Va. Studies Medical Needs of Transgender

[deadparrot]

RICHMOND, Va. - For all the primping, powdering and pumping up many transgender men and women will do to pass as the opposite sex, there's one thing health care experts say too many of them can't stomach: a visit to the doctor.

A health study by the Virginia Health Department and Virginia Commonwealth University is intended to unravel the fears and prejudices hindering transgender people from seeking health care.

The Virginia Transgender Health Initiative Study targets those who feel they were born the wrong biological sex. Some undergo full transitions and have surgery; others take hormone injections to change their appearance.

Though documenting a largely closeted community is difficult, the National Center for Transgender Equality estimates as many as 3 million Americans are transgender.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060501/ap_on_he_me/transgender_health

[donsu]

1. and because of big pharma pollution there will be more and more

transgendered, hermaphrodites, and other sexual combinations.

it's happening in fresh and sea water life too.

it's happening.

[LeftHander]

3. So t-people are simply Simpson 3-eyed frogs?

ignorant viewpoint.

[donsu]

4. what's ignorant? pollution/toxins from big pharma and big chem

and big nuke are changing DNA.

[LeftHander]

7. Transgender people...

I am no expert, psychologist or doctor but you really need to understand something.

Transgender people are not mutants like Godzilla....(I hate that word it is so sci-fi)

And neither are intersexed indviduals (having both sets of external genetalia) and also individuals with various syndromes where an individual possess extra or are missing sexual identifying chromosomes. Those are genetic based anomalies in the human genome not environmental genetic mutations caused by radiation or pharmacueticals. They have always occured in humanity and always will.

There is no correlation or evidence of pharma pollution or nukes in the frequency of these conditions. Long ago, in many cultures those children were either hidden, operated on or worse. We don't do that anymore (at least I hope so). People who suffer these conditions are not transgender...though they certainly could become transgender if they so choose.

Your post is simply propagating the false perception that transgendered people are mutants.

Transgender people....people who for whatever reason, choose to live thier life not as the sex they were born with (or somewhere in between). This has ZERO to do with any environmental DNA mutations.

Years ago some intersexed children were operated on removing one or the other sexual genetalia at parents discretion and in secret and kept from the child.(ussually female was choosen because of the ease of a penectomy at the time...snip, snip, nip and a tuck...done deal.) The common belief was that the male genital organs were vestigal remenents from prenatal development and the child could be successfully raised female despite having male chromosomes. At the time, the medical community believed the emotional trauma of underdeveloped male genetalia accompanied by a vagina was more best to be avoided by removing the male parts and raising the child as female. (gaurenteeing sterilzation as well in most cases -btw)

Unfortunely it can and has happened that the child grows up in the wrong sex.

Many well documented cases where intersex children were actually male and were mutilated at birth by ignorant doctors and parents and were forced to live as the wrong sex has caused all sorts of problems. Imagine becoming a young woman and finding out that your parents cut your penis off because you had what appeared to be a vagina when you born and finding out you can never have biological children because of their decision....talk about confusion.

Many of these cases now have laid important groundwork in gender studies and led to greater understanding as to what makes a person one particular gender or the other.

Now I believe the prevailing attitude is to allow the child to grow and choose which sex they are comfortable with and to choose when they see fit or...not to and stay as they are.

So I hope you understand why your post met with a ignorant label...

[SoCalDem]

5. Passive Chemical exposure while pregnant CAN affect the fetus

and we LIVE in a chemical soup, so who knows what could be happening to those developing babies in the womb. I saw NO mention of the Simpsons in the reply.

There are MILLIONS of things that have to happen perfectly while a child is developing, and they are vulnerable.

It's NOT a reach to wonder if all the estrogens that are pumped into the meat supply, and then ingested by Mom, MIGHT have an effect on a child..

Google estrogen + water supply + meat

Science just does not know, because they do not do experiments on pregnant women.

In utero, males become male due to a flood of hormones, at a precise time...an interruption or addition of hormones could (and might) have a significant effect on the child that might not be apparent physically, but could affect their perception later on of who they are..We just don't know..

