I want to learn if I am Intersex

[andreaskvh]

Hello, somebody can please explain to me, Intersex? I learnt recently about this, and maybe it apply to me. I am 15 years old. I am biological a boy, but I identify always like a girl. It is more comfortable and natural that I dress and appear how I am a girl. I have very short height for my age of boy. My body have several physical delay, and I do not yet receive the puberty. I do not erect my genital. I have also a neurogenic bladder, it requires a diaper to use. I think always I am transgender but, maybe is it I am intersex, instead? Thank you, André

[Devlyn]

Welcome to Susan's Place, André! Here's some light reading to keep you busy! https://www.susans.org/wiki/Intersexuality

I'm sure someone will stop by with some firsthand experience to share with you. See you around the site!

Hugs, Devlyn

[Tristyn]

Hello, somebody can please explain to me, Intersex? I learnt recently about this, and maybe it apply to me. I am 15 years old. I am biological a boy, but I identify always like a girl. It is more comfortable and natural that I dress and appear how I am a girl. I have very short height for my age of boy. My body have several physical delay, and I do not yet receive the puberty. I do not erect my genital. I have also a neurogenic bladder, it requires a diaper to use. I think always I am transgender but, maybe is it I am intersex, instead? Thank you, André

I kinda wonder that about myself still too. I have some features about my genitalia that is quite unusual for being biologically female. So yeah, I was wondering, which type of doctor would I have to see to figure out if I am intersex or transgender for certain? Would it perhaps be an endocrinologist? Yeah, I'm workin' on finding one now. Is it possible my primary doc could figure that out? I really have no idea.

~Nixy~

[Dena]

To learn if you are intersex, you need to ask your doctor and possibly have some special test run on you. The confusing thing is that transgender and intersex have the same causes but happen at different times in development of the fetus. The body develop first and if exposed to the incorrect sex hormone develops intersex. A bit latter if the brain is exposed to the wrong hormone, transgender develops. In intersex you can have both the brain and body exposed to the wrong hormone with both not matching the birth genetics.

[Tristyn]

To learn if you are intersex, you need to ask your doctor and possibly have some special test run on you. The confusing thing is that transgender and intersex have the same causes but happen at different times in development of the fetus. The body develop first and if exposed to the incorrect sex hormone develops intersex. A bit latter if the brain is exposed to the wrong hormone, transgender develops. In intersex you can have both the brain and body exposed to the wrong hormone with both not matching the birth genetics.

You think this could be caused by any drugs or alcohol the mother was doing before conceiving the intersexed/transsexual child in question? Time and time again, almost to the point of belittlement, my pops and other family would tell me that my mama only drank and smoked when she was pregnant with me as if to say I was some kind of a curse or jinx or bad seed. They all tell me how horrible the actual conception was for her in comparison to my other siblings. As if to say, "Well, its kinda your own fault for simply existing why you and your mom is sufferin' now...."

I hear this as a possible cause of transsexualism and intersexuality. I hope that is not the case, because that would imply that I could have been a cis woman as if to say that being trans or intersexed is a mistake, afterall, and I do not want to ever seriously believe that crap!

~Nixy~

[Dena]

Women today are ask to stop nearly everything like smoking, drinking and drugs because of Thalidomide. This only became known when I was young and for a while it was all over the news. We now understand that alcohol can cause undersized babies and other drugs can have lasting effects on the brain. Nothing other than sex hormones or drugs that resemble sex hormones  have been tied to transsexualism but this is still a new area of research and who knows what the future may find.

[Tristyn]

Oh I see what you're saying. And that's an interesting link. I have a strong feeling I could have been affected by Thalidomide. But the article only mentions it in the UK. I'm sure its possible that its more widespread than that, right? I live in the States.

I have quite a bit abnormalities of a physical and mental nature, aside from what I mentioned before. One thing the article mentioned that really caught my attention is that this stuff can even cause limb deformities. I was actually born with six fingers. At the time of birth, the sixth, underdeveloped finger was tied off or something like that. My first step mom was so physically abusive to me that she was not satisfied with how my hands looked; having the "stumps" that were left(and still are) after the procedure. So she would try to file off those stumps and cause me unnecessary strife and pain. This is something very dangerous and stupid to do, that I would later find out, in which no doctor would ever recommend doing. And I also believe that I do have Asperger's Syndrome. So yeah, that's alot to handle.

