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Is it possible that...

Discussion in 'Gender Identity and Expression' started by Benway, Sep 15, 2014.

  1. Benway

    Benway Guest

    I wasn't really sure where else to go with this, but I gotta ask:

    Is it possible that I, as a male, have ovaries?

    Sometime back I read something about a guy who had partially developed ovaries discovered by a doctor during a routine checkup, now I'm not sure if it was true or if it could even be true, but here's why I'm asking:

    I act a hell of a lot like a woman-- now don't get me wrong, I identify as male and everything but I find myself always particularly grumpy towards the middle/later half of the month, I've got mood swings coming out of nowhere and sometimes I swear I get hot flashes. Also, I tend to hang out with my Mom more than my Dad and I really relate to girl stuff which I often find more fun than "guy stuff."

    If I had ovaries/partially developed ones, could they be causing that stuff? Like I said, I'm not even sure if it's possible, it could just be a mood disorder or something-- either way, I'm definitely not complaining.
     
  2. Nightdream

    Regular Member

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    I don't know what ovaries could do to a male bodied person or if what you described there is possible,but I know that there are intersex people that born with characteristics of both sexes, not necessary in the same amount though. If you're worried about your physical heath you could check this with a doctor or something like that. It could be because you're intersex, it could be something else entirely. I think it's very unlikely that you'll figure this out throught this thread.
     
  3. JustJJx

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    I'd see a doc, they'll be able to tell you! We most likely won't... :/
     
  4. Benway

    Benway Guest

    Yeah, I figured as much. I guess I could see a doctor, I'm getting a pretty bad cold, anyway so I should go to my primary care practitioner, maybe he can tell me something. I just didn't know if it was possible because I'm decidedly male, there's nothing externally female about me, but I thought maybe inside there was like... something left over from my time in the womb or whatever. Either way, thanks, I'll ask my PcP soon.
     
  5. AlexTheGrey

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    Sex determination is actually pretty complicated and you can get all sorts of different results from the same starting point. Partly why we can't do much but suggest seeing a doctor. Hormone levels vary between people, as does how the brain gets wired, etc, etc. Even without ovaries, I'd imagine it is possible to get the signals that go with the cycle and altered hormone levels.

    I'd be curious where you ran across that article as well if you remember, since I thought that the gonads develop into either ovaries or testes. I haven't heard of a situation where both developed before, and general documentation of cases is kinda rare. I'd be interested to delve further, but my google-fu is failing me right now.
     
  6. HappyGirlLucky

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    I think it's far more likely* that you're more sensitive to hormonal cycles than the average man, than it is that you were born with ovaries in addition to testes. Male-bodied people have been found to experience circatrigintan (monthly) cycles in testosterone and other hormones, it just doesn't get talked about to the same degree.

    Here's a study on the monthly fluctuations of testosterone in males:
    http://biomed.szm.com/pdf/publ/Circatrigintan Cycle of Salivary Testosterone in Human Male.pdf
    Your femininity is part of your personality and it's unlikely ovaries would make you act more feminine even if you had them. If they were fully functioning and producing estrogen you would likely notice period pains or breast growth first. If hormones made people's personality more like that of the gender associated with it (androgens for males/estrogens for females), trans* people wouldn't exist in the first place. Gender and gender expression almost always coincide with the sex of a person, but they are still definitely independent of each other. I'm one of the cases where gender and birth sex did not align and testosterone never made me act more manly, it only made me feel terrible about myself.

    Being an effeminate man is completely normal, not the result of a medical condition. Growing up in a society obsessed with gender roles and gender stereotypes is the most likely problem in your case. Be yourself, people love confident people! :slight_smile:

    * Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, but even if a doctor did see your thread they couldn't diagnose you based on a post on a forum. Such an extremely rare condition as development of multiple reproductive organs in the body won't be diagnosed without extensive testing. Do talk about this with your PCP, and good luck!
     
    #6 HappyGirlLucky, Sep 16, 2014
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2014
  7. Benway

    Benway Guest

    Honestly, I can't remember where I read it, for all I know it might have been a story on TV or in a magazine, it just popped into my head for no reason the other day. Also, I didn't know that gonads were the things that became either testicles or ovaries-- I thought it was just a slang word. :lol:

    Yeah, I'd definitely agree that I'm a lot more sensitive than most people around me. Like the other night my Dad, my brother and I watched a movie I suggested and they hated it so much I started to cry (I'm a 26 year old man.) and they were... kind of baffled, to be honest.

    Again, I'm not complaining, my femininity is something I've lived with all my life-- it's the accepting of my sexual orientation I have trouble with but that's an entirely different subject. Either way, thanks for your input, I'll definitely have to ask an MD about this!