to my back without HRT.
30B-24-34 hourglass figure with diet and exercise. Only 8% of women have an hourglass figure.Waist is below the belly button. 
Waist is below my belly button.  Very little body hair--probably like most women when it comes to shaving it off.

The smallest female clothes sizes fit me perfectly!

Back in the old days when I had a full beard I'd routinely "male fail!"

Marion

[Allie Jayne]

Strictly speaking, Intersex refers to variations of sex characteristics, so including things like soft skin and other non reproductive structures may not fit the scientific description. We are all different, mesomorphic males have a body shape and fat compositions more associated with women, but they aren't intersex. I expect that there will be a redefining of intersex at some time in the future, but currently, it is still about reproductive characteristics.

A doctor suggested I might be intersex due to some developmental variations, but these were attributed to hypogonadism. My T was low, so I never need an anti androgen, but, despite some difficulty, I was able to reproduce. Some intersex people can reproduce, but very few. I am transgender. To me, this means that my brain developed differently and is not congruent with my biological makeup. That my brain developed more like a female brain could one day bring me within the description of intersex, it doesn't atm. I am OK with that, as it makes no difference to how I have lived, or will in the future.

Hugs,

Allie