Aromatase excess syndrome??

[jayjay]

Does anyone here know anything about aromatase excess syndrome?  Aromatase is an enzyme that converts testosterone into estrogen. 

Wikipedia describes aromatase excess syndrome:
A number of investigators have reported on a rather rare syndrome of excess aromatase activity. In boys it can lead to gynecomastia and in girls to precocious puberty and gigantomastia. In both sexes, early epiphyseal closure leads to shortness.

I think this describes me:  I have functional male genitals, although I am only 5'2" /135 pounds and have breasts large and lumpy enough that my doc makes me get mammograms. (In high school I was called "Mr D Cup").  My estrogen level is 50, which is right at the top edge of the "normal" male levels.  And my T is around 500.    I have always felt like I was part male and part female as well.

Any thoughts, comments, ideas or suggestions would be welcome.

[RachelT]

In males, aging, health and disease are processes that occur over physiologic time and involve a cascade of hormonal, biochemical and physiological changes that accompany the down-regulation of the hypothalamic-anterior pituitary-testicular axis. As aging progresses there are relative increases of body fat and decreases in muscle mass. The increased adipose tissue mass is associated with the production of a number of newly generated factors. These include aromatase, leptin, PAI-1, insulin resistance, and the dyslipidemias, all of which can lead to tissue damage. Fatty tissue becomes the focal point for study as it represents the intersection between energy storage and mobilization. The increase in adipose tissue is associated with an increase in the enzyme aromatase that converts testosterone to estradiol and leads to diminished testosterone levels that favor the preferential deposition of visceral fat. As the total body fat mass increases, hormone resistance develops for leptin and insulin. Increasing leptin fails to prevent weight gain and the hypogonadal-obesity cycle ensues causing further visceral obesity and insulin resistance. The progressive insulin resistance leads to a high triglyceride–low HDL pattern of dyslipidemia and increased cardiovascular risk. All of these factors eventually contribute to the CHAOS Complex: coronary disease, hypertension, adult-onset diabetes mellitus, obesity and/or stroke as permanent changes unfold. Other consequences of the chronic hypogonadal state include osteopenia, extreme fatigue, depression, insomnia, loss of aggressiveness and erectile dysfunction all of which develop over variable periods of time.

[finewine]

In males, aging, health and disease are processes that occur over physiologic time and involve a cascade of hormonal, biochemical and physiological changes that accompany the down-regulation of the hypothalamic-anterior pituitary-testicular axis. [...]

The above lifted from this abstract. 

[Nick Aiden]

Does anyone here know anything about aromatase excess syndrome?  Aromatase is an enzyme that converts testosterone into estrogen. 

Wikipedia describes aromatase excess syndrome:
A number of investigators have reported on a rather rare syndrome of excess aromatase activity. In boys it can lead to gynecomastia and in girls to precocious puberty and gigantomastia. In both sexes, early epiphyseal closure leads to shortness.

I think this describes me:  I have functional male genitals, although I am only 5'2" /135 pounds and have breasts large and lumpy enough that my doc makes me get mammograms. (In high school I was called "Mr D Cup").  My estrogen level is 50, which is right at the top edge of the "normal" male levels.  And my T is around 500.    I have always felt like I was part male and part female as well.

Any thoughts, comments, ideas or suggestions would be welcome.

My mother and I have always discussed whether something was "wrong with me" because of a number of strange physical traits. I was born/assigned female, had a very early puberty and began menstruating at a young age 8 or 9. In addition to this, the more pressing "problem" was that I grew enormous breasts. Now I'm not talking D's DD's or the like. I mean freaking huge basketball sized breasts. I hated them, was bothered by them, and had a reduction at 16. No one in my genetic make up has large breasts. None on either side, (and I'm lucky enough to have personally known both sides of my family and all relatives back as far as my great grandparents.) I also have a height disadvantage. I'm not the smallest person on the planet, as I'm 5'4". But compared to my family I'm the shortest. My cousins were taller than me by age 12 and my cousin who is "full grown" is 6'5". Both of my parents are at least inches taller and my grandparents are as well.


After reading the symptoms of a genetic female with the excess disorder I'm curious as to whether this is the cause of my strange physical qualities. I almost feel better as I've been wondering what caused my breasts to explode, as if "God" didn't need to stop at giving them to me.... they must be so huge that no one can ever miss them.

Now the strangest part is even after reduction they grew back... nice and HUGE again. They may or may not have stopped by now (I'm 22) because I try to ignore them at all costs and don't make a habit of inspecting their size.

If this "excess" of estrogen disorder, it would be my natural levels of T may or may not be high, but regardless of their levels its being turned into estrogen. Could this effect my FTM transition. Will T shots (which i am starting in Jan '10) over power this, or will my body just turn around and make more E?

Now I'm kinda of scared.
Post Merge: October 16, 2009, 04:59:21 PM
Curiosity strikes again:

A fetus' chromosomes "cause" its assigned gender. An XX fetus will be bathed in Estrogen in the womb, an XY fetus bathed in Testosterone. Thus making their cells develop into the standard genitals of each sex.

This syndrome is currently being studied to discover how passable it is to children and whether or not it could run in families. If its something in your genetic make-up that makes it happen then it has been there since conception.

So my actual question is. If AES causes Testosterone to turn in Estrogen.

Could an XY fetus have its naturally produced testosterone that makes it develop male converted by this syndrome? And if so would the T in the womb that has now be converted to E, be able to then bathe the "mold-able" fetus in Estrogen instead. Making a Chromosomal XY actually develop into a physically female baby?

Could this happen?

My scientific mind says yes, but I have no proof of that. If it could happen, I would think the child would have a normal female body, probably couldn't conceive a child, but not much else would be different. Because the E causes the fetus to become a normally functioning female with the exception that they would have XY Chromosomes.

What do you all think of this? Could it happen? If it did happen may the child always have a sinking feeling they are male and not female, even though their body seems normal in all other ways? (meaning they are visually intersexed)