Hello, I am still a teenager and my mother is taking me to get a physical and my blood tested to possibly lead to a diagnosis. In addition to strange secondary sex characteristics (rapidly-growing facial hair, extremely deep male-range voice, excess body hair, no periods, significant bottom growth, excess musculature, male/broad body shape), I have had severe sex dysphoria my entire life, and I plan to transition as soon as I move out. However, because I am also transgender, my transphobic mother is doing everything she can to convince the doctors I am not intersex and simply a female that has been brainwashed. She is forcing them to let her stay in the room while it all happens. She will be telling them false information about my body and life, saying I am doing this on purpose and it is out of nowhere (it has been happening against my will since I was in elementary school). I am afraid they will believe her and that the will dismiss me without further testing or will give me female hormones to correct it. However, this is unrelated to me being transgender, contrary to my mother’s belief. I am only going because a diagnosis would be beneficial health-wise because knowing specifically what condition has been severely masculinizing my body can help me know of any health risks I may be exposed to, and because it would give me clarity on what it truly going on. I think it is obvious I have an excess of male hormones despite my birth sex, however, I am posting this here because I’d like to know if you all have any ideas on what conditions are similar to my case so I can discuss with my doctor. Thanks.

I really do appreciate that each community has separate subreddits as safer spaces, but I really wish that there also was an inclusive space that brought together all types of masculine gender variant women in general to talk casually about our experiences.

I am talking about something like a group chat between top, dominant, girlboss, tomboyish, futchy, butchy, crossdressing, masculine, androgynous, and genderqueer women.

If you may be feeling interested in joining a group chat, just drop a comment here below.

I also support if anyone else wants to create another group.

I got diagnosed with this a few years ago. I can't find much on it aside from studies. It doesn't have a Wikipedia page nor am I sure there's a name for mine as in a combination name of the areas it affects.

Maybe next time I won’t have the moment of looking in the mirror and feeling like it shouldn’t be there. 🫠 But I know a lot of people would like to have some nice scraggly facial hair like this, and as one of my ✨safer spaces✨, y’all get to see it.

i'm intersex, my condition became prevalent between ages 10-18. i never got it "treated/corrected" despite my parents' wishes, as i (for the most part) found it to be gender-affirming to my trans identity. at this point in life my relationship with my sex + gender feel very complex and muddled. i view them as different, but a bit intertwined as well because of how much my intersex condition has affected my gender expression/perception since i was a child. i often see cis intersex people who are unfond of people who identify this way, and i don't ever want to make other intersex people feel like their sex inherently makes them trans or anything. my personal experience has simply been very different. additionally, i am autistic and my understanding of gender feels vastly different than some peoples'. i'm not asking for validation because i do not need it, but are there any other trans+intersex people who relate to this and might know how to approach the subject in a way that is mindful of cis intersex folks? thank you!

After seeing some of the discourse and tons of misinformation on various subreddits I just needed some validation I guess!! I’ve always had a very difficult relationship with my gender identity due to being intersex. I came out as nonbinary in highschool but as I’ve gotten much older I feel like the nonbinary term doesn’t quite fit me? I’m also perfectly okay with having nothing to strictly define my gender and just telling friends/family I’m still using they/them pronouns, but I’m unsure.

Tw for intersexphobia//

After seeing some of the drama online of (uninformed) people saying that “Intersex isn’t real” or “Being intersex is just a deformation” or “no one identifies as intersex” … I’m feeling so confused and unsure!! I know it’s okay to identify as intersex but I worry about people irl questioning my choices to just identify as intersex.

Does anyone else have a similar experience? Anyone else just identify as intersex? Feel free to share stories or whatever, I just wanna talk to yall and feel better!!

EDIT: I AM intersex. I am asking about using it as a gender identity AS WELL

I’ve searched up some info about CAH and it mostly seems like it happens with the classic type but im wondering if it’s possible to find in the non classical type as well. sorry if this is a foolish question.

