A Simple Question that crossed my mind

[Nikki A.]

I read somewhere, that at conception we all start off as females and as we develop we become males or females.
That said, I wonder that if we were born premature or of low birth weight, is that the reason many of us straddle the male/female spectrum.
In other words how many of you were premies. I for one was a month early and just over 4 lbs.

[Sandraellen]

9 pounds 4 ounces at birth.

[Cynthia Anne]

Can't say I was! But then my memory doesn't go back quite that far!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kate T]

I think it is likely to be a lot more complicated than that.

Essentially the last 6-8 weeks of in utero development are basically just a "growing" phase. MOST stuff is set at this point and is just maturing. Physical sexual characteristics are generally set by the second trimester (i.e. 3-6 months) and I would suggest it is likely that neurologic and brain development is pretty much set at this stage as well. There is a theory of gender development and in utero hormone levels out there if you want to look it up.

FWIW I was 2 weeks overdue!

[Leona]

The only research I'm aware of involves TSes, and there's definitely a hormone thing going on. However, it affects FTMs as much as MTFs, so starting off as girls in the womb is irrelevant.

As far as I know, there is little/no research showing that those of us who stand with one foot on each side are real, we only determine that inductively based on the research that exists.

[Beverley Sims]

Another question in search of the "Holy Grail." :)
Nikki, you have asked a valid question but who knows what has caused our "dilemma?"

[Samantha_Smile]

Not me.
9 months, 2 weeks. 10lbs, 2oz and almost 2 feet long.
My mum still jokes that she was glad of the emergency C-section.

Full termer and still loving my girl time.

[Rachelakld]

Not I - Overcooked was the wording for me.
I don't really straddle the spectrum, one personality is very masculine, the other is very womanly - 4 totally different people sharing 1 body - or maybe I'm just crazy

[rachel_rachel]

Interesting threoy there... That being said, I was 2 weeks premature and I had to be left in hospital for another week until I put enough weight on to be able to home.

[iGenny]

Premie here, under 4 lbs.

[Tiffanyselkoe]

Who knows? I was 2 months premature at 2 lbs 12 oz and I have a twin sister who was 2 lb 13 oz

[DDee]

Not me I was over 8lbs .

DDee

[Stephy]

I was a week late and a large baby - don't remember the exact weight.

Seems there is a fairly even spread of premature and full term pregnancies. It's probably more to do with other factors earlier in the development, if anything.

[Jenniferathome]

Your theory will be quickly disproven. It's genetic.

[Dianne S]

I was maybe a week or two early, which doesn't count as premature, and I think small-to-average birth weight. I don't think there is much correlation between premature birth and TG tendencies; I bet it's far more complex than that.

[suchacutie]

I was 5 weeks early but it is more complicated. There are "hormonal washes" that occur a number of times during fetal development to prepare the brain to be a guy. If these are interrupted there can be "male" connections that might not be made. It actually is fascinating! There may be genetic proclivities toward this hormonal interruptions, but that is still conjecture.

[deborahtg42]

Great discussion and I agree that it may have an effect.

I also think that DES may have had an effect as well , see DES sons in this article.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diethylstilbestrol

[Cheryl T]

Not me...I was 3 weeks late and average size.

[Nikki A.]

Some very interesting answers. I'm sure there are many possibilities concerning our "dillema". Great, my hormonal washes had ADD but then again it is an awful lot of fun sometimes.

[Juliea661]

Nikki, I was a normal birth weight.
But actually to find a complete understanding of who we are with respect to our gender bending/blending, I believe that we need to get to the spiritual, or soul level. I believe our souls are generally gender neutral, and we choose our gender in this life in order to express or learn about that part of what we choose to focus on. I believe, therefore that we, our personality is a melding of both our soul and our human brain. This process starts sometime between conception and birth. Why are we transgender and seek to present as female, either fully or partially? Perhaps it is because of our need to work on female "stuff" from a previous life... If you have further interest please PM me.
Hugs, Jules

[Jillian Faith]

Me neither 8lbs 4oz

[Robin777]

I took 10 months to pop out,so the premature is out, and I believe I was over 7 lbs. My question is how many of us are left handed? I am.
I was told many times by my mother that I was a late birth. In the 50's they didn't do C sections.

[MssHyde]

My mothers due date with me was Dec 17, I was born Oct 29 weighing 3 pounds 2 oz.
I have wondered the same thing.

[Stephanie Miller]

Wow.. see there... CD's are a very smart group as a whole.
(I must be the exception :sad: )
I wasn't smart enough to read a calendar OR a scale when I was born. So I have no idea :confused:

(I get such a kick outa myself :heehee:)

[kimdl93]

No. That's a testable notion...but it ignores the fact that gender changes very early in development...and btw, I was born full term at 7 lb 4 oz.

[PretzelGirl]

I was 3 weeks late and evicted at that. So unless I would have been physically female by being born on time, I would have to vote nyet (and I am sure I wouldn't have been).

[giuseppina]

I don`t know my birth weight, but I was two weeks overdue. Anyway, correlation does not imply causation.

[Lorileah]

I read somewhere, that at conception we all start off as females and as we develop we become males or females.


long reach that one but it is a new question. However, you differentiate well into the first trimester (about 6 weeks)...since you cannot survive outside the womb at that time...no being premature has nothing to do with it. And we don't "start out female" we all look alike but the chromosomes are there from the start. The Y chromosome says "Make testosterone" and the external genitalia differentiate. There are analogous (similar) body parts in both sexes but you don't start female genetically unless you you have two X chromosomes (and you can have XXY or XYX or even XXXY)

[paulaloha]

I was born 1 week early, but that was probably a blessing for my mom as I was 10 pounds 11 ounces, and almost 22" long.

[Tina B.]

Full term, started dressing 6 years latter.

[JustAlex]

I was born in term with 7 lb and small change. I started dressing before pre-school. It doesn't seem to be a correlation.

[Leona]

long reach that one but it is a new question. However, you differentiate well into the first trimester (about 6 weeks)...since you cannot survive outside the womb at that time...no being premature has nothing to do with it. And we don't "start out female" we all look alike but the chromosomes are there from the start. The Y chromosome says "Make testosterone" and the external genitalia differentiate. There are analogous (similar) body parts in both sexes but you don't start female genetically unless you you have two X chromosomes (and you can have XXY or XYX or even XXXY)

Ummm, this is worth disputing. There's a condition called Androgine Immune Deficiency Syndrome (sadly it's AIDS, but not the HIV one) that can be partial or complete. In this situation, the 2-week hormone bath that boys are subjected to is rejected by the zygote, so the zygote does not grow the boy parts (or it grows them partially). Later, all physical development is triggered by what's there, not by the genes that say you're a boy. So if the zygote completely refuses the hormone bath, it will not grow a penis and testicles. It will not have gonads at all. The end result is that a girl will be born, with a small vagina and no uterus (because you have to have ovaries to trigger the growth of the uterus). The vagina will be plumbed correctly, though, so it's not a girl that'll pee from her clitoris. It's a girl, and will grow up a girl. Around puberty, they have to take hormones to trigger breast growth and the rest, and are indistinguishable from the GG population.

So yes, all babies start as girls in the sense that if the boy parts don't grow for some reason, the baby will be born a girl.