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true-martian · 2 years

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This text is from the Reddit post "Why You Need Dysphoria To Be Trans: An Essay" by u/Selena_bulan, who has explained the science behind being transsexual in simple words

Why You Need Dysphoria To Be Trans

This is a quick essay I wrote to explain why you need dysphoria to be trans in an easy, respectful way. Okay, so first we need to make some definitions clear.

#1 What even is gender dysphoria?

Gender dysphoria is a condition where a person experiences discomfort or distress because there's a mismatch between their birth sex and gender identity. It's sometimes known as gender incongruence.

Source: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gender-dysphoria/

#2 What does 'trans' mean?

Basically, it means going from one thing to another. Here is the meaning according to a dictionary of the English language: trans - a prefix occurring in loanwords from Latin (transcend; transfix); on this model, used with the meanings “across,” “beyond,” “through,” “changing thoroughly,” “transverse,” in combination with elements of any origin: transisthmian; trans-Siberian; transempirical; transvalue.

Source: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/trans-

#3 What does 'transsexual' mean?

Transsexual people experience a gender identity that is inconsistent with their assigned sex, and desire to permanently transition to the sex or gender with which they identify, usually seeking medical assistance (including sex reassignment therapies, such as hormone replacement therapy and sex reassignment surgery to help them align their body with their identified sex or gender. Transsexual is a subset of transgender, but some transsexual people reject the label of transgender. A medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria can be made if a person expresses a desire to live and be accepted as a member of their identified sex and if a person experiences impaired functioning or distress as a result of their gender identity.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transsexual

Part 1 – The Genes

We humans are mammals (from Latin mamma "breast"); meaning that we develop mammary glands, which in females (sometimes males as well) produce milk for nursing their offspring. That also means that our genetic sex is purely chromosomal and in most cases not influenced by environmental factors.

Every single one of us has at least one single X chromosome, females being XX and males being XY. The eggs of a female (XX) contain one single X chromosome while males (XY) can generate two types of sperm, one type containing the X chromosome and the other containing the Y chromosome. When the egg with the X chromosome receives sperm containing another X chromosome, the offspring will be genetically female.

However, before the sixth or seventh week after fertilization, both XY and XX have identical gonads, until the primary male sexual organs start to develop due to the SRY gene, found in Y chromosomes. It triggers the production of testosterone and specialization of the cells. During this process, the female ducts are being degenerated, which block further female development. In female development, those ducts stay intact due to the absence of the SRY gene. They develop into the female primary sexual organs such as the uterus, the oviduct, cervix and the upper vagina, caused by estrogen and chemicals produced by the early kidneys. In most cases, the mammalian Y chromosome is the key for sex determination in mammals. As an example, someone with five X chromosomes and one Y chromosome would be male.If you're interested in more rare combinations like XXX or XYY, this might be for you.

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK9967/

Part #2 – The Brain

While controversial, studies have proven that male and female brains do have differences in structure and function. According to the studies, in general males have a larger cerebrum, hippocampus and cerebellum while female brains show higher density in the left frontal lobe as well as a larger volume in the right frontal lobe. When we take a look at the brain of a transgender/transsexual person, we can see that the structure and fuctionality are more smimilar to the brains of cis people that are the gender they identify as. That means, the brain of a MtF trans woman is more similar to a cis woman's brain and the brain of a FtM trans man is more similar to a cis man's brain. When humans are exposed to the pheromone called Androstadienone, which causes different responses in the hypothalamus in male and female brains, studies have shown that the hypothalamic response of patients with gender dysphoria matched rather the gender they identify as rather than their sex assigned at birth.

Sources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3896179/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4037295/

These studies show that there is a difference between your sex and your gender, and it is rooted into your brain. Gender Dysphoria and being trans is a real, medical issue. We should treat it as such and support those who need it.