Hey there. This is just a rant and it's a disorganized one. I'm in the process of seeking a diagnosis and I'm so scared of what'll come out of it. Everything feels so uncertain. If it turns out I don't have an intersex condition, my family will possibly never accept my gender and i STILL have all the health issues to deal with that I'm being investigated for. And if i am, well then that might help my case with being accepted as my gender but it's still not gonna be an easy journey by any means. (And this isn't to say that being intersex is always easier than being just trans, it's just in my case it would help). And this might not be the most agreeable thing here, but I wanna maybe join the military someday and i'm afraid a diagnosis may disqualify me. Ik i will probably never be able to produce sperm unless i have a very specific few conditions and even still the chances are low, and it makes me really sad because i've always wanted to father children. Idk just a lot of thoughts and worries and grievances and it seems like for me it's either one hard path or another even harder path and i just don't know what to do or how to have hope. The doctors currently have no clue what's up with me so that doesn't help either, it could be anything. They know something is wrong for sure but they don't know what...hopefully the specialist im seeing soon will have more answers. It feels wrong to hope that i'm intersex but it seems that's the only thing i have to hope for right now. Sorry if this is hurtful to anyone, please let me know if it is so I can understand.

I’m intersex and have a medical condition, which is not fun or quirky or anything else. I’m not ‘lucky’. The corrective surgeries I need aren’t something for you to fetishise. I’m not your ‘gotcha’. I don’t want you to obsess over what my genitals might look like. I’m not part of your community and I’m not ‘proud’, and you constantly drawing attention to it is dangerous. Being born like this wasn’t an achievement and I’m not proud of it. I don’t want to hear your constant identity politics when you refuse to accept my identity and then basically out me as abnormal to the world. You hide behind labels but then carry the same attitudes you complain about. Intersex isn’t a gender, and I’m not nonbinary. I’m a man with a medical condition that has massively impacted my life, yet you seem to be almost jealous and perversely obsessed, and talk to me like a child or something less than a man. Stop fetishising my body and my condition.

So I recently started getting more into fitness, specifically weightlifting. Earlier this week I worked on legs which has left me sore for days. I noticed after that specific workout I have been absolutely exhausted and have had brain fog.

Does anyone have any suggestions regarding this? Do you usually need more salt, hydrocortisone, and/or water?

I really love working out and I’m trying to lose fat to improve my overall health, but it’s gotten difficult.

So feel free to take this down if it’s not allowed but I am very confused. To preface this I’m afab and considering medical transition, but my body is seemingly doing that on its own? It’s trying to become more masculine with absolutely no external hormonal assistance. I just need to be pointed in the right direction so I can talk to my doctor about it at my next appointment. It’s a deepening voice, fat redistribution, broader shoulders, excess hair on stomach/hands/chest/back/face and unexplained bottom growth. But still menstruating is what’s throwing me off from finding an accurate term. Again I just need to be pointed in the right direction if that’s alright and thanks in advance

This is the Weekly Discussion Thread for /r/intersex.

Feel free to use this thread to discuss whatever you've been up to. It does not have to be intersex specific, but please mind the rules and stay SFW.

Have a nice week!

~ your mod team <3

So in recent times, my parents have stopped denying and hiding that I was born intersex (and infertile) for the most part. However people (mainly a couple family members) have really started pushing the issue of grandchildren (I’m only 21!!!). The past couple months they have been asked things like “why aren’t you more sad about NEVER having grandbabies???” And “why don’t you punish thepunkposer for not providing you with grandchildren???” As well as other comments about praying that it’ll magically fix itself or I’ll “get what I deserve”. For the most part my mom is sticking up for me but even so I can still tell my parents are still torn up about it (despite knowing about this for… 21 years!!!!!). I’m sick of it. My confidence has really taken a blow. And it doesn’t help I’m having horrible horrible horrible hormonal issues and fluctuations right now that just leave me absolutely fatigued in every way. The light at the end of the tunnel is that I’m moving out soon and am fast tracked to get a hysterectomy (or at least… remove what even is there LMAO) but I’m so tired.

My girlfriend (30F) has had salt-wasting CAH her entire life, and I’m wondering if there’s more I can do to help her. She’s consistent with her medications and sees an endocrinologist when she can, but it’s not a regular occurrence. I’ve witnessed the gambit of struggles - her irregular periods, sometimes light sometimes extremely heavy, mood swings, hormone shifts, and extreme emotions due to difficulty with stress regulation. We are consistently intimate, but I definitely have a higher libido than she does. I’ve never had an issue with her genitalia - she’s a beautiful woman who just has a larger clit. She works an extremely stressful job but loves the work, and I try to be supportive where I can. She also struggles with Addison’s Disease and has a darker/grayer pigment to her skin as a result. Her beauty regimen is unlike any other woman’s I’ve ever been with - she dedicates time to looking good and it shows. She’s also just naturally beautiful too, in my eyes.

