scienceoftrans

[scienceoftrans]

Gender Identity Begins In Utero: The Sequel

“The results on different tests show that gender differences were pronounced, and that the two transsexual groups occupied a position in between these two groups, thus showing a pattern of performance away from their biological sex. The findings provide evidence that [in utero] organisational hormonal influences may have an effect on the development of cross-gender identity.”

Cohen-Kettenis, P., van Goozen, S., Doorn, C., & Gooren, L. (1998). Cognitive ability and cerebral lateralization in transsexuals. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 23(6), 631-641. doi: 10.1016/S0306- 4530(98)00033-X

[scienceoftrans]

Gender Identity Begins In Utero

“Here we show that the volume of the central subdivision of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTc), a brain area that is essential for sexual behavior, is larger in men than in women. A female-sized BSTc was found in male-to-female transsexuals…Our study is the first to show a female brain structure in genetically male transsexuals and supports the hypothesis that gender identity develops as a result of an interaction between the developing brain and sex hormones.”

Zhou, J., Hofman, M., Gooren, L., & Swaab, D. (1995) A sex difference in the human brain and its relation to transsexuality. Nature, 378(6552), 68-70. doi: 10.1038/378068a0

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Admin note: In order to have a more complete understanding of any concept, it helps to overlay several different timelines. Like the advancement of medical technology, said technology becoming prevalent enough to be used to study conditions that aren't immediately life-threatening, how the scientific community's understanding of said condition grew, how long it took said information to begin to filter down to the rest of the world, and the world's acceptance of it.

This study was done in 1995. It is, at the time of this writing, 30 years later, and the question of whether or not "trans" is a real thing is prevalent enough to warrant comments and edicts from the White House.

There is obviously a bottleneck (or more likely a blockage) preventing the flow of information. We should do something about that.

[scienceoftrans]

"Transgender" exists, can be observed and measured, and falls within human physiological variation.

“The results of this study show that white matter microstructure in  FtM and MtF transsexuals falls halfway between that of Female Controls and Male Controls…Our results strengthen the notion of an observable and measurable biological basis of gender identity and put gender dysphoria into the realm of human physiological variation.”

Kranz, G., Hahn, A., Kaufmann, U., Kublbock, M. Hummer, A., Ganger, S., Seiger, R., Winkler, D.,  Swaab,  D., Windischberger, C., Kasper, S., & Lanzenberger, R. (2014). White matter microstructure in transsexuals and controls investigated by Diffusion Tensor Imaging. The  Journal of Neuroscience, 34(46), 15466-15475. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2488-14.2014