Right now, all living things on earth are unwilling participants in a giant "lab experiment"..:(

[LeftHander]

8. This thread is a Ed Wood moive...

Donsu and SoCalDem Productions

With

Ed Wood

PRESENT:

Plan 9 II from Outer Space
Attack of the Mutant Radioactive Transvestite Zombies


sheesh...people....get a friggin' clue....

:rofl:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

9. Considering I actually know transgendered people...

you are completely wrong. Transgenderism has nothing to do with pollution. It's not a radioactive mutation. It's when a person psychologically feels the opposite gender of their physical body. It is not something new happening. Transgendered people have been around in various cultures for thousands of years. The Native Americans actually revered them and I doubt "big pharma pollution" resulted in "two-spirit" Native Americans.

[hedgehog]

12. I think SoCalDeM is suggesting that children are being born

today who've been damaged by the background chemicals in our environment. Yes, there have always been transgendered people around. The question is whether there are more transgendered people and people with ambiguous genitalia being born. I have no idea if it's true or not. It seems a reasonable theory that a person born today may be (become?) transgendered because a wash of chemicals mimicking natural hormones altered fetal structures at critical points.

[onehandle]

2. wrong thread. nt

[HereSince1628]

6. Why would a healthy person go to the Dr. so they can be

submitted to the subjective ignorance of physicians who see them as mentally diseased?

The criteria of the standards of care for transgendered people seems to be setup for the benefit of the medical system rather than the patient. Trans don't fear Dr.s they fear the social risks of being "clocked," while conforming to the SOC the medical profession asks them to live _before_ the get treatment.

It's no wonder so many seek DIY solutions and buy hormones online without medical adequate attention.

[icymist]

10. You are all missing the essential truth here:

Doctors are trained to treat people according to the sex designation on a piece of paper. This is the birth certificate. At birth, the baby is assigned it's sex by, until recently*, a male doctor. This doctor then determines the sex of the newly born infant by noting the presence or absence of a penis. This then, determined the sex and was printed upon the infant's birth certificate. For this child, sex is now 'carved in stone' as far as the State is concerned and cannot be changed except by petition of the courts. Some cities (NYC) and some States (Penn.) will never change the designation of sex by the original doctor although some may make an 'amended' birth certificate only after proof of sexual-reassignment surgery. Those who choose not to have this surgery, for whatever reason, can never have the sex designation changed. How the sex is listed on this piece of paper determines everything in this child's life: how they are treated (what dress and toys are bestowed upon them by the family, or accepted by society), what educational and job opportunities are presented to them, who they are 'allowed' to marry. This list will go on.

As far as I know, there is no known cause for transgender/transsexualism. The doctor/patient stigma of the transgender person begins at birth, when a doctor assigned the sex without first consulting the child, who would then have to wear that sex for life. As anyone can see, there is no way the doctor can ask the child what sex it is, but could there also not be a rush to decide such a vital decision? Should we not observe the child for a while before setting a designation that is so life-long as sex 'in stone'?

______
*For recently, I mean within the last thirty years.

To start to read up about transgender/transsexual people I would first suggest reading about how psychological community treats the transgender/transsexual on the Harry Benjamin website. After familiarizing with the standards of care that the medical community provides in this field, check out a 'gender center' nearby to fill in the gaps.

I hope this post helps clear up any confusion.

[Sgent]

11. I can't speak to the generalities

but I can to specifics -- and your genomic sex (XY, XX, XXY) is what is generally important to the physician (except for some surgeons).

The worst case I've seen is a man who underwent surgery years ago, and never bothered to tell his doctors his genetic makeup (female).

He died of a very treatable breast cancer, which would have been detected under normal circumstances.

People need to feel comfortable with their physician -- and if they can't be honest with them about one the single most important factors in diagnosis & treatment, then they should get a new one. Women & Men are genetically different, have tendency to different diseases or manifestations of the same disease, and good communication is important.

(Note: I do have permission to talk about this case from patient & patients family).