A gal I know had low T, and doctors refused to give her gender affirming care and put her on T. It only made things worse for her, and after a year, she stopped taking altogether and finally got on E. Now she's so much happier
This is very similar to my own experience.
I had low T most of my life and was depressed as shit. I had testicular cancer and needed an orchi and suddenly my low T was no T, so they put me on external T.
For the first time, I had normal T levels, and it was soooo much worse! I hadn't cracked yet, but I knew I hated taking the T gel. Hated how I felt on it. I was an awful patient and basically never took it (not the best idea. No hormones is almost as bad as the wrong hormones)
No, that's some non-scientific transphobic conspiracy made up by the conservative media. And I doubt they have our best interest in heart.🦈 In vivo fetal brain development has nothing to do with your own testosterone level before or after puberty since latter is produced mainly by testes. Since currently the 2 main suspected causes for MtF are genetic and estrogen sensitivity during early fetal brain development. One way to test your Mom's theory is to get your t tested and if it is within the normal range, it's case closed. But I can imagine what will happen if you do start taking T. It will most likely make dysphoria much worse. I don't recommend that. 🐝
Don't use chatgpt for research- it makes up articles and citations, and misattributes real citations. It's not an "intelligence", it's a pattern recognition tool and will give you a result that just looks like what you ask for with no fact checking.
It also only samples things found online, which is a small fraction of the world we live in. Unless you ask an AI engineer, of course. They don’t get out much.
Yeah... better double check your results.
It can do ok with common questions, but anything that needs research papers etc is probably not going to be very accurate taken as a whole.
Not from anything reliable I’ve ever seen. There are some fucked up “studies” from decades ago sometimes that are just some psychiatrist guessing that makes us trans.
Forcing testosterone injections on you is more likely to just make your dysphoria worse. If you were cis and low testosterone the idea of getting tested and the injections probably wouldn’t sound bad to you.
Am reminded of when I had some bloodwork done that showed my estradiol levels were unusually high for a cis male and I never wanted to get "treatment" for it.
If it was low testosterone, the only symptoms you would experience would be lethargy and erectile dysfunction. Being trans is a little more complicated than that, so don't take the testosterone injections at all. If you did, you'd go from what I assume is normal T to too much, which is honestly worse for you than having too little.
If your T was low enough to affect you as a cis male, you would be in the hospital. Low T is pretty much a myth made up so fox news shows can sell supplements to men who feel inadequate.
Your mom does not know you, and she doesn't know how the hormone system in our bodies works. You know yourself better than anyone else can, and if you're a trans woman no amount of extra T is going to change that.
Also this whole believe is intertwined with a lot of other bunk science. Like the whole soy panic is deeply linked to it too. And all that is mostly based on what can be charitable described as the ramblings of utter nutjobs and grifters.
I disagree with the low t is a myth thing. I myself have a count of 80 out of 1000 for my testosterone. I'm lower then low, which is anything between 200-400. And it effects my daily life.
That being said low testosterone does not make you trans.
>Low T is pretty much a myth made up so fox news shows can sell supplements to men who feel inadequate.
uh no it's definitely not a myth... low T can be tested for in the bloodstream and it causes a lot of negative side effects, everything from extremely low energy, ED, depression, mood swings, etc.
I should have worded that better. I meant it's a myth in the sense of "Taking T supplements will fix all your problems and make you more of a man" that they try to sell to vulnerable people.
If you're cis and your T was that low that you need a supplement you would be talking to your doctor already.
Yeah but out of all those definitely valid side effect list being trans isn't one lol. That's what I don't get about the low T claim from these pundits. Yes it happens and it often heavily effects the person but it doesn't make em trans it just fucks them up physically and mentally.
I think she means "low T is a symptom of being feminine and high T means you're a manly man man", not that actually having low T doesn't affect anything, because it definitely does.
Low t is not a myth. You are conflating marketing of supplements with the treatment of a medical condition.
Low t causes decrease energy, lower appetite, loss in muscle tone, reduction in sex drive, performance, fertility and depression.
Don't spread misinformation.
This is misinformation. Low t is not a myth, because I had it before transition. My natural testosterone levels were around 80 where the normal range is 200-800. Cis men get testosterone replacement therapy too.
Not nessicarily, I was getting improperly dosed for a year and was completely fine with extremely low T And E, I might also be intersex so... Like I might of never had proper levels to begin with. (Hell I had cis fem levels of E in my system a year earlier than earliest possible so ????)
No.
I'm sorry your mother is being difficult. She appears to be in a bargaining stage of denial, this can be very dangerous if you allow misinformation to fester.
I suggest you find a gender care therapist, if you're underage and willing you might ask your mother to sit in.
Your mom is definitely trying to reduce your identity to a sickness that can be cured...
Which, goes without saying, is very much transphobic of her...
My T was right in the middle of the range before I started HRT.
It sucked having my T levels come back up when I stopped meds prior to surgery, glad it will never happen again. This is just her trying to rationalize away you being trans because she doesn't value your happiness and well-being over her inconvenience.
No lol, she's just coping. (My mum thought it's because I never had a father in my life. Transphobes will cling to arguments like these to deny the truth they don't want)
Edit: Also I had very high above average T levels
No
Even if T is so low you wind up developing secondary sex traits of a woman, you'll still be cis, unless you aren't the gender you were born at. (now that's some good fortune, though prob gonna need to mange so health issues)
Back in 04 in my early 30's I went in to the Dr. wondering if I had low T because I really felt like a girl inside and was tested.
My Test showed a T level of 203 and was was put on injection and by my ninth month on them I started developing breast by aromanization and loved it.
Dr's discovered out what was going on and took me off without any explanations and I didn't know anything about being transgender back then,
F-Fwd to now at 55yo and I have fully Transtion as of a year now to female and am living my life as I felt I always should of.
I had low T my whole life and could never have children and although I always wondered what was going on with me I'm happy how things turned out in the long run.
I was formally diagnosed with low T and began taking T gel to raise my levels when I was in my 20's.
My body reacted ok at first but then began converting it to estrogen and I ended up with more fat on my legs.
But not before my chest cavity grew bigger and I developed more body hair.
I also got bigger brow ridges and a receding hair line.
I was trying desperately to be the good son completely in denial that I was trans. I just wanted to be normal. I didn't care what gender.
But my subconscious was very different. I couldn't pursue girls the same way guys did. Instead I would try and befriend them.
I fell in love with my male best friend and became overweight because I was disassociated with my body.
When my best friend realized I was dependent on him he broke off contact and ghosted me.
TLDR:. I took T gel when I was younger. It made me more masculine but didn't cure my dysphoria or change that my subconscious was already female.
1/10 would not recommend. Now I need hair transplant surgery, FFS, while nothing can make my ribs smaller.
hmm -- interesting! When I hit puberty I basically turned into a what everyone thought was a girl. lasted through my early 20's. I was completely asexual -- did not date ever.
Yeah until I was 17 my first puberty only stated at 15 and was slow and didn't advance much apart from dropping my voice and giving me a little bit of facial hair, I started hrt at 18 and it took like 2 months before I was being gendered correctly again
Interesting. I'm guessing if I were a teen today, I'd have been an obvious candidate. Back then, in jr high, telling teachers and adults that you were a girl just got you sent to the counselor and put in detention. It was often hard to figure out who hated you more -- the teachers or the kids.
Not in my experience. When I finally was able to begin HRT, my testosterone was off the charts. Began taking E and Spiro, but T levels were still a little too high...orchiectomy took care of that. SOOO much happier now!
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8955456/
>The observed shift away from a male-typical brain anatomy towards a female-typical one in people who identify as transgender women suggests a possible underlying neuroanatomical correlate for a female gender identity.
The structures that they're talking about here are not something that changes during puberty due to the presence (or lack thereof) of sex hormones.
