I have always been sychronized to the females living under the same roof with me.  This started when I was a teenager.  Swelling, cramps, and crabbiness.  I always knew when my wife was pregnant before she did.  I could somehow sense the changes in the estrogen level in her body.

Ok, say what you will, it is all my head.  In my hypothalamus.  I found this in my textbook over the weekend:  "If testosterone is present during fetal development, certain specialized receptor cells in the hypothalamus become insensitive to estrogen; if estrogen is present, these cells are highly sensitive to levels of estrogen in the bloodstream."  What does this mean?  The threshold of central nervous system excitability determines whether there is a cyclic or acyclic pattern of pituitary release of hormones.  If I got less testosterone and more estrogen while I was in utero, then I would be more sensitive to estrogen and my hormone levels would tend to cycle.

Lisbeth,
This situation is exactly what happened to those of us who were exposed to DES while our moms were pregnant.  There's a growing body of evidence that suggests that DES-exposed males make up a large contingent of the so-called "late transitioners". 

I was "fine and dandy", or so I thought until I hit my mid-40's, then all kinds of problems began to occur.  Seems that once my testosterone level dropped, my hypothalamus couldn't use the excess testosterone to make the estrogen my body needed.  Once I began a light dose of estrogen, the problems suddenly eased. 

That's one of the reasons I think that TSism is starting to be viewed as a physiological condition with psychological manifestations, and not just a psychological malady.

Carol

I can believe it, except that my mother was never given DES, and taking estrogen doesn't make it go away.

this aint in your head, i syncronised with my housemates, 8 girls in a flat ><
we ALL got bitchy at the same time, and even tho im positive i dont have anything resembling a period, i feel crummy and sore the same time they do...
maybe those receptors arnt switched off by the same thing that makes a female develop into a male, or vice versa...?
R

Quote from: Rachael on October 29, 2007, 12:27:39 PM
maybe those receptors arnt switched off by the same thing that makes a female develop into a male, or vice versa...?
R

Thing to remember is that the gonads get differentiated about 1 1/2 to 2 weeks before the brain does.

Maybe it IS all in your head. Maybe the female brain 'expects' to go through a cycle each month. Maybe a force so primitive, so paramount as the female reproductive system is controlled by the brain as much as the womb. Maybe the female brain gears up to go through menses regardless of the body configuration. Stranger things have happened.

I pms. I cycle around the same time as people in the house do. It's annoying. I feel a combination of either biting someones head off or crawling up into a ball and crying.

I find women who spend time together tend to cycle together. And I really do feel I was suppose to be a female most of my cousins are female, I think it has to do with stress on a pregnant female, that stress can change the sex of a child. But I never forgot who I was infact I didn't like that idea of being male so I'm making things right. And everything is a matter of perception, there is no right and wrong just like theres some who feel they are both male and female. I think most of us know it's not just in your head, and even if it where you create your reality so never doubt your feelings just live them. If we thought it was just in our heads then why did we take action to transition in the first place. Theres a saying used during the age of reason (18th century) that says "bring order to nature"...we are what we believe we are