transgenderscience

[transgenderscience]

[transgenderscience]

There's always a critic ... 

More Evidence of Brain Differences Between Trans and Cis

[transgenderscience]

No, actually, that's an image from the linked article. Or, part of one (the original image was a whole chart of such scans). And yes, it does make it feel science-y. 

More Evidence of Brain Differences Between Trans and Cis

There is a new article in the open-access online journal PLoS One that adds to the growing catalog of data demonstrating that trans brains differ from those of their biological cis counterparts. 

[transgenderscience]

I’m making a new comment because I think clearly some people missed my general point. Which I suppose doesn’t really surprise me considering the actual critique of the video I had so let me clarify: I have nothing against Andrew, I have nothing against Acarde Fire, I like the song. I…

[transgenderscience]

small collection of trans education resources for cis allies who are interested

what does “cisgender” mean?

what does “transgender” mean?

what does “genderqueer” mean?

what does “non-binary” mean?

in-depth interview with a non-binary genderqueer person about their identity

what does “intersex” mean?

but how does the psychology community feel about trans people?

why is it hard for trans people to access medical care?

other various terms, and some more

[transgenderscience]

Cyproterone Acetate vs. Spironolactone

Cyproterone Acetate vs. Spironolactone

In MtF HRT there are generally two commonly prescribed anti-androgens: cyproterone acetate and spironolactone. It is suggested (but unverified) in Wikipedia that one (spiro) is the most commonly prescribed anti-androgen used for HRT in the United States and the other (cypro) is the most commonly prescribed internationally. Is this true? And if so, why?

For drug information in the United States,…

[transgenderscience]

Phytoestrogens and Transgender HRT

New article: Phytoestrogens and Transgender HRT

It is not uncommon in spaces where trans women congregate online to find some women talking about phytoestrogens as a possible alternative to or additive to standard hormone replacement therapy, especially for those who are attempting self-medication or those who favor alternative medicines. Anecdotally, some women claim to have had success with phytoestrogens in terms of triggering or…

[transgenderscience]

If you are struggling with an eating disorder or are underweight, will that affect your ability to transition?

It may complicate it a bit, in that any good mental health profesional will not address gender dysphoria in a vacuum but instead as part of your overall quality of life. This is actually the approach advocated by the WPATH SOC, and it applies not only to eating disorders but also depression, anxiety, or any other coexisting mental health issues. 

For more details about how coexisiting mental conditions may affect transition, see this post over at the TransSci blog. 

Thanks for your question. 

[transgenderscience]

An Update on Transgender Science

An Update on Transgender Science

I’ve gotten a few messages asking what’s up with this blog in the last month or so — only a few posts, and those mostly responses to Tumblr asks. Here’s a quick update.

Moving this site to its own blog was part of a move to change the nature of the content into fewer, longer pieces. These longer pieces require more research and planning, however. My intial plan was to do one article a week, along…

[transgenderscience]

I disagree and think its completely counterproductive to use the term "Cis". I'm sick of people giving everyone these silly names and titles. You are a person a human and nothing else. So what you are trans, gay, straight, black or white. It doesn't fucking matter. You are a PERSON and should not be defined by a title which provokes stereotypes. The transgender community and others would do well in learning this.

Having a word that means the opposite of trans is helpful as it allows for trans to not be the “other”.  If the word cisgender did not exist, what would we call cis people?  Not trans people?  So many consider cis to be the normal, that trans people are this weird minority.  Cisgender exists so that the default word for cis people is not “normal people”.  Trans people are normal too.  We are all people, yes, but telling trans people that we cannot have labels, while we as people have struggled to come to terms with the labels forced on us as children and the ones we chose ourselves, is harmful.  You cannot tell us we cannot be trans, we are transgender.  Labels can provoke stereotypes, but telling trans people they cannot label themselves as they have struggled with labels and identities for quite some time in most cases is damaging.  

[transgenderscience]

No, actually, that's not what she's saying at all. She's saying that, while she thought hormones would "fix everything," they didn't.Yes, she does say that in her case taking HRT aleviated her depression for a time; but her depression came back, and now she's started treating it directly with antidepressants (bupropion, specifically). Her point is in fact the exact opposite of what you state that it is.  

The past few years of my life have featured various events that repeatedly force me to update significant parts of how I understand myself.