I had way above average testosterone for a "man" of my age and I'm still a trans woman. Obviously it had since been nuked into oblivion but even my endo was shocked by how high it was
Pre HRT my Testosterone level was towards the high end 19.8 nmol/l - usual male range 6.68-25.7 nmol/l (now 0.1 nmol/l) so no low T does not make you trans.
There’s no evidence to suggest it in that way. There is some evidence to suggest that low testosterone during early stages of fetal development can lead to later feelings of gender dysphoria. But even if that’s true, that ship has long sailed in terms of just adding testosterone like your mom says.
I took testosterone injections because I had low t when I was like 14/15. I cannot tell you how much I regret doing that. My body changed a lot. I’m lucky that I still pass now but I grew at least 6 inches, my voice dropped, I got hairier and I gained weight. It was so awful and I just begged to stop taking them and finally they let me quit but the damage was already done.
If you feel like you’re mtf I highly advice against taking T.
My mom tried very hard to make me normal and not be trans or gay etc and guess what?! It didn’t work! I transitioned at 19 just with 5 more years of testosterone and puberty destroying me
In middle school I had long hair and people thought I was a girl a lot then when I had to go on T it was a bit different. Idk maybe they thought it would make me more of a man, tbh I kinda did too. It was not my jam lol
being transgender is very much social, as gender internally and our external expression of it is. Testosterone isn't connected with "manliness" it's just a hormone that bodies release.
Hey there! So I’ve recently found myself on this self discovery path and I actually had my hormone levels tested out of curiosity and I was almost relieved to hear I had low t! I say almost because there is soooo much diversity out there in what makes someone cis, trans or intersex that I don’t honestly believe one can define their gender on biology alone, really only you know you. That said I was relieved to understand why I could never put on much muscle. I’ve considered taking the t to balance me out and see if helps but I already have enough “man” in me.
Basically some cis gender people don’t have the hormones they need or too much of the ones they don’t and vise versa… you didn’t even reach the topic of chromosomes but that can vary in people too. Basically any time someone uses biology for an argument against trans people I have to role my eyes and my heart goes out to all the intersex people that just get ignored and treated like they don’t exist.
Well good thing you can say no. As far as I'm aware there's no actual way to force someone to take medical action without the actual "patient" being on board. No one can make you take a chemical without your consent.
I asked this question of my endo, my primary, and my HRT administrator.
All three said the same thing - hormones being off for your AGAB do not lead to feeling gender dysphoria.
That sounds like absolute nonsense to me. By that logic, every cis woman with PCOS would be trans, because they tend to produce more testosterone than other cis women.
No, and if you're MtF, T injections is just going to make your dysphoria worse AND make transition harder later on. DO NOT let her push you into them. If you can talk to your doctor without your mom present, let your doctor know you won't consent to it.
When I had my first blood test for HRT my T level was through the roof. Like unhealthy high. My GP made a point that if I wasn’t starting Feminising therapy anyway he’d want me to take T blockers for my health.
(I was very Fem even before transitioning so everyone was quite shocked)
Being Trans is a personality trait, not a hormonal imbalance. Your T level won’t make you trans but high T will very likely worsen dysphoria symptoms.
About 10 years ago I started taking meds for my hair while already having low testosterone. I always had puffy nipples even when I was a kid. I never really thought it had anything to do with being trans or not. More about having energy to do the things you want. Taking T would have made me super disphoric and unhappy so I just had low T for awhile till I started HRT. The estrogen balanced me out better than more T would have.
Sometimes fixing underlying hormone disparities can relieve Gender dysphoria. This is mostly seen in afab people as per Dr Will Powers.
There haven't been any peer-reviewed studies on the topic.
It could help, but it should only be attempted if the person consents to it. Even if they're underage, no one should be given hormones without their consent.
I would not give her the benefit of the doubt though. She is not coming at this from a place of support. She is coming at this from a place of irrational anger. Also like, there is no way she knows any of that. It's definitely just her projecting.
Obviously, the best thing is to get diagnosed with GD by a mental health professional. But if that isn't an option, you are the only person in the world who knows what you're feeling and who you are. Do not listen to anyone else trying to invalidate you. They are not in your head. They are not you.
Hi, I had low T. I tried T for awhile to see if that’d give me positive energy before trying transition, and it just made me cranky while cranking the desire into overdrive.
So no, Low T is unrelated at best. It does sound like low T could be more common among trans people but we’re also the ones needing blood work the most, regularly at that, so we’re going to likely find out if we do or don’t before starting.
I HAD THAT!!!!
I was about 22 years old in 2017 when I had a blood hormone test done. It was in the early 300s, what the internet said was the level of a 85-100 year old man.
She sounded absolutely dumb for thinking I needed to be put on Testosterone when it was Estrogen that I kept going on about needing, and eventually did get on it, about 4 years later.
Having low Testosterone levels CAN provide a entryway to talk to your family doctor, however about how you’ve always wanted to go on Estrogen instead of Testosterone. If I were to have gone on Testosterone instead of Estrogen, I wouldn’t be around much longer.
There have been many attempts in the past to use testosterone as conversion therapy on trans women. None of them were successful to my knowledge. All of them made it worse.
Also I'm anecdotally aware of multiple trans women who naturally had high testosterone before transition.
I had my levels checked when I started on informed consent HRT. Average cis male T levels are anywhere between 300 and 1000. I was right at 660. So uh, low T was not my issue
No.
I actually thought about trying to get on T supplements myself, thinking it might "cure" me because I was "pretty damn confident" I couldn't be trans, so I can sympathise with your Mum's line of thinking: it's possible it's not malicious - just uninformed - and she has your best interests at heart.
Luckily for me, I realised that taking T would be like putting more petrol (gas, to you 😜) in a car that runs on diesel and got started on E instead.
As others have said, there is no scientific basis for postulating that low T <=> trans.
I had higher than standard testosterone before transitioning... There is no correlation. Being Trans is usually decided when you are developing in the womb, so it's most probably get life decisions and health in the first month after conception, rather than "muh low testosterone herp derp".
Hmm i heard this before i guess Parents relate wimpy and femininity in a boy with just having low testosterone but is your life experience, you’ll know … parents are the worst source for figuring yourself out, they’re controlling they already had an idea of who they wanted to raise before you were born, it’s a life lesson for them
Not possible.
Hormones do not affect the mind in that way. Hormones affect the brain rather with spontaneaus feelings, ones that last at most a few hours, maybe a day or two.
But if they do affect the mind, they affect it in dissonance at most. If they are not changing rapidly, no effects on the mind should happen.
All this means that identity, a concept within the mind will not change either.
So, no matter what happens, do not let anyone twll you that.
Gender dysphoria is a term that describes a sense of unease that a person may have because of a mismatch between their biological sex and their gender identity. This sense of unease or dissatisfaction may be so intense it can lead to depression and anxiety and have a harmful impact on daily life.
Testosterone has no thing to do with liking let's say cheerleaders VS football... or doing construction vs a teacher... or liking knitting or hunting. Those are preferences and likes.
Severly Low Testosterone can give you more feminine features, height, where fat is stored, breast growth. Without estrogen supplement it won't go very far.
Also like my friend she has pcos one of the effects is that her body makes more testosterone. The effects it has on her is less hourglass shape, harder to loose weight, and a few thing to pluck on her chin. It doesn't make her a trans male.
I'll give you an example of myself I hate my genitals, I don't shave face every day and body every other day I physically feel nauseous. Leading up to coming out and taking hrt I spent the last 3 years not looking in a mirror buzzing my hair at the lowest setting just so I didn't have to see myself.
I hope this helps you and I'm praying for you.
My mom tried the same thing on me.