I wonder if this could ever be reversed. Like I wonder if they will ever come out with a medicine that could make us identify with our assigned gender role at birth. I mean, that would suck. Cause that sounds more like mind control than a treatment, if you ask me. >.> Almost sounds like conversion therapy but with medication instead. Yeah, that's crazy....

~Nixy~

[Dena]

Thalidomide was never approved for sale at the time in the United States but the jet age was in place by then so it is possible some of it found it's way into the U.S.. Mostly it was an European problem but everybody learned that a fetus can be damaged by what the mother takes while she is carrying a child. If your mother was drinking and using drugs while she was carrying you, there may be a number of other reasons for your birth issues. You may never know the answer and the best solution now is to forget about the past and live for the future.

The interesting thing is they have found Thalidomide has some new and useful applications from leprosy to cancer. You can bet this time the drug will be sold with far tighter controls on it.

As for a drug that will change us, it isn't very likely because what made us different happened before we were born and that part of the brain reached the end of it's development a long time ago. It would be nearly impossible to cause the brain alter it's current structure.

[andreaskvh]

My mother did not use drugs and alcohol while pregnant but I am born three months premature. I have many delays because this happened.

[Dena]

Intersex can happen normally if the fetus fail to produce sufficient masculine hormones to produce a male baby. Going the other way, a female baby would produce male hormones creating a baby with male features. Your doctor with a few test can tell you more. I suspect and sometimes still suspect I have some intersex features but the test say I am a run of the mill transsexual. It really doesn't matter anymore because I am now comfortable with my body and no longer feel the need to understand why I am the way I am.

[andreaskvh]

And I also believe that I do have Asperger's Syndrome.

I am on Autism spectrum. Many people who is on Autism spectrum has also gender or sexuality issue like us, I read that.

[Northern Jane]

Intersex can only be determined by medical testing and often does not show any external physical signs.

I was tested 30+ years after transition and SRS and everything came back 'normal male' except they discovered I have a uterus - something that nobody ever suspected.

[PrincessDayna]

Hi! I am a Beta-3 CAH'er. IS conditions are tested in various ways depending mostly on presented conditions. Most are detected early on due to genital ambiguity, or later on due to development of cross sex secondary sex characteristics, or no development. Depending on what is presented, a test range can vary from cort-stim testing, up to and including a genotype (where they see if genetics are in variance to phenotype, or bodily appearances). These tests are not cheap, and being IS is a huge health thing with most conditions.

While not all rare, some are. For instance, I am one in 399,000 births. In any case, my condition causes me from birth to have to supplement meds that would make others sick, in order to stay alive. There are varying forms of all IS conditions.

A forum, due to the gravity and seriousness of these conditions, may be well for support, but your first and best conversation if you are seriously wondering will be your primary doctor or endocrinologist/gynecologist.

[Serenation]

Hi! I am a Beta-3 CAH'er. IS conditions are tested in various ways depending mostly on presented conditions. Most are detected early on due to genital ambiguity, or later on due to development of cross sex secondary sex characteristics, or no development. Depending on what is presented, a test range can vary from cort-stim testing, up to and including a genotype (where they see if genetics are in variance to phenotype, or bodily appearances). These tests are not cheap, and being IS is a huge health thing with most conditions.

While not all rare, some are. For instance, I am one in 399,000 births. In any case, my condition causes me from birth to have to supplement meds that would make others sick, in order to stay alive. There are varying forms of all IS conditions.

A forum, due to the gravity and seriousness of these conditions, may be well for support, but your first and best conversation if you are seriously wondering will be your primary doctor or endocrinologist/gynecologist.

my cousins, 1 boy and 1 girl have CAH, both parents carried the gene for this to happen apparently. I agree, the only real way to know is  talk to GP and go from there.

[PrincessDayna]

What forms of CAH if you do not mind me asking? There is 5 variances if I am not mistaken, 21,17, 15,12, 5, and 3. I may be off on a few. All i know is that as a salt waster, CAH sucks. Alot Alot.

