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queercripintersex · 9 months

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On intersex questioning

I recently put up a poll asking people what motivated them to question if they were intersex. Partly to know how "typical" I am. But also because I'm curious if people who are currently questioning their intersex status are noticeably different from those of us who already identify as intersex.

And I gotta say, the spread of responses look pretty similar!

Most of the asks I see on tumblr tend to be framed in medical terms. Personally, I was motivated more by social/psychological reasons (figuring out who I am and wanting to not feel like a lone freak). Turns out people like me are in the minority but we're hardly alone.

I honestly wonder how much of the medical asks are really about other things like belonging or gender but those reasons don't seem "valid" enough.

I wanna share the replies and reblogs because I would have found them useful to read back when I was questioning if I was intersex. I have lightly edited them for readability (if you wrote one and want to be quoted by username DM me!) To see the original comments go to the original post. Replies from intersex people "I went through several years of being confused about how I felt trans fem but also was afab. The day I was diagnosed with PCOS I searched it in Tumblr and found out it fell under the intersex umbrella and I accepted that identity for myself immediately. Intersex was never a question for me, it was the answer I had been looking for." "Multiple of the above! Mislabeled trauma and ignored medical issues made more sense after finding out, and a more general discomfort with how I look lessened after finding out, oh i look like this because of that and i look like that down there because of what they did to me"

"wanted to figure out both medical and gender stuff but medical was more pressing so i picked that one"

"never thought of myself as intersex until PCOS fucked my whole hormone cycle up. Now it feels weird not to say im intersex"

"medical issues and gender stuff i guess. I had stuff like slightly too early and too intense puberty and i was like. There is no way that this is normal theres gotta be something to explain this. And then after some time i found out there are hormonal intersex variations that do that stuff. Now to just get myself to accept that im still intersex on hrt 🙃"

"It was very complicated for me because for years I had a feeling that Something wasn't right. And I didn't technically have a period of questioning but I always did feel weird calling myself perisex bc I just felt Something was wrong. And then. Almost 2 years ago now. I was told by my parents that I had my chromosomes tested as a toddler. And I had triple X. They didn't seem to think it was a big deal or anything and so just never thought to tell me?. And then I had a brief questioning period on whether that counted as intersex but within a couple of days came to terms w it"

"Picking only one was tricky for me because the medical trauma and the gender stuff have been so deeply linked for me. [...] I didn't really seriously consider [questioning] until my mid-20s once I had access to therapy for the first time in my life ... At first in therapy the issues of medical trauma and of figuring out my gender were treated as though they were parallel issues but the more we explored them the more evident it was they were linked. When I went through hyperandrogen puberty it felt normal and appropriate, and everything my mom and doctors did to force my body into a female presentation was both traumatic and a source of gender dysphoria. [...] Figuring out I was intersex connected all the dots."

"Other. Wanted to know why people kept being confused by or shocked by my genitals. which honestly answered itself but then i wanted a more in depth medical answer Just In Case (like since i have ovotestis i am at risk of ovarian AND testicular cancer)"

💛💜💛

#intersex #questioning #intersex questioning #for any stats nerds the R^2 on the chart is 0.93 #I didn't want to quote people by username without permission but happy to edit usernames in with permission #I do not actually know the appropriate tumblr etiquette and am just guessing #hope that's okay #intersex polls

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intersex-support · 1 year

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hello! i have been wondering if i am intersex. i was hoping someone might be able to advise me, or direct me towards resources.

i was assigned female and have not yet taken any hormones. around 13 i developed breast buds, but they have stayed small (unusual compared to family). my voice dropped when i was 14-15—not low in comparison to “typical” male voice but enough that people read me as young teenage male. i grew a small amount of facial hair starting around 15, and i also have a lot of body hair more typical of males in my family. i got my period at 14 and it has always been very irregular and painful (i’m looking into other potential causes for this too).

overall these characteristics developed pretty late, at least for my family. i did not experience any other physical changes (like fat distribution, weight gain, growth spurt, etc.) so i still look young for my age. [i am unsure about genitals because i have no reference for if mine are “normal”.]

thank you for your time!

Hi Anon!

So first just want to give my usual disclaimer that we are not doctors and cannot diagnose you, and that all the info we provide is just to give you an idea of what things to look into more.