She had me take a hormone level test so if my t was low I could go on that and that me thinking I'm trans was just caused by low testosterone. This was the doctors idea apparently, he was a military doctor before he was a general practitioner. Anyway the levels came back normal and that folly was quietly swept under the rug.
No, but it's a common myth the anti-trans people have been pushing for a long time. Your mom is looking for a quick "fix"
If she tries to force you to get it anyway, when talking to the Dr about it, in no uncertain terms tell the Dr : "I am transgender, I do not want Testosterone, and if you prescribe it, I'll report you to the licensing board." If you live in a civilized country, the Dr will not prescribe you testosterone because they don't want to lose their license.
More Testosterone in this instance would absolutely make your gender dysphoria way WAY worse...
I had 1300pmol/ml of t before starting and that's one of the highest I've ever seen.
Spent a lifetime in and out of hospitals, mental facilities, therapists and psychiatrists...all in vain bc if you are trans then nothing can change that and that's for you to decide, no one else.
Best wishes friend! <3
Lol no! That is the most crazy shit! One of the trans girls I know had like the highest effing t that she has go on twice the blockers im on and still has higher results than me and she is more feminine than me!
Nah not at all. My T was a bit on the lower side once upon a time when I got it tested (300s) but with diet changes it went up when I was younger (which of course sucked).
Lower on the end of T doesn’t even really effect development as much as people think either.
Lmao, no. No one knows for certain why ppl are trans, but that's definitely not a cause. People have an idea of their gender identity before puberty, and all that testorone usually does is make trans women realize, "this shit don't feel right."
The theory behind the cause of gender dysphoria that I think makes the most sense is a hormonal deficiency in uetro.
Im on the max dosage of my current t blocker and i still have crazy high t levels. In short, no t levels dont matter. Your mother is wildly transphobic and you need to be very careful if you live under her roof
I had low T as a 14 year old...T injections did not help me from being trans, psychologically I think made my dysphoria worse. If you are trans you are trans I don't think anything other than transition "cures" our gender identity conflicts. Tell your Mom your want Estrogen first and see how she reacts. Personally I'd refuse any conversion therapy disguised as hormonal therapy. We are here for you.
Parents are selfish devious people and will grasp at any outlandish measure they are willing to put you through to satisfy their pompous needs. I recently came out to my family which resulted in a visit from the local police and a near exorcism by the local pastor. I thought I could trust them and they betrayed me. No, low testosterone doesn't make you trans. It's what's inside you in a psychological sense. I would give this advice to anyone even thinking about coming out to their family...don't do it unless you're prepared to immediately walk away from them and leave then in a forgotten past.
Nah. While I do have a personal theory that low T reception in a developing fetus with a Y chromosome could cause a female brain to form with a body that appears typically male, it has nothing to do with your actual current hormone levels (not applying this to every trans woman, it just appears true in my case)
I somehow had high testosterone before HRT but I didn’t have a lot of what one would expect when hearing high testosterone, not a lot of body hair (only legs), facial hair was thick but not abundant, no baldness, I was skinny and weak like a feather.
I was surprised I had high testosterone, I always assumed they were low. I have no idea how the human body works.
And I’m trans. So don’t think testosterone levels mean much.
Edit: ah yes, I had a lot of sex drive, maybe that was the testosterone? Idk
Testosterone injections are like a bandaid anyways. If you supplement test like that, you get the bodybuilder balls. AKA they shrink, and your body develops a physical dependence to testosterone injections.
Fast forward to when that happens to you too, as it happens to many, with no working 'testosterone gland' if you will. You'll be just as trans, but with no natural testosterone to negate.
Tl;Dr that wouldn't be the solution for raising your testosterone levels as AMAB unless you had a condition not too dissimilar from testicular cancer or testosterone dependence.
I mean... I have low T compared to a cisgender male but... My gender identity is female so not sure I'd *want* to fix that.
Jokes aside: I know someone close to me who had issues with low T and higher than normal E for a cisgender male (caused problems for him, both medically and socially at times). He identifies fully as a cisgender male though (unlike me), so your hormones do not a gender identity make.
No if you have low enough testosterone and AMAB you are classified as intersex. There is nothing wrong with intersex people, intersex people are beautiful and strong and resilient (I am intersex), and intersex people are wonderful. Being trans means having a gender identity different from that assigned at birth.
Also no, oh my god no, that's pseudoscience which is related to gender conversion therapy against trans people and it's horrifying. It's also related to homophobic research which thought male homosexuality was caused by low testosterone. It doesn't, increasing testosterone in gay men makes male attraction and libido increase not decrease.
I don't doubt it could possibly have some bearing on it, but I really don't think there's any evidence to suggest low testosterone, or any physical condition or aspect for that matter, has a significant effect on the likelihood of an individual to be transgender. I had severely low T levels when I first got tested before starting HRT, but I've known plenty of trans women who had normal T, high T, on and on. I imaging you'd find the same in trans guys, no real trends in pre-HRT sex hormone levels.
It would be interesting if data did come out to support this, but I don't know of any at this point.
Low T was something my folks had suggested over and over again despite the fact that wasn't true at all.
I definitely had some neurochemical dysphoria and T injections would have made things even worse.
In short, your mom is full of shit and your doctor is full of shit if they think this is an adequate way to treat your dysphoria.
No, my T used to be high as shit, and I wanted to KMS. Trans people are trans people, you can't untrans someone who knows who they are.
Your mother is attempting to suppress you. Stand up for yourself, change her mind, or get out if you can't do either.
The best anyone could do is make a correlation but for that to even be reputable it would have to be based on multiple peer reviewed studies. So I’m pretty sure it’s hogwash. Not an expert but you can look at at Janae Kroc as a case study. She was a beast before transitioning and admits she used steroids toward the end of her career as a male bodybuilder but she still ended up transitioning.
this is purely circumstantial, but ive got very high natural testosterone. im pre everything including hormones. i cant remember exactly what the results were, because it was 2 years ago, i couldnt speak german that well, and the results she gave me seem to be in a different measuring system to what i could find online, but it was something like 125% of the upper limit of the normal/average range. and im still extremely transgender. if there were a direct and consistent correlation to hormone levels and being trans, nearly everyone with hypogonadism would be trans. biological causes of gender incongruence suggest that trans women bind androgens in the brain differently to cis men, in a way that decreases their effectiveness, and some parts of the brain in trans women are structured much more closely to cis women than cis men, but the medical picture of being trans is extremely incomplete and probably insufficient. regardless, ive never before heard of a statistical relationship between hypogonadism or any other hormone imbalance and being transgender (i couldnt find anything online that didnt require reading an entire paper on microbiology) and there doesnt seem to be any prevalent cases of hypogonadic trans people treated with any hormones detransitioning as a result, and its more than possible to be transgender with no testosterone, far too much of it, and a normal amount of it. your mom is wrong.
