Epigenetics: The Prenatal Testosterone Theory of Transgender Causation

05/27/18 • 13 min

Prenatal Testosterone Theory of Transgender (PTTT) Causation: Origins and Evidence. Do low prenatal testosterone levels in males and do high prenatal testosterone levels in females cause being transgender? The origins of this theory in eugenics and the evidence refuting the theory. The PTTT is rooted in eugenics theory developed in the US during the first half of the 20th Century. With support from private foundations, eugenics developed and spread to Germany and Europe. After World War II, East Germant eugenic endocrinologists developed the PTTT as the way to get rid of transgender people in society by adminstering drugs to pregnant mothers. If a mother was carrying a male baby, testosterone booster shots were recommended; if a mother was carrying a female baby, testosterone blockers were advised. The scientific evidence refutes the PTTT.

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Epigenetics: The Estrogen Theory of Transgender Causation in Natal Males

This episode reviews the evidence for the prenatal estrogen theory of being transgender in natal males. Since estrogen does not readily penetrate the brain, the evidence cited for the estrogen theory involves the synthetic chemical diethylstibestrol or DES. This drug was given to pregnant females during 1940's through the 1980's but was eventually banned because it caused cancer in female offspring who were exposed through their mothers in utero. Because of this, most of the research was conducted with exposed natal females. Research with exposed males was initiated by DES-esposed researchers who believed that they were affected to become transgender. They started a website for DES exposed males and found that 150 of the 500 males who joined the website thought that they were transgender. This episode provides an answer as whether the evidence supports whether DES causes being transgender and the status of the estrogen theory of being transgender.

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Culture: Third Factor of Transgender Causation

Culture is the third factor in transgender causation. In earlier podcasts I described how genetic gender predisposition was formed based on two factors: genetics and epigenetics. In this podcast I describe why culture is the third factor in being transgender. It appears that being transgender only occurs in Western culture. Western culture is peculiar among those cultures that have been studied. It has the peculiar characteristics of being binary, cisgender and inflexible. When genetic gender predisposition and culture collide, the result is transgender people. Examples of other cultures that have up to 5 gender behavior categories, that are not cisgender and are not inflexible. Transgender people cannot change their genetic gender predisposition but they can change Western culture to be more accomodating to diversity.