Firstly, I just want to say that sex characteristics have such a wide amount of diverse presentations that it's entirely possible that you could be endosex (not intersex) and have some variations in your hormones or sex characteristics that don't quite fall within the degree of variation necessary to be considered intersex. I would encourage you to keep looking into other explanations for your painful periods as well, and not to rule out other things. And no matter what, if these traits are causing you distress or you want support or find yourself relating to other intersex people, you're absolutely welcome to find resources and open communities that resonate with you, regardless of your diagnosis.

I think it makes sense that you would be curious if these traits might be a sign of an intersex variation, though! Based on the traits you've talked about, the main intersex variations that could be a possibility are ones that include hyperandrogenism as a symptom. The two relevant common variations with hyperandrogenism are Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and Non classic Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia. The first steps to get a diagnosis for those would be blood testing to check the levels of hormones in your blood. Since you have a period, that makes some other intersex variations associated with hyperandrogenism a lot less likely. However, it might still be worth looking into Turner's Syndrome, specifically mosaic Turner's syndrome, if any of the other symptoms listed on this webpage resonate with you. Usually, people with Turner's Syndrome don't have a period, and it wouldn't explain the hair growth, so I'm a lot less confident that this is relevant, but the fact that you haven't really grown or had a lot of development in puberty lines up with some traits associated with mosaic Turner's. You can also have both mosaic Turner's and PCOS. The other intersex variations that are possible options with the traits you've described are things that are a lot rarer like mixed gonadal dysgenesis or ovotestes, which would be things diagnosed with genetic testing after other causes had been ruled out.

Overall, if you're interested in looking into intersex variations as the possible cause of some of your traits, the place to start would probably be PCOS and NCAH. Continuing to look into options outside of intersex variations would also probably be a good idea, as some rarer intersex diagnoses can only be diagnosed after other things are ruled out.

Wishing you the best of luck, anon, and feel free to come back with any other questions!

#questioning intersex #pcos #ncah #turner's syndrome

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absurdthirst · 2 years

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Keri! I have an odd question for your or your followers. So last month I got my period two weeks later than I typically would. It didn't last any shorter or longer than it usually would, so I thought everything was fine. I know that an irregularity is bound to happen at some point so I didn't think too much about it, but now two weeks later I start a week early... Should I be concerned or is this just my body trying to get back to my normal schedule? I don't have a gyno that I visit regularly because I use indian healthcare services and it is nearly impossible to get something scheduled unless I have a medical emergency (ER visit). I can't talk to any of the women in my family about this either because it is too taboo for them... But I really am wanting to hear from other women if they have experienced something similar? 😭 I don't know if I should be scared or not. (even though I lowkey am)

There are plenty of things that can affect your cycle. Stress, hormones, sleeping change.

It could also be a sign of PCOS.

If you continue to have these issues, I would definitely seek a doctor to make sure that there is nothing wrong. There is nothing wrong with making sure.

#real talk #tw menstruation

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oceanherbalist · 2 years

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Hello, I have a question. I am maybe like an intermediate/advanced student w herbalism. Not with formal schooling but a long term interest in herbalism. Because of this, and being broke I tend to diy my own healthcare issues and don’t have a relationship with an herbalist directly. I think I struggle most with figuring out dosages when treating myself. In particular I’d love any advice or suggestions irt to Saw Palmetto. I have long term PCOS…but the kicker is that my labs show normal hormone levels and I have regular periods (and no cysts either). Despite this I still have severe hair loss that hasn’t stopped, and neither has the growth of facial hair and it drives me crazy. Any advice for suppressing androgens/dht would be good. Almost everything that I find irt to Saw Palmetto is related to mens issues, same with dosing and general advice. Obviously idc about male fertility. Ik Saw Palmetto and Nettle are star plants for PCOS but not sure how to use it besides the most general guidelines. Thanks in advance and hope you have a nice day

Hello, thank you for asking this question. Personally, I don't think saw palmetto is a good fit for PCOS. Like I understand that it's supposed to have anti-androgenic properties, but there isn't any signicant data that it does this. However, there is more data that it increases testosterone in men, which sounds counter productive. However, if you want to use it, it will work best as either a decoction or a tincture, since it's a pretty hard berry, same with the leaf. 1-1.5g in 1 cup of water 2-3x daily is the typical dosage. If doing a tincture, 1-2 mL 2-3x daily.

I'm wondering if black cohosh and red clover may be a better combo, since they are both indicated for mitigating and preventing hair loss. They may even fortify the follicles.

If you would like to talk more about it, I'm definitely open to the conversation.

I'm not a doctor, so this isn't medical advice.

#herbalism

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