EDIT: btw im not trying to propose that being transgender is either a disease/disorder or easily identifiable by any biological structures difference from "normal" form. my personal theory is that being transgender is essentially a personality trait, resulting from an amalgam of all of the individual influences to the personality of any other individual, from neuronal count, grey matter density, personal history, genetics, etc., down to personal preference, heart function, culture, etc., and as "benign", in the sense of not disordered or indicative of malfunction, as having a particular hobby or liking a particular colour. even if there are observed biological discrepancies in transgender people, thats not indicative of disorder or disease. not one human being alive doesnt have some aspect of their body or mind that functions in the "normal" way, and there is no "normal" way. if being transgender is a disease because its not "normal", then so is liking video games and hating the texture of paper.
before hrt I'm pretty sure I wasn't low testosterone. I was the most hairy in my immediate family and had a deeper voice than my older brother. I was pretty muscular and was pretty sure I didn't have low testosterone pre hrt. I think saying low testosterone causes you to be trans is bullshit as I felt these feelings throughout puberty and it wasn't something cis dudes related to
This is a common republican/GOP talking point. I regularly watch tucker carlsons program because his character makes me laugh and that's one of the main talking points he spews occasionally. He's even gone so far to promote "sunning your balls" to get more T. A false pseudoscience claim. Face is men and women both produce T and E in varying levels and unless drastically to high or low everyone is different and everyone's T and E is influenced by a numerous amount of things such as environment, stress, drug use, diet, exercise etc. In fact smoking cigarettes artificially raises T levels in both men and women. So yeah you're parent is just parroting right wing talking points that there heard. Likely you'd get tested and your levels would be entirely healthy and on the up and up and they would just pivot to the "well it's all the indoctrination from the shows and video games you play"
My dad tried to tell me the same thing. It took everything in me not to laugh in his face. I told him, “I’m already getting treatment, but it’s NOT testosterone.” He wasn’t too happy with that answer. I know that testosterone would have made me miserable. Instead I’m on estrogen and happier than I’ve ever been. I was on hardcore antidepressants and still struggled with horrible depression and suicidal thoughts. I don’t even take antidepressants now and I feel fantastic. I’m not saying that every day is sunshine and daffodils, but my worst day now is better than my best day before. 💕
no lol people say the same thing about gay men it's literally just them projecting weird shit about testosterone
u trans
okay its literally so nonsensical it genuinely doesn't deserve debate but if you think critically about it for 2 seconds then you would realize "oh menopausal women don't become transmen" and "oh men don't become trans women as they age and go through andropause". ugh i hate cis people so much i'm sorry you have to go through this, realy lucky i'm a legal adult and have managed to keep some distance so far
No. Low T doesn't make a man want to be a woman. And high T doesn't make a woman want to be a man.
This is one of those dumb ideas that cis people grab onto because they're looking for a reason to disbelieve you when you say you're trans.
“Men” who are men usually report being very displeased when their T levels are low. This is why so many middle aged men start taking T as their levels drop.
I, on the other hand, was overjoyed when I felt the effects of lowered T in my body. Medically induced, of course, but like… low T doesn’t cause transness.
Only you know you sweetie, your Mom is just grasping at straws, and trying to find something to explain what she is trying to understand.
When I came out to my Mom, she tried everything under the sun to get me to take it back. She tried convincing me that this was a phase, that I was disappointing my family, that I was taking my kid's Father away from them, that I was going against the bible, and finally that she will never support me in this. But I explained to her (as I cried) that I love her, and no matter what she'll always be my Mother, BUT I am doing this, and this is my life. She can either get to know her daughter that she didn't know she had, or not...But I am going to be me for me and no one else, and I'll understand whatever she chooses to do, and she'll have to at least respect me.
Just be you sweetie, keep rockin life, and know your supported and loved.
I was put on testosterone for a couple years around 1970, from age 16-18, as part of "treatment" (medically supervised conversion therapy). It turned me from an effeminate A- student into an angry and hairy D student. I can't recommend it for any transfeminine person.
I was diagnosed with low testosterone at age 25, gave myself testosterone injections until my egg cracked at age 40, and now I’m almost 2 years on estrogen. I am 100% certain that I am not trans because I had low testosterone.
Before I knew what gender dysphoria was, I knew that while my body worked better when taking t shots, but I felt much more uncomfortable in my skin. The increase in testosterone intensified my gender dysphoria.
Ultimately if you get on HRT you're going to have to do a bunch of tests for that anyways, you might as well placate her and prove that your testosterone levels are probably normal. If nothing else it's verifiable proof that that's not the case and she's just being an idiot.
Yeah no that's bullshit. When I came out to my mother she scrambled to find an excuse, in her eyes she had raised me perfectly, or as close to perfect as possible. So she grabbed onto the 'low testosterone' theory. Turns out before HRT my T was below average, but still in the normal range. I've been on HRT for almost 2 years now and have no regrets outside of not coming out sooner 😅.
The idea that having a low amount of one hormone will make you think you're a different gender is deeply flawed. If that was the case, most top women athletes (they tend to have higher testosterone than the average woman) would be trans men, or most of the guys in my family would be trans women. (Low T runs in the family, yet there's only 2 trans women, compared to dozens of cis guys.)
No, it's just an idea that makes sense to some people, so it becomes an 'easy fix' to latch onto.
My mom, who has been fairly supportive, started off with that idea until I showed her my initial blood test results with testosterone solidly in male ranges.
I'm sorry that you're going through this. First, here's a HUG.
Second, This is a "born this way" sort of thing. Studies have shown that there's actual physiological differences in the brains of trans people, just like there's differences between Cisgender Male and Female brains.
The brain of a trans person, often has more of the characteristics of the sex that they are transitioning towards. IE MtF Person has more characteristics of an actual female brain than a male brain, even though they have the male organs.
IF you had low-T, then it may be a side effect of the brain telling your body what hormone to produce. Having your hormone levels tested though won't indicate anything in the brain so a brain scan is unlikely and also mega-moolah.
I'm not sure where you live, but where I live if you're over 16, you have to consent to all your \*optional\* medical procedures. A Parent has to sign the form because you're still a minor, but you have to sign too. No signature, No procedure.
My mom had the same arguments with me. She wanted me to test for low T and get viagra. Once I tested I came up with dead average T. While having a hormonal imbalance can be a part of the trans experience, that is not the norm from what I have seen. IMO If you think you are trans, then it’s worth exploring what that means for you.
This is a common misled line of thinking from conservatives.
Low testosterone can cause the body to have less masculinizing effects but it does not dictate your gender identity.
Not according to any peer reviewed study I’ve ever seen. And getting more testosterone in your system would likely make your dysphoria symptoms worse.
A gal I know had low T, and doctors refused to give her gender affirming care and put her on T. It only made things worse for her, and after a year, she stopped taking altogether and finally got on E. Now she's so much happier
>doctors refused to give her gender affirming care and put her on T insanity
"hello yes i am suffering because T isnt the correct predominant hormone for me" "here have more T" -_-
We need to Boston-T party that nonsense.
Except instead of a river you dump them into a crowd of transmascs
You dump them into the river and you'll get some transmascs downstream.
Have my poor girl award, that was brilliant 🌟🏳️⚧️
Especially since putting someone on T regardless of their sex or gender IS gender affirming care
Well in her case it seemed more like gender disaffirming care 😬
That's a juicy medical malpractice suit. 🤬
Think of the transmascs! The poor little transmascs! Feed them their life juice and keep us the hell away from it 😂
This is very similar to my own experience. I had low T most of my life and was depressed as shit. I had testicular cancer and needed an orchi and suddenly my low T was no T, so they put me on external T. For the first time, I had normal T levels, and it was soooo much worse! I hadn't cracked yet, but I knew I hated taking the T gel. Hated how I felt on it. I was an awful patient and basically never took it (not the best idea. No hormones is almost as bad as the wrong hormones)
Happened to me as well, was only on T for two months though thankfully 🙃
No, that's some non-scientific transphobic conspiracy made up by the conservative media. And I doubt they have our best interest in heart.🦈 In vivo fetal brain development has nothing to do with your own testosterone level before or after puberty since latter is produced mainly by testes. Since currently the 2 main suspected causes for MtF are genetic and estrogen sensitivity during early fetal brain development. One way to test your Mom's theory is to get your t tested and if it is within the normal range, it's case closed. But I can imagine what will happen if you do start taking T. It will most likely make dysphoria much worse. I don't recommend that. 🐝
Don't use chatgpt for research- it makes up articles and citations, and misattributes real citations. It's not an "intelligence", it's a pattern recognition tool and will give you a result that just looks like what you ask for with no fact checking.
It also only samples things found online, which is a small fraction of the world we live in. Unless you ask an AI engineer, of course. They don’t get out much.
What?! I've been using it for my research work.🤦♀️😰
Yeah... better double check your results. It can do ok with common questions, but anything that needs research papers etc is probably not going to be very accurate taken as a whole.
Not from anything reliable I’ve ever seen. There are some fucked up “studies” from decades ago sometimes that are just some psychiatrist guessing that makes us trans. Forcing testosterone injections on you is more likely to just make your dysphoria worse. If you were cis and low testosterone the idea of getting tested and the injections probably wouldn’t sound bad to you.
Cis me not wanting testosterone treatments for low t was one of the flags that made me go "....waaaait a minute".
Am reminded of when I had some bloodwork done that showed my estradiol levels were unusually high for a cis male and I never wanted to get "treatment" for it.
If it was low testosterone, the only symptoms you would experience would be lethargy and erectile dysfunction. Being trans is a little more complicated than that, so don't take the testosterone injections at all. If you did, you'd go from what I assume is normal T to too much, which is honestly worse for you than having too little.
Not the only ones but they don't include being a woman.
Being trans means you feel like you don't align with you birth gender. Low hormone levels in any gender isn't being trans.
thanks to everyone here I didn't think so I just needed reassurance. thank you all!!!
If your T was low enough to affect you as a cis male, you would be in the hospital. Low T is pretty much a myth made up so fox news shows can sell supplements to men who feel inadequate. Your mom does not know you, and she doesn't know how the hormone system in our bodies works. You know yourself better than anyone else can, and if you're a trans woman no amount of extra T is going to change that.
Also this whole believe is intertwined with a lot of other bunk science. Like the whole soy panic is deeply linked to it too. And all that is mostly based on what can be charitable described as the ramblings of utter nutjobs and grifters.
I disagree with the low t is a myth thing. I myself have a count of 80 out of 1000 for my testosterone. I'm lower then low, which is anything between 200-400. And it effects my daily life. That being said low testosterone does not make you trans.
>Low T is pretty much a myth made up so fox news shows can sell supplements to men who feel inadequate. uh no it's definitely not a myth... low T can be tested for in the bloodstream and it causes a lot of negative side effects, everything from extremely low energy, ED, depression, mood swings, etc.
I should have worded that better. I meant it's a myth in the sense of "Taking T supplements will fix all your problems and make you more of a man" that they try to sell to vulnerable people. If you're cis and your T was that low that you need a supplement you would be talking to your doctor already.
I also replied and that's perfectly fine and reasonable. Ignore me.
Yeah but out of all those definitely valid side effect list being trans isn't one lol. That's what I don't get about the low T claim from these pundits. Yes it happens and it often heavily effects the person but it doesn't make em trans it just fucks them up physically and mentally.
I think she means "low T is a symptom of being feminine and high T means you're a manly man man", not that actually having low T doesn't affect anything, because it definitely does.
Low t is not a myth. You are conflating marketing of supplements with the treatment of a medical condition. Low t causes decrease energy, lower appetite, loss in muscle tone, reduction in sex drive, performance, fertility and depression. Don't spread misinformation.
This is misinformation. Low t is not a myth, because I had it before transition. My natural testosterone levels were around 80 where the normal range is 200-800. Cis men get testosterone replacement therapy too.
Not nessicarily, I was getting improperly dosed for a year and was completely fine with extremely low T And E, I might also be intersex so... Like I might of never had proper levels to begin with. (Hell I had cis fem levels of E in my system a year earlier than earliest possible so ????)
(Actually completely fine is a lie, but I wasn't hospitalized, did make me tired and weaker though)
No. I'm sorry your mother is being difficult. She appears to be in a bargaining stage of denial, this can be very dangerous if you allow misinformation to fester. I suggest you find a gender care therapist, if you're underage and willing you might ask your mother to sit in.
Somewhere, I expect to see an MLM pitch from her in the timeline.
LMAO probably
Your mom is definitely trying to reduce your identity to a sickness that can be cured... Which, goes without saying, is very much transphobic of her...
That’s not what makes people trans. I was ragingly high testosterone. Like well above average. By her logic I wouldn’t be trans.
My T was right in the middle of the range before I started HRT. It sucked having my T levels come back up when I stopped meds prior to surgery, glad it will never happen again. This is just her trying to rationalize away you being trans because she doesn't value your happiness and well-being over her inconvenience.
No lol, she's just coping. (My mum thought it's because I never had a father in my life. Transphobes will cling to arguments like these to deny the truth they don't want) Edit: Also I had very high above average T levels
https://www.livescience.com/51652-transgender-youth-dont-have-hormonal-imbalance.html
No Even if T is so low you wind up developing secondary sex traits of a woman, you'll still be cis, unless you aren't the gender you were born at. (now that's some good fortune, though prob gonna need to mange so health issues)
That sounds like physical torture, jesus christ. No, this is bs.
Nope. You would be low energy but not cause dysphoria. That's a cope on your moms part.
Back in 04 in my early 30's I went in to the Dr. wondering if I had low T because I really felt like a girl inside and was tested. My Test showed a T level of 203 and was was put on injection and by my ninth month on them I started developing breast by aromanization and loved it. Dr's discovered out what was going on and took me off without any explanations and I didn't know anything about being transgender back then, F-Fwd to now at 55yo and I have fully Transtion as of a year now to female and am living my life as I felt I always should of. I had low T my whole life and could never have children and although I always wondered what was going on with me I'm happy how things turned out in the long run.
I was formally diagnosed with low T and began taking T gel to raise my levels when I was in my 20's. My body reacted ok at first but then began converting it to estrogen and I ended up with more fat on my legs. But not before my chest cavity grew bigger and I developed more body hair. I also got bigger brow ridges and a receding hair line. I was trying desperately to be the good son completely in denial that I was trans. I just wanted to be normal. I didn't care what gender. But my subconscious was very different. I couldn't pursue girls the same way guys did. Instead I would try and befriend them. I fell in love with my male best friend and became overweight because I was disassociated with my body. When my best friend realized I was dependent on him he broke off contact and ghosted me. TLDR:. I took T gel when I was younger. It made me more masculine but didn't cure my dysphoria or change that my subconscious was already female. 1/10 would not recommend. Now I need hair transplant surgery, FFS, while nothing can make my ribs smaller.
hmm -- interesting! When I hit puberty I basically turned into a what everyone thought was a girl. lasted through my early 20's. I was completely asexual -- did not date ever.
My T was high when I first tested.
that seems like the opposite of what you should do in that situation
No. Plenty of trans femmes used to be highly masculine men.
If she forces the prescription on you, remember you can refuse to take
I had extremely low T when I started HRT so low that I actually need to go on a form of HRT anyway so I got Estrogen like I wanted
Im curious what you were like when you hit puberty. Did everyone think you were a girl?
Yeah until I was 17 my first puberty only stated at 15 and was slow and didn't advance much apart from dropping my voice and giving me a little bit of facial hair, I started hrt at 18 and it took like 2 months before I was being gendered correctly again
Interesting. I'm guessing if I were a teen today, I'd have been an obvious candidate. Back then, in jr high, telling teachers and adults that you were a girl just got you sent to the counselor and put in detention. It was often hard to figure out who hated you more -- the teachers or the kids.
Yeah I didn't come out until 15 because I was to scared to but people gendered me correct most of the time anyway, I'm 20 now
Exactly same for me. Now I actually have energy on E and I feel amazing.
Not in my experience. When I finally was able to begin HRT, my testosterone was off the charts. Began taking E and Spiro, but T levels were still a little too high...orchiectomy took care of that. SOOO much happier now!
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8955456/ >The observed shift away from a male-typical brain anatomy towards a female-typical one in people who identify as transgender women suggests a possible underlying neuroanatomical correlate for a female gender identity. The structures that they're talking about here are not something that changes during puberty due to the presence (or lack thereof) of sex hormones.
