Is there something to it ?

[Marcie Sexton]

A friend of mine who is a professional student in physoanitilitical field was over the other day. During his visit we were talking about the Larry King show andd the TG movement that seems to be going on...

At any rate we were discussing some of the things that CD/TG males seem to have in common...All seem to come out in the mid late 30s to mid 50s, early 60s. All who sought medical help for TS and srs all seem to have a low male hormone count and far higher female count. He seems to think that during the life of a GM that as they progress in age the male hormone seems to deplete its self from the GM body leaving only the female hormones to take control of the body...Thus TS/TG/CDing...

Another strange thing that he brought up was the fact that males like myself who have had a radical surgery, in my case gastric bypass, also was succeptable to a drain of male hormones, much like the drain of vitiman B, in particular B12.

This whole time he started me thinking< oh boy look out>although at a young age I was caught in my mothers undies, I never had a great dresire or willingness to dress until six or seven years ago...which would put me in my early 40s...There was also times he strongly suggested that for my own peace of mind I might want to have some work done to check my levels and if needed get some suppliments prescribed by my Dr. to help if needed...

So I guess the jest of my thread is simply put could or is there any corlation to these ideas he talked about and our desires to establish our "womanhood"...

Thanks for your time and patience while I tried to explore this thought with you girls...

[PaulaJaneThomas]

In general MTF TSs don't have lower testosterone levels that the general male population so he's wrong on that count although I'm sure if he searched long enough he could find some that do. He could also search and find males which low testosterone who are completely secure in their male identity. There's one of his theories out of the window. The most common age that TGs become aware of their desire to cross-dress is around puberty, when sex hormone levels go through the roof so there goes another of his theories.

[sterling12]

In males, Testosterone levels typically diminish with age. This will effect male secondary sexual characteristics and usually has some effect on the ability of a male to get an erection. That all comes directly from my Taber's Medical Encyclopedia.

I think it may be ONE OF THE FACTORS that leads to a lot of CDs to finally "coming out," in their 40s and 50s. There is also the reality that we are growing older and there are a lot of unfullfilled things in our lives. Those CD and transgendered feelings are often high on that unfullfilled list, for folks like us.

Combine these factors with a feeling of: "I'm just tired of hiding for so long," and maybe there is a trend for CD's to take a different direction as they approach middle age.

Your friend is right, you can go and get Testosterone Injections. But, if it effects your life and diminishes your femme feelings.....do you really want that?

Peace and Love, Joanie

[DonnaT]

TG folk of all ages are coming out more and more, it seems. Probably due to the Internet, and more public awareness.

Those older seem to have a few more issues to work on before coming out. Such as marriage and kids. Thus the delay.

As for hormone levels, I'm sure there has never been a study on the issue. If there has, I'd like to see it.

Note, I came out to myy wife when I was 20.

[Stephenie S]

Although my testosterone levels are now low due to HRT, when I started my T levels were high normal, so I don't think that theory holds water. I really don't think there is any correlation between testosterone levels and TG or CDing.

Lovies,
Stephie

[AmberTG]

I'll second Stephenie here. Before I started HRT, my T-count was 803, tested about a year before I started. All during my 40s, the desire just kept getting stronger, the depression kept getting worse. It was pretty strong during my 20s and 30s, but I had more distractions back then that would take my mind off of the TG issues. For a long time, I thought about becoming a female impersonator in a band. This was all while having a strong T-level.

[SherriePall]

I've enjoyed dressing since my early teens. And I believe that, while they may not be as high as they once were, my T levels are still fairly high. Trust me on that. I came out to my wife several years ago because I was tired on hiding, and the internet showed me I wasn't alone or a freak.

[trannie T]

This is an interesting idea but I doubt if there is any proof as to its validity. Nobody knows why we have the need to crossdress and we will not know until serious studies are conducted.

[MarinaTwelve200]

CDing is something TS/TG people often do, but People who are NOT TG or TS may ALSO crossdress, but for different underlying reasons. CDing is "symtomatic" of several different underlying conditions and many of those arent related to gender or sex at all--- and sometimes its just FUN!

So you can not make any general statement as to the cause of CDing any more than you can a cough.----its a response to a variety of different things.

[Julogden]

Hi Marcie,

I'd have to disagree about most of us having CD feelings for the first time later in life. I'd agree that a lot wait until then to do something about it, but it seems to me that most of us were aware of our feelings a lot earlier than that.

Not sure why your friend would think that gastric bypass would have a lowering effect on testosterone, did he explain how that supposedly works?

Carol

[Billijo49504]

I think your friend has had too much schooling, as in trying to put a label on many things. As in a class. I've been a CD for the last 40 yrs, but I just had Gastric Bypass, just 4 rs ago. Did my body know I'd be having that surgery before I knew the insurance would pay for it. Just wondering...BJ

[Marcie Sexton]

If you girls will read I made one thing clear he was a professional student.

He and I graduated from high school in '73, and I finished my management degreein '77. He has acheive??? a masters in Soc/Phys. and now working on a PHD...while I let him talk and have his say, I must admit there are a few thing he said that make sence, however as I said before I was caught the in female clothing when I was 10 years old...

Personally speaking, education is a wonderful thing, but I also think there is a time to stop analizing things from an educational/professional stand point and look at things for their face value...Maybe to put it a better way, Perhaps things are as they were to be !!!

However you must agree there is food for thought for those that wish to graze on it...

[Veronica Fallon]

Hmmm... I think there might be something to what your friend says, but I also think that's only part of why we seem to be emerging more & more- like butterflies on a sunny Spring morning:fairy3:.

I'm a late-bloomer too, & felt no urge to dress until an old GF turned me on to dressing at the age of 32. As a teenager I was wild, mean & aggressive. I was a motorcycle dare-devil, heavy partier, & all-around "macho" kinda guy who liked to fight (too much testosterone!). By my late twenties I'd evolved away from that behavior, but remained basically out of touch with my femme side. Looking back, I think my inner-woman was always there, but I repressed her so efficiently that I didn't even have a clue of her existence! Once I began dressing & opened myself to all possibilities, my female-ness slowly replaced much of my male-ness, as it seems to still.

Nowadays, I can still get riled by certain circumstances, but to a much lesser degree than in my younger years. My femininity has softened everything about me & made me a balanced & whole person... at last.

So I believe I did indeed lose a lot of testosterone over time, but that it was more my "inner-journey" which allowed me to evolve as a woman. In other words, I think the hormonal changes enhanced my latent urges, but my adventurous nature, my need for truth, my (eventually internalized) admiration of femininity, my hedonistic passion, my repressed feminine emotions, & my love of sensuality, all led me to embrace & pursue my womanhood. As with most things, my femininity is the result of several factors combined together. We like to put things in a single box, but I'm learning to see that there are usually many smaller boxes within the one we slap a label on!

Side-note: Although my rough-edges have softened (like silk & rose petals), any testosterone loss hasn't yet affected my libido that I can tell. I still love to play in bed for hours at a time, & my orgasms are much more intense than ever before!

Hope this helps a little,

Veronica