Further sources if you're more interested:

The Science Of Being Transgender:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MitqjSYtwrQ&

Sexual Dimorphism in the brain and development

Mammalian sex differentiation: https://academic.oup.com/endo/article/142/8/3281/2988779

Meta-Analysis showing a natural sex dimorphism: https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/males-and-females-differ-in-specific-brain-structures

Sex Dimorphism assessed by MRI-Scans: http://cercor.oxfordjournals.org/content/11/6/490.long

Genetic and epigenetic effects on sexual brain organization mediated by sex hormones: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11781536

Sexual Differentiation might extend into adulthood: http://www.jneurosci.org/content/22/3/1027.long

Gender differences of somatostatin-receptor density: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12500167

The role of the androgen receptor in CNS masculinization: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15713272

Sex differences in the human olfactory system: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16942757

Gender Differences in Emotion Regulation: http://gpi.sagepub.com/content/11/2/143.abstract

A sex difference in the hypothalamic uncinate nucleus: relationship to gender identity: http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/131/12/3132

Sexual differentiation of the human brain in relation to gender identity and sexual orientation: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21094885

The Genetics of Sex Differences in Brain and Behavior: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3030621

Sex differences in the brain, behavior, and neuropsychiatric disorders: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20889965

Sexual differentiation of the human brain: relation to gender identity, sexual orientation and neuropsychiatric disorders: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21334362

Sexual Differentiation of the Human Brain and Male/Female Behaviour: http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-90-481-8969-4\_4

Sex-related variation in human behavior and the brain: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2951011/

Gender Influence on White Matter Microstructure: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0038272

Sex differences in the structural connectome of the human brain: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/11/27/1316909110

Sex differences in the human brain and the impact of sex chromosomes and sex hormones: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22891037

Sex differences in cortical thickness: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23926114

Impact of sex and gonadal steroids on neonatal brain structure: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23689636

Females Have More Neurons and Glial Cells than Males: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0111733

Sexual dimorphism in ALS: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24344910

Gender Influence on White Matter Microstructure: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0091109

Asymmetry within and around the human planum temporale is sexually dimorphic: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25239853

Sex differences in effective fronto-limbic connectivity during negative emotion processing: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26318628

Progressive Gender Differences of Structural Brain Networks: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4350987/

The effects of aging and sex on the brain in healthy older adults: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811915001172

Marked effects of intracranial volume correction methods on sex differences in neuroanatomical structures: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4496575/

Evidence supporting the biologic nature of gender identity: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25667367

Brain feminization requires active repression of masculinization via DNA methylation: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25821913

Kisspeptin Expression in the Human Infundibular Nucleus in Relation to Sex, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27046106

Development of cortical shape in the human brain: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27150231

Neuroanatomy Of Trans People

Anatomic variation of the corpus callosum in persons with gender dysphoria: ht.tp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1953331

A sex difference in the human brain and its relation to transsexuality: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v378/n6552/abs/378068a0.html

Phantom Penises In Transsexuals: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/imp/jcs/2008/00000015/00000001/art00001?token=004216a87d1b89573d2570257044234a6c7c406a765b3a637c4e724725d1b89392

Male-to-Female Transsexuals Show Sex-Atypical Hypothalamus Activation: http://cercor.oxfordjournals.org/content/18/8/1900.long

A sex difference in the hypothalamic uncinate nucleus - relationship to gender identity: http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/131/12/3132.long

Specific cerebral activation due to visual erotic stimuli in male-to-female transsexuals compared with male and female patients: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18761592

Regional gray matter variation in male-to-female transsexualism: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2754583/

The microstructure of white matter in MtF transsexuals before HRT: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21195418

White matter microstructure in FtM transsexuals before HRT: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20562024

Sex Dimorphism of the Brain in Male-to-Female Transsexuals: http://cercor.oxfordjournals.org/content/21/11/2525.long

Intrinsic cerebral connectivity analysis in an untreated female-to-male transsexual subject: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22987018

Regional Grey Matter Structure Differences between Transsexuals and Healthy Controls: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0083947

Cortical Thickness in Untreated Transsexuals: http://cercor.oxfordjournals.org/content/23/12/2855.long

Brain Signature Characterizing the Body-Brain-Mind Axis of Transsexuals: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0070808

White matter microstructure in transsexuals and controls investigated by diffusion tensor imaging: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25392513

Structural Connectivity Networks of Transgender People: http://cercor.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2014/09/12/cercor.bhu194.long

Neural Network of Body Representation Differs between Transsexuals and Cissexuals: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0085914

Cerebral serotonin transporter asymmetry in females, males and male-to-female transsexuals: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23224294

Structural Connectivity Networks of Transgender People: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4585501/

Regional volumes and spatial volumetric distribution of gray matter in the gender dysphoric brain: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25720349

Neuroimaging studies in people with gender incongruence: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26766406

#transmed #truscum #dysphoria #you need dysphoria to be trans #trans discourse #transmed safe

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