On our radar: Textured breast implants linked to anaplastic large-cell lymphoma

Posted on April 1, 2018 by Zinnia Jones

Breast augmentation is a procedure sought by a substantial number of trans women who medically transition: 11% of trans women respondents to the 2015 U.S. Trans Survey report undergoing the procedure, while another 40% state that they want it some day. However, trans and cis women seeking breast implants should be aware of the possibility of developing anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL), a rare non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that appears to be linked to these implants in a small number of cases. Continue reading →

Posted in Breast, Health care, Oncology, Surgery, Transgender medicine | Tagged | Leave a comment

Pervasive misrepresentation of twin evidence for a genetic component of gender dysphoria

Posted on March 31, 2018 by Zinnia Jones

Major voices in the contemporary anti-trans movement, including American College of Pediatricians president Dr. Michelle Cretella and Heritage Foundation research fellow Ryan T. Anderson, have recently put forth questionable claims about studies of gender dysphoria in twins. Last year, Michelle Cretella argued:

But in the largest study of twin transgender adults, published by Dr. Milton Diamond in 2013, only 28 percent of the identical twins both identified as transgender. Seventy-two percent of the time, they differed. (Diamond’s study reported 20 percent identifying as transgender, but his actual data demonstrate a 28 percent figure, as I note here in footnote 19.)

That 28 percent of identical twins both identified as transgender suggests a minimal biological predisposition, which means transgenderism will not manifest itself without outside nonbiological factors also impacting the individual during his lifetime.

Continue reading →

Posted in Transgender medicine, Transphobia and prejudice | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Texas teacher placed on leave for talking about her wife

Posted on March 31, 2018 by Zinnia Jones

From Newsweek:

An elementary school teacher in Texas was suspended after she allegedly spoke about her sexual orientation with her students, officials said Tuesday.

Charlotte Anderson Elementary art teacher Stacy Bailey, 31, was suspended with pay in September. Officials with the Mansfield Independent School District (ISD) said it received complaints from parents about her discussing her sexual orientation with students. …

District officials said the teacher was not suspended over her request to include LGBTQ language in its nondiscrimination policy. Instead, the district said, Bailey was suspended because she “insists that it is her right and that it is age appropriate for her to have ongoing discussions with elementary-aged students about her own sexual orientation, the sexual orientation of artists, and their relationships with other gay artists.”

“Parents have the right to control the conversation with their children, especially as it relates to religion, politics, sex/sexual orientation, etc.,” the statement continued.

Now, it could be the case that the school district simply phrased this poorly. But such a policy as stated would be disingenuous in the extreme. On its face, this stance presents an appearance of neutrality, treating sexual orientation altogether as something to be discussed by students’ parents and guardians rather than their teachers. But in practice, it’s hard to imagine such a policy being applied neutrally at all. Continue reading →

Posted in Transphobia and prejudice | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Your mileage may vary: Trans women and erectile function

Posted on March 31, 2018 by Zinnia Jones

One common question asked by trans women considering hormone therapy is how this may affect their ability to have penetrative sex. Antiandrogens and estrogen can impair erectile function, reducing spontaneous erections, responsiveness to sexual arousal, and nocturnal erections — an effect noted by treatment protocols and guidelines. However, the extent of that impairment can be unpredictable for a given individual. Among communities offering advice on transition, a variety of folk wisdom on how this can affect trans women’s experience of sex has proliferated, with maxims such as “your mileage may vary”: you won’t know its effects on you for certain without finding out firsthand. Continue reading →

Posted in Biology of transition, Endocrinology, Sexuality | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Cyproterone acetate and meningioma risk in trans women

Posted on March 31, 2018 by Zinnia Jones

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, and this is not medical advice. Do not take any medication without appropriate medical supervision.

Cyproterone acetate (CPA) is a hormonal medication commonly used as an antiandrogen for trans women, as well as in birth control pills and in the treatment of acne, hirsutism, PCOS, precocious puberty, and prostate cancer. While CPA is unapproved in the United States, it is widely used elsewhere as a component of trans women’s hormone therapy.

Rarely, use of CPA has been associated with the growth of meningioma, a usually-benign brain tumor that develops from the membranes covering the brain. The symptoms of meningioma can vary based on its location, and broadly include headaches, muscle weakness, double vision or vision loss, seizures, and memory loss. However, many meningiomas cause no symptoms and may be found incidentally during brain scans (Chamberlain, 2015). About 70% of meningiomas have progesterone receptors (Blitshteyn, Crook, & Jaeckle, 2008), and meningiomas occur about twice as often in those assigned female (Wiemels, Wrensch, & Claus, 2010). CPA has a strongly progestogenic action, suggesting a mechanism by which use of CPA can promote the growth of these tumors. Continue reading →

Posted in Endocrinology, Health care, Oncology, Progestogens, Transgender medicine | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments