Sara Zeal
09-18-06, 12:18 PM
I've been lurking around for a day or two, though I've been researching information about intersex conditions (per my own curiosity) for at least a few weeks, with varied results.
I say 'per my own curiosity', because I'm not working or doing formal research of any kind, it's entirely personal.
My name is Sara, and I'm 24. I'm legally male, looked rather androgynous, leaning on feminine most of my life, and I finally came to term with my gender issues, after a few years of major depression (that were ultimately leading to suicide). I have no formal diagnosis of intersex, thus I do not claim to be intersex. My genitals look, well, about normal, from what I gather (no basis for comparison). My appearance is definitely more androgynous, and the time and extent to which I have had my puberty suggests maybe XXY, AIS or a similar condition. Until things are 'cleared', I simply consider myself MtF transsexual (and am on hormones).
However I've not been followed by doctors during 12 years (from 10 to 22), and have not had any karyotype done (that I know of). Well I do have one done, but it's recent (5 months and a half ago), and I still don't have the results. My family doctor (to whom I talked to about my gender identity issues, and who first diagnosed major depression, a year ago) has ordered the karyotype himself to ascertain of wether I was intersex or not. While I still don't possess those results (and thus cannot affirm anything), it did raise my curiosity, a lot.
I have symptoms that are similar, though maybe 'lighter' than exiled.
I'm 5'6" tall, and although I'm predicted to be the shortest of my siblings and me (3 younger brothers), this might not be cause for concerns and simply normal.
I weight 108 lbs, and while I can hardly gain any weight (especially a hard time gaining any muscles, not that I really want to though), it might also not be tied to an intersex condition.
Many of puberty's "features" have failed to affect me, or have had little effect (even at 24, hormones have only begun 4 months ago and therefore can only be accountable for little of my appearance).
This includes the dropping of voice, which didn't drop quite to a male register, the adam's apple, which is consistent with the voice, almost invisible.
Facial hair is almost non-existent, and before I was 19-20, it *was* inexistent. Now it just is very little (in surface, growth, and growth rate). Body hair I have no basis for comparison, so will not make assumptions.
Genitals look the right shape, the size I have no idea, it's not extremely small, but it's no doubt below average, however, as I said, I cannot account it for anything, since I'm no specialist.
I did not have gynecomastia at puberty (which started at 16 for me, mostly then a growth spurt to current height, and acne, the slight dropping of voice).
No muscle development, upper-body or otherwise. Narrow shoulders, and narrows waist (25 inch waist). Feet are seemigly small for a male (size 8 1/2 to 9 women - or 7 1/2 to 8 men). Hands are rather small, especially in thickness, including long slender fingers if it means anything.
My facial features are rather feminine also, all save maybe my chin, which like my mother's, is a bit elongated (not large by any means, just seems longer). Facial features which I include are eyes, eyebrows, browbone, cheekbones, lips, they all are 'unusually feminine', especially for my age.
Alright, now as I said above, those are symptoms which I think, might be associated to a condition like XXY (not necessary Klinefelter) and AIS (grade 1), because of a seemingly lowered response to androgens (while I had normal testosterone and LH levels before hormone treatment started, in March 2006). Another symptom is a low (near-absent) libido, which is enough to account for as asexuality.
I don't wish to claim a condition that which is not mine, and I will definitely seek to have tests to prove or disprove it in the near future (when that karyotype result finally comes in). However if you think my symptoms point to a condition in particular, I'd be interested to know. Litterature on intersex conditions seems pretty scrace and limited to medical resumes of a few lines, or long medical resumes that keep saying the same thing, so I no doubt might have missed many doing my personal research.
I'll be sure to inform you of whatever my karyotype result is, as I'm supposed to receive it in a few days now (or so the hospital says).
Sara~
I say 'per my own curiosity', because I'm not working or doing formal research of any kind, it's entirely personal.
My name is Sara, and I'm 24. I'm legally male, looked rather androgynous, leaning on feminine most of my life, and I finally came to term with my gender issues, after a few years of major depression (that were ultimately leading to suicide). I have no formal diagnosis of intersex, thus I do not claim to be intersex. My genitals look, well, about normal, from what I gather (no basis for comparison). My appearance is definitely more androgynous, and the time and extent to which I have had my puberty suggests maybe XXY, AIS or a similar condition. Until things are 'cleared', I simply consider myself MtF transsexual (and am on hormones).
However I've not been followed by doctors during 12 years (from 10 to 22), and have not had any karyotype done (that I know of). Well I do have one done, but it's recent (5 months and a half ago), and I still don't have the results. My family doctor (to whom I talked to about my gender identity issues, and who first diagnosed major depression, a year ago) has ordered the karyotype himself to ascertain of wether I was intersex or not. While I still don't possess those results (and thus cannot affirm anything), it did raise my curiosity, a lot.
I have symptoms that are similar, though maybe 'lighter' than exiled.
I'm 5'6" tall, and although I'm predicted to be the shortest of my siblings and me (3 younger brothers), this might not be cause for concerns and simply normal.
I weight 108 lbs, and while I can hardly gain any weight (especially a hard time gaining any muscles, not that I really want to though), it might also not be tied to an intersex condition.
Many of puberty's "features" have failed to affect me, or have had little effect (even at 24, hormones have only begun 4 months ago and therefore can only be accountable for little of my appearance).
This includes the dropping of voice, which didn't drop quite to a male register, the adam's apple, which is consistent with the voice, almost invisible.
Facial hair is almost non-existent, and before I was 19-20, it *was* inexistent. Now it just is very little (in surface, growth, and growth rate). Body hair I have no basis for comparison, so will not make assumptions.
Genitals look the right shape, the size I have no idea, it's not extremely small, but it's no doubt below average, however, as I said, I cannot account it for anything, since I'm no specialist.
I did not have gynecomastia at puberty (which started at 16 for me, mostly then a growth spurt to current height, and acne, the slight dropping of voice).
No muscle development, upper-body or otherwise. Narrow shoulders, and narrows waist (25 inch waist). Feet are seemigly small for a male (size 8 1/2 to 9 women - or 7 1/2 to 8 men). Hands are rather small, especially in thickness, including long slender fingers if it means anything.
My facial features are rather feminine also, all save maybe my chin, which like my mother's, is a bit elongated (not large by any means, just seems longer). Facial features which I include are eyes, eyebrows, browbone, cheekbones, lips, they all are 'unusually feminine', especially for my age.
Alright, now as I said above, those are symptoms which I think, might be associated to a condition like XXY (not necessary Klinefelter) and AIS (grade 1), because of a seemingly lowered response to androgens (while I had normal testosterone and LH levels before hormone treatment started, in March 2006). Another symptom is a low (near-absent) libido, which is enough to account for as asexuality.
I don't wish to claim a condition that which is not mine, and I will definitely seek to have tests to prove or disprove it in the near future (when that karyotype result finally comes in). However if you think my symptoms point to a condition in particular, I'd be interested to know. Litterature on intersex conditions seems pretty scrace and limited to medical resumes of a few lines, or long medical resumes that keep saying the same thing, so I no doubt might have missed many doing my personal research.
I'll be sure to inform you of whatever my karyotype result is, as I'm supposed to receive it in a few days now (or so the hospital says).
Sara~