Comments | transhealth: PCOS/Intersex

under_vt_stars in transhealth

PCOS/Intersex

Jul 18, 2009 18:11

This has come up with a close friend, and now is coming up with my partner...

If PCOS is a hormonal condition that tends to give otherwise female bodied people masculine characteristics, should this be considered within the intersex category?

Comments 5

bbgrrl1 July 18 2009, 22:34:31 UTC

PCOS is hormonal...intersexed is genetic.

I have PCOS and am no where close to intersexed. My partner has PCOS, or at least he did before surgery (I don't know if they still count it now) and he is just trans, not intersexed.

cyberspice July 18 2009, 22:39:44 UTC

I didn't think all intersexed is genetic. You can have physical intersex characteristics due to hormone inbalances in the womb which are nothing to do with your genetics.

My understanding is that intersex generally is a condition that exists from birth. PCOS isn't.

the pathogenesis of PCOS liveonearth July 19 2009, 00:56:37 UTC

In answer to your question: YES PCOS causes masculine characteristics ( ... )

Re: the pathogenesis of PCOS wildrrrumpus July 19 2009, 12:05:27 UTC

re: lesbians & PCOS, i've heard this before, and i'm thinking it has to do some with data collection, mostly with medication history, and POSSIBLY some with partner preference (which maybe is what you're referring to with chicken & egg, and what i've heard other people wonder about ( ... )

Re: the pathogenesis of PCOS liveonearth July 19 2009, 17:51:59 UTC

That's a very reasonable theory: that straight women on OCP's are incidentally treating themselves for PCOS. I think it also applies that women with higher levels of androgens and testosterone are more likely to be lesbians. Certainly the body habitus favored by PCOS is much more like the prevalent shape of lesbians, at least in their middle age.

Of course we all know that sexual preference is a spectrum limited more by culture than by biology.

I wouldn't recommend to anyone that they take the allopathic medical treatments for PCOS. My recommendation would be to seek out the advice of a Naturopathic Physician--a real one with the N.D. degree. There many ways to influence one's hormonal makeup using diet, supplements and lifestyle. No need to take heavy duty pharmaceuticals until one has at least tried the less dangerous methods.