[Bunter]

Intersex is not the same as transsexuality. The large majority of intersex people, even if they have been exposed to "contrary" hormones in utero or early in life, do not turn out transsexual. *Feeling* intersex is not the same as being intersex.

Being intersex usually comes with physical symptoms, not with "feeling like the other sex".

That said, if you do have physical symptoms that affect primary or secondary sex characteristics, get tested.

Normally, these things should get tested before you start transitioning, as having an intersex condition can interfere with the transition process. For example, you might react differently to the hormones, or you might require different dosages than non-intersex people. For some intersex conditions it even means that you can't transition physically at all (like being ftm trans with Complete Androgen Insensitivity Symdrome, you wouldn't react to testosterone).
Or taking artificial hormones might increase your risk of tumors (some intersex conditions come with increased tumor risk of kidney or testes).

Legally and medically, having an intersex condition can make a transition more complicated. It's not something "cool" that people should wish for.

Thalidomite and other teratogens can cause intersex conditions in that they can affect the normal development of the urogenital tract (and many other organs) during the early months of pregnancy. If you are affected, you will know it. It can also cause other malformations that affect your health severely.

[HughE]

You think this could be caused by any drugs or alcohol the mother was doing before conceiving the intersexed/transsexual child in question?

Absolutely, particularly if she was given hormones of any kind during the pregnancy. Among the over 40s MTF and transfeminine people on this site, there's quite a few of us who were exposed to an artificial estrogen called DES, that at one time was often used as a treatment for preventing miscarriages and premature births. Although DES was pulled off the market 40 years ago, other hormones took its place, and for some time I've been trying to draw attention to the fact that it's highly likely they too can cause transgenderism.

There's a popular misconception that the sex you develop as is determined by whether you have a Y chromosome or not, but actually all the Y chromosome does is drive development of the testicles. It's the hormones produced by the testicles (primarily testosterone and DHT) that cause male development to occur, and if anything blocks production of those hormones (e.g. DES), you can get things developing as female instead of male (including your entire brain if the hormone disruption occurred during the right parts of the pregnancy!). Conversely, any exposure to hormones with androgenic properties (i.e. that mimic the action of testosterone), or anything that causes a female fetus to over produce testosterone (such as CAH), can cause male development in a genetically female person. Depending on what part of the pregnancy the effects are strongest, that could result in masculinized genitals or a masculinized brain (or both).

[Joi]

I have a condition called "hypospadias" which, based on literature that I have seen on The Intersex Society of North America's website is quite common (about 1 in 100 births) It is an intersex condition. It can result in variable types of  genital anomalies. My chromosomes were tested about 50 yrs. ago and were normal, but my CAH levels were never analyzed.  (They may not even have had this test in the late 60's).

I am however, not getting very good results from my E therapy.  Makes me wonder if I should have my CAH analyzed the next time I see my Endo.

[neko]

firstly i heard the word intersex from my actual girlfriend but i report these facts:
as a joke years ago friends of mine, in the sand created boobs and vagina over me, then male friends..where ever i found them, called me with boobs nicknames and touched it. with female i have sex as a female . these are the main aspects of my believed intersexuality

[PrincessDayna]

Joi- it wouldnt be your CAH levels that got tested, but a corticol stim-test, to determine CAH- but there are many symptoms that go along with it, up to and including adrenal crises when sick and a lifelong dependance on corticosteroids. Unless you have been on corticosteroids your whole life, or constantly sick off/on from not having them (not talking flu here, but an actual adrenal crises, acute [Google that]), I doubt you have CAH, from experience. It is a serious condition, not just parsing with physical abnormalities- considering you speak of hypospadias, the only two forms of CAH that cause that level of virilizing effects in utero to xy individuals, you would know if it was CAH caused by now, 95%. If unsure, (as I cannot without a doubt rule out CAH, just doesnt sound like it)- talk to your endo, you never know, that 5% chance may be relevant or present after a stim test. Just be prepaired, it sucks. At your age, corticosteroids would be a nightmare to start taking anyways. The side effects suck, and being dependant on corticosteroids, also sucks