I used to see little purpose in life and no path forward for myself, until I created an ongoing open-ended project to direct my energies toward, and…

[transgenderscience]

TransAdvocate Dissects the CrossFit Case

Chloie Jönnson would be eligible to compete in any Olympic women’s sport, arguably one of the most prominent and tightly-policed athletic competitions in the world, as well as any NCAA women’s sport- were she a student. Given that these organizations, both under considerably higher scrutiny for fairness than a commercial group like CrossFit, allow trans women to compete in women’s events and both…

[transgenderscience]

Zinnia Jones has written a deep and complex piece here. Definitely worth a read. 

The past few years of my life have featured various events that repeatedly force me to update significant parts of how I understand myself.

I used to see little purpose in life and no path forward for myself, until I created an ongoing open-ended project to direct my energies toward, and...

[transgenderscience]

Do Coexisting Mental Conditions Prevent Gender Transition?

Do Coexisting Mental Conditions Prevent Gender Transition?

Asked recently on Tumblr:

Hi, I am asking a question as a friend of someone who identifies as transgender. I’m trying to do some research concerning what is needed for transition, but I’ve been having problems because most of the information I find concerns transgender individuals who do not have certain disabilities. I’m talking about autism, depression, OCD, anorexia etc. Do you have any…

[transgenderscience]

Reblogged from MTFConfessions. 

5306) So at first I'd get all defensive when people said my transition was selfish but now I don't care. I don't argue with them. I know deep down it's not selfish but even if it was, I think I have a right to be selfish when it's for my mental health.

[transgenderscience]

Hi, I am asking a question as a friend of someone who identifies as transgender. I'm trying to do some research concerning what is needed for transition, but I've been having problems because most of the information I find concerns transgender individuals who do not have certain disabilities. I'm talking about autism, depression, OCD, anorexia etc. Do you have any resources concerning these?

It’s well established in the existing research that people with GD have higher-than-average instances of other mental conditions (depression is very common), so it’s likely that any GD mental health professional has helped transition such individuals before. In fact, the therapist probably operates under the WPATH Standards of Care, which advises that if someone has a therapeutically treatable mental disorder like depression, anorexia, or OCD, “Mental health professionals should screen for these and other mental health concerns and incorporate the identified concerns into the overall treatment plan” (p. 181). In other words, GD is not something a therapist treats in a vaacum, but as part of a comprehensive psychiatric regimen. So having these issues doesn’t severely alter possible transition; it just complicates it a bit.

This aligns with my personal experience. When I first sought out therapy I also had a depressive disorder that included thoughts of suicide. My therapist worked with my GD, but made it clear that I needed to be mentally healthy overall before completing transition. I sought out a seperate therapist to deal with the depression issues and to prescribe appropriate medication. Within eight months, I started HRT; and today my GD is not only being treated, but my depression is under control and I am leading a much happier life.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is more complex than depression or OCD. It is not a single clinically treatable mental condition, but instead a series of related neurodevelopmental disorders (also sometimes called pervasive developmental disorders) that can cause social impairment, communication difficulties, and behavioral issues. Further complicating the question is that some adult patients with ASD are not considered to have the capacity to consent to medical treatment, which would mean that a legal guardian would need to approve of any transition. 

As I also couldn’t find any clear resources about treating ASD with GD, I sent the question to my own therapist. She said that while ASD complicates diagnosis and treatment of GD, she did not generally view it as an impediment to transition. In fact, since GD causes mental distress and anxiety — both things which someone with ASD can struggle to express or deal with — treating the GD could possibly moderate ASD symptoms as well. Her view was that someone with both GD and ASD would be best served by finding a therapist who is familiar with both; but barring that, any good therapist would be sure to coordinate any GD counseling with the client’s ASD support system. This would be the same as the approach to therapeutically treatable mental disorders: work with the patient to help not just the GD, but overall mental health and quality of life.

I hope this gives you the information you were seeking, and that your friend finds the help they need.

[transgenderscience]

Media Beginning to Acknowledge the Problem of Trans Healthcare

There have been a fair number of articles in the mainstream media and blogosphere recently highlighting the problem of transgender patients finding competent, accessible healthcare in the United States.

The most recent story has been today’s announcement by Washington D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray concerning efforts to improve trans healthcare in the city. Within the last few weeks, Scientific American…