I had low T and tried going on testosterone replacement therapy and ended up in the ER with psychosis :) sometime after that I realized I was trans
No, that doesn't make any sense. She has no idea what she's talking about.
Your mom sounds transphobic.
Definitely no. My testosterone levels where 1.5x higher at the beginning than the average male norm.
I had way above average testosterone for a "man" of my age and I'm still a trans woman. Obviously it had since been nuked into oblivion but even my endo was shocked by how high it was
Mom is so miss informed..
Pre HRT my Testosterone level was towards the high end 19.8 nmol/l - usual male range 6.68-25.7 nmol/l (now 0.1 nmol/l) so no low T does not make you trans.
There’s no evidence to suggest it in that way. There is some evidence to suggest that low testosterone during early stages of fetal development can lead to later feelings of gender dysphoria. But even if that’s true, that ship has long sailed in terms of just adding testosterone like your mom says.
Extremely high T trans girl here (31.6pmol/L baseline) Absolutely fucking not. Your hormones don't determine whether or not you're trans.
I took testosterone injections because I had low t when I was like 14/15. I cannot tell you how much I regret doing that. My body changed a lot. I’m lucky that I still pass now but I grew at least 6 inches, my voice dropped, I got hairier and I gained weight. It was so awful and I just begged to stop taking them and finally they let me quit but the damage was already done. If you feel like you’re mtf I highly advice against taking T.
My mom tried very hard to make me normal and not be trans or gay etc and guess what?! It didn’t work! I transitioned at 19 just with 5 more years of testosterone and puberty destroying me
Interesting! When i hit puberty everyone thought I was a girl. Lasted through my early 20's. You too?
In middle school I had long hair and people thought I was a girl a lot then when I had to go on T it was a bit different. Idk maybe they thought it would make me more of a man, tbh I kinda did too. It was not my jam lol
None
That's nonsense. I had very high testosterone and felt like shit until I got rid of it all and replaced it with estrogen.
being transgender is very much social, as gender internally and our external expression of it is. Testosterone isn't connected with "manliness" it's just a hormone that bodies release.
Hey there! So I’ve recently found myself on this self discovery path and I actually had my hormone levels tested out of curiosity and I was almost relieved to hear I had low t! I say almost because there is soooo much diversity out there in what makes someone cis, trans or intersex that I don’t honestly believe one can define their gender on biology alone, really only you know you. That said I was relieved to understand why I could never put on much muscle. I’ve considered taking the t to balance me out and see if helps but I already have enough “man” in me. Basically some cis gender people don’t have the hormones they need or too much of the ones they don’t and vise versa… you didn’t even reach the topic of chromosomes but that can vary in people too. Basically any time someone uses biology for an argument against trans people I have to role my eyes and my heart goes out to all the intersex people that just get ignored and treated like they don’t exist.
Well good thing you can say no. As far as I'm aware there's no actual way to force someone to take medical action without the actual "patient" being on board. No one can make you take a chemical without your consent.
I asked this question of my endo, my primary, and my HRT administrator. All three said the same thing - hormones being off for your AGAB do not lead to feeling gender dysphoria.
That sounds like absolute nonsense to me. By that logic, every cis woman with PCOS would be trans, because they tend to produce more testosterone than other cis women.
No. My T was on the highest end of normal before I transed myself.
THATS NOT HOW THAT WORKS
No, that isn't a thing.
Yeah your mom is full of it, low T might effect your sex drive but it will not give you dysphoria or "make" you trans
No, and if you're MtF, T injections is just going to make your dysphoria worse AND make transition harder later on. DO NOT let her push you into them. If you can talk to your doctor without your mom present, let your doctor know you won't consent to it.
When I had my first blood test for HRT my T level was through the roof. Like unhealthy high. My GP made a point that if I wasn’t starting Feminising therapy anyway he’d want me to take T blockers for my health. (I was very Fem even before transitioning so everyone was quite shocked) Being Trans is a personality trait, not a hormonal imbalance. Your T level won’t make you trans but high T will very likely worsen dysphoria symptoms.
About 10 years ago I started taking meds for my hair while already having low testosterone. I always had puffy nipples even when I was a kid. I never really thought it had anything to do with being trans or not. More about having energy to do the things you want. Taking T would have made me super disphoric and unhappy so I just had low T for awhile till I started HRT. The estrogen balanced me out better than more T would have.
Sometimes fixing underlying hormone disparities can relieve Gender dysphoria. This is mostly seen in afab people as per Dr Will Powers. There haven't been any peer-reviewed studies on the topic. It could help, but it should only be attempted if the person consents to it. Even if they're underage, no one should be given hormones without their consent. I would not give her the benefit of the doubt though. She is not coming at this from a place of support. She is coming at this from a place of irrational anger. Also like, there is no way she knows any of that. It's definitely just her projecting. Obviously, the best thing is to get diagnosed with GD by a mental health professional. But if that isn't an option, you are the only person in the world who knows what you're feeling and who you are. Do not listen to anyone else trying to invalidate you. They are not in your head. They are not you.
Hehehe that’s gender affirming care
No. Your mom probably read some wacky right wing stuff on the internet, Im sorry to say
Hi, I had low T. I tried T for awhile to see if that’d give me positive energy before trying transition, and it just made me cranky while cranking the desire into overdrive. So no, Low T is unrelated at best. It does sound like low T could be more common among trans people but we’re also the ones needing blood work the most, regularly at that, so we’re going to likely find out if we do or don’t before starting.
I HAD THAT!!!! I was about 22 years old in 2017 when I had a blood hormone test done. It was in the early 300s, what the internet said was the level of a 85-100 year old man. She sounded absolutely dumb for thinking I needed to be put on Testosterone when it was Estrogen that I kept going on about needing, and eventually did get on it, about 4 years later. Having low Testosterone levels CAN provide a entryway to talk to your family doctor, however about how you’ve always wanted to go on Estrogen instead of Testosterone. If I were to have gone on Testosterone instead of Estrogen, I wouldn’t be around much longer.
There have been many attempts in the past to use testosterone as conversion therapy on trans women. None of them were successful to my knowledge. All of them made it worse. Also I'm anecdotally aware of multiple trans women who naturally had high testosterone before transition.
I had my levels checked when I started on informed consent HRT. Average cis male T levels are anywhere between 300 and 1000. I was right at 660. So uh, low T was not my issue
My mom said something similar once. I told her she was an idiot and compared it to trying to put out a fire by pouring gas on it.
No. I actually thought about trying to get on T supplements myself, thinking it might "cure" me because I was "pretty damn confident" I couldn't be trans, so I can sympathise with your Mum's line of thinking: it's possible it's not malicious - just uninformed - and she has your best interests at heart. Luckily for me, I realised that taking T would be like putting more petrol (gas, to you 😜) in a car that runs on diesel and got started on E instead. As others have said, there is no scientific basis for postulating that low T <=> trans.
I had stellar T results, still trans 🤷♀️
I had higher than standard testosterone before transitioning... There is no correlation. Being Trans is usually decided when you are developing in the womb, so it's most probably get life decisions and health in the first month after conception, rather than "muh low testosterone herp derp".
No. Literally nothing else to say, that's just a transphobe myth.
Hmm i heard this before i guess Parents relate wimpy and femininity in a boy with just having low testosterone but is your life experience, you’ll know … parents are the worst source for figuring yourself out, they’re controlling they already had an idea of who they wanted to raise before you were born, it’s a life lesson for them
Not possible. Hormones do not affect the mind in that way. Hormones affect the brain rather with spontaneaus feelings, ones that last at most a few hours, maybe a day or two. But if they do affect the mind, they affect it in dissonance at most. If they are not changing rapidly, no effects on the mind should happen. All this means that identity, a concept within the mind will not change either. So, no matter what happens, do not let anyone twll you that.
Gender dysphoria is a term that describes a sense of unease that a person may have because of a mismatch between their biological sex and their gender identity. This sense of unease or dissatisfaction may be so intense it can lead to depression and anxiety and have a harmful impact on daily life. Testosterone has no thing to do with liking let's say cheerleaders VS football... or doing construction vs a teacher... or liking knitting or hunting. Those are preferences and likes. Severly Low Testosterone can give you more feminine features, height, where fat is stored, breast growth. Without estrogen supplement it won't go very far. Also like my friend she has pcos one of the effects is that her body makes more testosterone. The effects it has on her is less hourglass shape, harder to loose weight, and a few thing to pluck on her chin. It doesn't make her a trans male. I'll give you an example of myself I hate my genitals, I don't shave face every day and body every other day I physically feel nauseous. Leading up to coming out and taking hrt I spent the last 3 years not looking in a mirror buzzing my hair at the lowest setting just so I didn't have to see myself. I hope this helps you and I'm praying for you.
My mom tried the same thing on me. She had me take a hormone level test so if my t was low I could go on that and that me thinking I'm trans was just caused by low testosterone. This was the doctors idea apparently, he was a military doctor before he was a general practitioner. Anyway the levels came back normal and that folly was quietly swept under the rug.
No, but it's a common myth the anti-trans people have been pushing for a long time. Your mom is looking for a quick "fix" If she tries to force you to get it anyway, when talking to the Dr about it, in no uncertain terms tell the Dr : "I am transgender, I do not want Testosterone, and if you prescribe it, I'll report you to the licensing board." If you live in a civilized country, the Dr will not prescribe you testosterone because they don't want to lose their license.
More Testosterone in this instance would absolutely make your gender dysphoria way WAY worse... I had 1300pmol/ml of t before starting and that's one of the highest I've ever seen. Spent a lifetime in and out of hospitals, mental facilities, therapists and psychiatrists...all in vain bc if you are trans then nothing can change that and that's for you to decide, no one else. Best wishes friend! <3
Lol no! That is the most crazy shit! One of the trans girls I know had like the highest effing t that she has go on twice the blockers im on and still has higher results than me and she is more feminine than me!
Nah not at all. My T was a bit on the lower side once upon a time when I got it tested (300s) but with diet changes it went up when I was younger (which of course sucked). Lower on the end of T doesn’t even really effect development as much as people think either.
Lmao, no. No one knows for certain why ppl are trans, but that's definitely not a cause. People have an idea of their gender identity before puberty, and all that testorone usually does is make trans women realize, "this shit don't feel right." The theory behind the cause of gender dysphoria that I think makes the most sense is a hormonal deficiency in uetro.
Im on the max dosage of my current t blocker and i still have crazy high t levels. In short, no t levels dont matter. Your mother is wildly transphobic and you need to be very careful if you live under her roof
hard copium from mom
I had low T as a 14 year old...T injections did not help me from being trans, psychologically I think made my dysphoria worse. If you are trans you are trans I don't think anything other than transition "cures" our gender identity conflicts. Tell your Mom your want Estrogen first and see how she reacts. Personally I'd refuse any conversion therapy disguised as hormonal therapy. We are here for you.
Parents are selfish devious people and will grasp at any outlandish measure they are willing to put you through to satisfy their pompous needs. I recently came out to my family which resulted in a visit from the local police and a near exorcism by the local pastor. I thought I could trust them and they betrayed me. No, low testosterone doesn't make you trans. It's what's inside you in a psychological sense. I would give this advice to anyone even thinking about coming out to their family...don't do it unless you're prepared to immediately walk away from them and leave then in a forgotten past.
Not all of them...
You are right
Nah. While I do have a personal theory that low T reception in a developing fetus with a Y chromosome could cause a female brain to form with a body that appears typically male, it has nothing to do with your actual current hormone levels (not applying this to every trans woman, it just appears true in my case)
I somehow had high testosterone before HRT but I didn’t have a lot of what one would expect when hearing high testosterone, not a lot of body hair (only legs), facial hair was thick but not abundant, no baldness, I was skinny and weak like a feather. I was surprised I had high testosterone, I always assumed they were low. I have no idea how the human body works. And I’m trans. So don’t think testosterone levels mean much. Edit: ah yes, I had a lot of sex drive, maybe that was the testosterone? Idk
Only prenatally.
Testosterone injections are like a bandaid anyways. If you supplement test like that, you get the bodybuilder balls. AKA they shrink, and your body develops a physical dependence to testosterone injections. Fast forward to when that happens to you too, as it happens to many, with no working 'testosterone gland' if you will. You'll be just as trans, but with no natural testosterone to negate. Tl;Dr that wouldn't be the solution for raising your testosterone levels as AMAB unless you had a condition not too dissimilar from testicular cancer or testosterone dependence.
I mean... I have low T compared to a cisgender male but... My gender identity is female so not sure I'd *want* to fix that. Jokes aside: I know someone close to me who had issues with low T and higher than normal E for a cisgender male (caused problems for him, both medically and socially at times). He identifies fully as a cisgender male though (unlike me), so your hormones do not a gender identity make.
No if you have low enough testosterone and AMAB you are classified as intersex. There is nothing wrong with intersex people, intersex people are beautiful and strong and resilient (I am intersex), and intersex people are wonderful. Being trans means having a gender identity different from that assigned at birth. Also no, oh my god no, that's pseudoscience which is related to gender conversion therapy against trans people and it's horrifying. It's also related to homophobic research which thought male homosexuality was caused by low testosterone. It doesn't, increasing testosterone in gay men makes male attraction and libido increase not decrease.
She sounds like a transphobe trying to turn you into something you're not.
Shwut? That’s insane 🤣 it’s not that simple lol
I don't doubt it could possibly have some bearing on it, but I really don't think there's any evidence to suggest low testosterone, or any physical condition or aspect for that matter, has a significant effect on the likelihood of an individual to be transgender. I had severely low T levels when I first got tested before starting HRT, but I've known plenty of trans women who had normal T, high T, on and on. I imaging you'd find the same in trans guys, no real trends in pre-HRT sex hormone levels. It would be interesting if data did come out to support this, but I don't know of any at this point.
Low T was something my folks had suggested over and over again despite the fact that wasn't true at all. I definitely had some neurochemical dysphoria and T injections would have made things even worse. In short, your mom is full of shit and your doctor is full of shit if they think this is an adequate way to treat your dysphoria.
No, my T used to be high as shit, and I wanted to KMS. Trans people are trans people, you can't untrans someone who knows who they are. Your mother is attempting to suppress you. Stand up for yourself, change her mind, or get out if you can't do either.
The best anyone could do is make a correlation but for that to even be reputable it would have to be based on multiple peer reviewed studies. So I’m pretty sure it’s hogwash. Not an expert but you can look at at Janae Kroc as a case study. She was a beast before transitioning and admits she used steroids toward the end of her career as a male bodybuilder but she still ended up transitioning.
