Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Community Conversation => Transitioning => Hormone replacement therapy => Topic started by: Jaz650 on December 09, 2014, 01:55:56 PM

Title: Genetic Testing
Post by: Jaz650 on December 09, 2014, 01:55:56 PM
I have a good feeling that I may be intersex in some way. I'm going to speak to my doctor in about ten minutes about a referral for testing. The reasons for my concerns are that I had male hormone levels for several years (my hormones weren't working, and I didn't get tested till years later) and I did not de transition. Another reason is that I grew breasts before hormones, I could even wear a bra!! Is anyone informed about this issue?
Title: Re: Genetic Testing
Post by: ImagineKate on December 11, 2014, 09:00:35 AM
We have a whole intersex discussion section, so I'm sure you'd find a lot of answers in there.

I had breast growth before I even started thinking about taking any hormones. My mom joked that she'd buy me a bra for Christmas a few times. I have a few other typically female anatomical traits, carry angle, some hip rotation and a slight hourglass with a waist to hip ratio of 0.78 before any HRT. I have 40 inch hip circumference right now but before any HRT (including self med) I was around 38". My face was pretty feminine up until a little after puberty. On the other side of the coin I have facial hair like crazy and body hair like chewbacca, but I shave it and I think the HRT is having an effect, but it's probably too soon to tell..

But am I intersex? I really don't know, and I am finding that I care less and less about it. I am probably not 47,XXY or anything like that. I definitely have a Y chromosome, because I have a son. But we had trouble conceiving and part of that was due to low sperm count and low motility and other stuff.

But hey, get yourself tested if you feel that will make you feel better. I don't think it will validate you as being any more trans than you already are because it's what in your head that counts and a lot of intersexed people don't identify as trans.
Title: Re: Genetic Testing
Post by: HughE on December 13, 2014, 09:28:47 AM
There's a list of the biomarkers that are often associated with intersex conditions in this post I made earlier this year:
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,172768.msg1514888.html#msg1514888

If you haven't yet started HRT, you can also get some clues from looking at your blood test results that could help narrow down whether you have an intersex condition, and if so, what kind. See the last bit of this post:
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,173463.msg1544328.html#msg1544328
Title: Re: Genetic Testing
Post by: emilyking on December 14, 2014, 03:26:50 AM
You must ask yourself one question. 
Why do you want to know if you might be Intersex.

Could you explain in more detail, about the hormone stuff. 

Also, it's pretty common for normal buys to have some breast development in their teen years.

Title: Re: Genetic Testing
Post by: Ms Grace on December 14, 2014, 03:41:54 AM
It always helps to know but please don't get too disappointed if it turns out that you aren't.
Title: Re: Genetic Testing
Post by: Clhoe G on December 14, 2014, 04:49:55 AM
I sometimes think that I might be to, because I have a bit of a baby face with some feminine feature, I had an incomplete puberty, like undeveloped facial hair with a bald patch in it and very low ejaculation, I have a female palm and 2D:4D ratio, by look my hip to waist ratio is feminine, I have a disappearing testicle, it took me longer then others to develop hand to eye coordination and develop intellectually, I've always been thin n found it hard to put on weight, I always have had gender confusion, I found it really hard to build muscles and I had to exercise 4 times a day to get anything at all, I'm much smaller then all my brothers both ones 6 foot and weighty, the other is as tall as a door way, I was an angered child with social anxiety.
But I don't have any of the major signs like missing testicles, completely sterile, I didn't have much on the chest, I had a highish voice but not exactly feminine, my arm span is not taller then me, I have no scaring from any so called gender correction surgery.
so I more or less assume that I'm not intersex, plus I'm on hormones so there's probably no point in getting tested.