Biology of Gender Identity - Essay Example

Biology of Gender Identity Institute Testosterone and estrogen are the two main hormones responsible for determining the external sexual appearance of a person. The secondary sexual characteristics that appear at birth are determined either by the presence or absence of testosterone. Under the influence of testosterone testes descend and penis and scrotum are formed. In the absence of testosterone, gonads develop into ovaries and female sexual characteristics appearAt puberty the surge in male testosterone results in the growth spurt and maturation of external genitalia.

The surge in female estrogens causes development of secondary sexual characteristics in females, breast enlargement and onset of menstruation In a study (Morgan and Stevens, 2008) the experiences of four FTM transsexuals with their mean age at 40.5 were studied. The subjects mentioned that they recognized they recognized themselves as males from early as they can remember. All the subjects experienced confusion regarding their gender identity and a sense of being born in the wrong body. All the four subjects expressed their strong identification with male gender and feeling of anger when others refused o recognize it.

Puberty was another major point in their life when their sense of mind body dissonance exaggerated. One subject went as far as trying to bind the breasts with cloth and hoped to get rid of them using surgery. The subjects also found it hard to adopt the feminine attire and wanted to dress in male clothes. Their sexual relationships they all mentioned affection for the female gender and the idea that they were lesbians always sounded repugnant to them.The participants underwent transitional surgery later on in their life.

The procedures they underwent included double mastectomy and plastic surgery, hysterectomy. They still felt a need for phallosplasty which they did not opt to go for because it is expensive and not well perfected surgery. Comparative AnalysisThe textbook mentions such subjects as male pseudohermaphrodites. One specific cause for this female physical development of genetic males mentioned in the book is the absence of an enzyme 17a hydroxysteroid, that led to non expression of male sexual characteristics and such children end up being grouped as feminineThe textbook covers the biological basis of sexual differentiation and gives specific reason for the cause of pseudohermaphroditism.

However it is lacking in in-depth analysis of such individuals. The journal article covers these issues however it fails to provide the biological factors that caused such condition. Both the sources agree that genetic make up and hormonal stimuli have an impact upon how a person behaves. The textbook mentions the effect of testosterone in causing male aggressiveness and also upon various occasions in the subjects in the study have mentioned their tendency towards masculine activities. Experiments on animals mentioned that female rats when exposed to testosterone tended to mount other female/male rats.

This explains the tendency in the subject for relationships with the female sex (except for one subject who preferred a male partner). These clearly indicate that no matter what the physical makeup, genetic sex and hormonal changes especially during early life have a strong impact upon sexual preferences and attitudes of an organism.The textbook mentions that the feminization of brain requires estradiol. Possibly, the male pseudohermaphrodites in the study being genetic males probably were not producing any estradiol hence there lack of feminization of brain.

References1. 2. Morgan, S. W., & Stevens, P. E. (June 01, 2008). Transgender identity development as represented by a group of female-to-male transgendered adults. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 29, 6, 585-599.