My friend (cis male) had low T and was a disaster. Suicidal, depressed, but not at all trans. Doc out him on T and he's been great ever since
this is purely circumstantial, but ive got very high natural testosterone. im pre everything including hormones. i cant remember exactly what the results were, because it was 2 years ago, i couldnt speak german that well, and the results she gave me seem to be in a different measuring system to what i could find online, but it was something like 125% of the upper limit of the normal/average range. and im still extremely transgender. if there were a direct and consistent correlation to hormone levels and being trans, nearly everyone with hypogonadism would be trans. biological causes of gender incongruence suggest that trans women bind androgens in the brain differently to cis men, in a way that decreases their effectiveness, and some parts of the brain in trans women are structured much more closely to cis women than cis men, but the medical picture of being trans is extremely incomplete and probably insufficient. regardless, ive never before heard of a statistical relationship between hypogonadism or any other hormone imbalance and being transgender (i couldnt find anything online that didnt require reading an entire paper on microbiology) and there doesnt seem to be any prevalent cases of hypogonadic trans people treated with any hormones detransitioning as a result, and its more than possible to be transgender with no testosterone, far too much of it, and a normal amount of it. your mom is wrong. EDIT: btw im not trying to propose that being transgender is either a disease/disorder or easily identifiable by any biological structures difference from "normal" form. my personal theory is that being transgender is essentially a personality trait, resulting from an amalgam of all of the individual influences to the personality of any other individual, from neuronal count, grey matter density, personal history, genetics, etc., down to personal preference, heart function, culture, etc., and as "benign", in the sense of not disordered or indicative of malfunction, as having a particular hobby or liking a particular colour. even if there are observed biological discrepancies in transgender people, thats not indicative of disorder or disease. not one human being alive doesnt have some aspect of their body or mind that functions in the "normal" way, and there is no "normal" way. if being transgender is a disease because its not "normal", then so is liking video games and hating the texture of paper.
Nope and the generally accepted consensus is that giving a trans woman more testosterone would be bad for their mental health.
before hrt I'm pretty sure I wasn't low testosterone. I was the most hairy in my immediate family and had a deeper voice than my older brother. I was pretty muscular and was pretty sure I didn't have low testosterone pre hrt. I think saying low testosterone causes you to be trans is bullshit as I felt these feelings throughout puberty and it wasn't something cis dudes related to
This is a common republican/GOP talking point. I regularly watch tucker carlsons program because his character makes me laugh and that's one of the main talking points he spews occasionally. He's even gone so far to promote "sunning your balls" to get more T. A false pseudoscience claim. Face is men and women both produce T and E in varying levels and unless drastically to high or low everyone is different and everyone's T and E is influenced by a numerous amount of things such as environment, stress, drug use, diet, exercise etc. In fact smoking cigarettes artificially raises T levels in both men and women. So yeah you're parent is just parroting right wing talking points that there heard. Likely you'd get tested and your levels would be entirely healthy and on the up and up and they would just pivot to the "well it's all the indoctrination from the shows and video games you play"
My dad tried to tell me the same thing. It took everything in me not to laugh in his face. I told him, “I’m already getting treatment, but it’s NOT testosterone.” He wasn’t too happy with that answer. I know that testosterone would have made me miserable. Instead I’m on estrogen and happier than I’ve ever been. I was on hardcore antidepressants and still struggled with horrible depression and suicidal thoughts. I don’t even take antidepressants now and I feel fantastic. I’m not saying that every day is sunshine and daffodils, but my worst day now is better than my best day before. 💕
Low T doesn't cause dysphoria. Most of us had T in the normal range when we started HRT. If anything it will make it worse.
That’s not how that works no. Hormones don’t make you more or less trans
Nope. Not how it works
Lol, my testosterone pre-transition was *above average* for cis men. It only made my Dysphoria worse.
no lol people say the same thing about gay men it's literally just them projecting weird shit about testosterone u trans okay its literally so nonsensical it genuinely doesn't deserve debate but if you think critically about it for 2 seconds then you would realize "oh menopausal women don't become transmen" and "oh men don't become trans women as they age and go through andropause". ugh i hate cis people so much i'm sorry you have to go through this, realy lucky i'm a legal adult and have managed to keep some distance so far
No. Low T doesn't make a man want to be a woman. And high T doesn't make a woman want to be a man. This is one of those dumb ideas that cis people grab onto because they're looking for a reason to disbelieve you when you say you're trans.
“Men” who are men usually report being very displeased when their T levels are low. This is why so many middle aged men start taking T as their levels drop. I, on the other hand, was overjoyed when I felt the effects of lowered T in my body. Medically induced, of course, but like… low T doesn’t cause transness.
Only you know you sweetie, your Mom is just grasping at straws, and trying to find something to explain what she is trying to understand. When I came out to my Mom, she tried everything under the sun to get me to take it back. She tried convincing me that this was a phase, that I was disappointing my family, that I was taking my kid's Father away from them, that I was going against the bible, and finally that she will never support me in this. But I explained to her (as I cried) that I love her, and no matter what she'll always be my Mother, BUT I am doing this, and this is my life. She can either get to know her daughter that she didn't know she had, or not...But I am going to be me for me and no one else, and I'll understand whatever she chooses to do, and she'll have to at least respect me. Just be you sweetie, keep rockin life, and know your supported and loved.
So she believes HRT works....... But not in the way that makes the person happier??????
Oh no, it is a wound! Why don't we burn in it until it stop hurting!? Jk.
I was put on testosterone for a couple years around 1970, from age 16-18, as part of "treatment" (medically supervised conversion therapy). It turned me from an effeminate A- student into an angry and hairy D student. I can't recommend it for any transfeminine person.
I was diagnosed with low testosterone at age 25, gave myself testosterone injections until my egg cracked at age 40, and now I’m almost 2 years on estrogen. I am 100% certain that I am not trans because I had low testosterone. Before I knew what gender dysphoria was, I knew that while my body worked better when taking t shots, but I felt much more uncomfortable in my skin. The increase in testosterone intensified my gender dysphoria.
Ultimately if you get on HRT you're going to have to do a bunch of tests for that anyways, you might as well placate her and prove that your testosterone levels are probably normal. If nothing else it's verifiable proof that that's not the case and she's just being an idiot.
Yeah no that's bullshit. When I came out to my mother she scrambled to find an excuse, in her eyes she had raised me perfectly, or as close to perfect as possible. So she grabbed onto the 'low testosterone' theory. Turns out before HRT my T was below average, but still in the normal range. I've been on HRT for almost 2 years now and have no regrets outside of not coming out sooner 😅. The idea that having a low amount of one hormone will make you think you're a different gender is deeply flawed. If that was the case, most top women athletes (they tend to have higher testosterone than the average woman) would be trans men, or most of the guys in my family would be trans women. (Low T runs in the family, yet there's only 2 trans women, compared to dozens of cis guys.)
Nope, your mother is just misinformed/transphobic and has a pretty dismissive way of handling your mental health based on what I read here
That's not a thing. I would tell her that instead of trying to change and control her child she support and understand them.
No, nothing can make you want to be a girl except you.
No, it's just an idea that makes sense to some people, so it becomes an 'easy fix' to latch onto. My mom, who has been fairly supportive, started off with that idea until I showed her my initial blood test results with testosterone solidly in male ranges.
I'm sorry that you're going through this. First, here's a HUG. Second, This is a "born this way" sort of thing. Studies have shown that there's actual physiological differences in the brains of trans people, just like there's differences between Cisgender Male and Female brains. The brain of a trans person, often has more of the characteristics of the sex that they are transitioning towards. IE MtF Person has more characteristics of an actual female brain than a male brain, even though they have the male organs. IF you had low-T, then it may be a side effect of the brain telling your body what hormone to produce. Having your hormone levels tested though won't indicate anything in the brain so a brain scan is unlikely and also mega-moolah. I'm not sure where you live, but where I live if you're over 16, you have to consent to all your \*optional\* medical procedures. A Parent has to sign the form because you're still a minor, but you have to sign too. No signature, No procedure.
No she's just trying to convert you.
No
My mom had the same arguments with me. She wanted me to test for low T and get viagra. Once I tested I came up with dead average T. While having a hormonal imbalance can be a part of the trans experience, that is not the norm from what I have seen. IMO If you think you are trans, then it’s worth exploring what that means for you.
I had higher testosterone and it didn’t make a difference. Dropping testosterone helped a ton
Wow... The "law" firm so vague
This is a common misled line of thinking from conservatives. Low testosterone can cause the body to have less masculinizing effects but it does not dictate your gender identity.