So all, as someone without the condition, what can I do to be more supportive of her? What have your partners done that have either worked or didn’t work?

I (25NB) never had a moment of a doctor diagnosing me. They don’t know what my deal is and have basically given up on figuring it out. I hit puberty early but didn’t get my period until late. Stopped getting my period about 3 years in. My testosterone, DHEA, androgens, etc have always been sky high. I started growing facial hair at 13, chest hair and stomach hair a year or two later. I have more body hair than a lot of men. I also have low estrogen and associated hormones. I’m about to have a hysterectomy due to the fact I haven’t gotten a period for so long and during this process I was informed I have an incredibly small vaginal canal and uterus. They have to give me an episiotomy during surgery just so they can fit in a speculum. I wish I could just stop caring. I wish I so desperately didn’t want an answer. I’m so tired of medical ambiguity (this has seeped into various parts of my life not just being intersex.) I want to stop being at war with my body and frustrated with it for not cooperating. I have a lot of pelvic pain and due to my tiny vaginal canal everything hurts regarding sex. I was put on birth control at 12 to help with my hormones and it gave me breasts which was incredibly upsetting as a trans person. How have people tried to start to accept themselves and their bodies? How do I stop looking for answers and just let myself be?

I assume (Since I am very smart and stuff), various intersex conditions can have secondary symptoms influenced by the intersex condition. (Secondary here meaning not added "officially" to the symptoms sheet of the condition or/and not used in diagnostics)

Is that true?!

For less vagueness "unexplained low bone density, because of the lack of sex hormones, chronic low blood pressure that may be influenced by the intersex condition, etc etc)

Thanks 🙂

TLDR - I am intersex (afab) with a hormonal condition and am indecisive about my gender identity and what hormones I want to take. • Hi there! I’m Khalil, my pronouns are he/they, and I just want to share my story. So I (19) am afab, but I was diagnosed with primary ovarian insufficiency about a year or two ago. I never got my period due to my uterus never growing to full size and my ovaries not working, and I have a masculine build along with facial hair. I was put on estrogen because my medical team said I needed it. I hated it. I don’t feel like a girl at all and it just felt like they were trying to “fix” me. I know it was to help my condition but it just felt fundamentally wrong, like I was being made to transition to female when I wasn’t. I have high testosterone and feel more male leaning than female. I would much rather take testosterone and finish the job. I discussed my concerns with my medical team and they suddenly said I don’t need the estrogen yet and can take testosterone. However, the gender clinic at the time said it wasn’t a good time since I had just started a new job. I was bummed out, but I accepted it because I had several transphobic coworkers. So I have just not been on hormones for a year and I don’t know what is happening in my body, trying to figure out my gender identity. The weird thing is, even though I feel more boy leaning, part of me yearns for the true girlhood that I never had. I never got prettier like my classmates did, I never got my period, I never felt like I was becoming a woman; It felt like I was becoming a mess. I love feminine clothes but I feel weird in them. Part of me wants to be “fixed” so my mom won’t have to process my existence, so I can fit in, so I can feel normal in dresses. I don’t know what I want anymore honestly. I have an endocrinology appointment tomorrow and I feel sick to my stomach. What if I go back on the estrogen and hate myself even more? What if I love myself and question my identity even more? What will my mom and my doctors think of my decision? I feel so frazzled and confused, who and what am I?? I am trying to love myself but it’s so hard.

DISCLAIMER: I am not diagnosing my friend with anything, I just want to open up more potential opportunities to find answers for her lived experience.

My best friend and I are both in our late 20's and AFAB (I am part of the LGBT+ community, she does not identify as LGBT+ and has been in a relationship with a cis man for a decade). However, she has been going through a significant challenge with reproductive health her whole life. When she was very young, maybe 14 or 15, she was put on birth control because she never got her period and at the time, it was prescribed in an effort to induce a period, with no further investigation or testing done. She was on the pill for 13 or more years, without ever stopping or questioning why. This has caused some challenges for her pain wise (the pain is external, and not related to her internal reproductive organs) and she has been through so much to try and fix her pain. Doctors now think it is related to the long term use of BC, and only now have just started to try and figure out her hormonal issues as a possible cause for the pain. She was advised to stop the BC to see if it helps her pain wise, and also to try and get her body to naturally produce a period after all these years. Her period will only come if she takes progesterone pills to induce it, and after two years off the pill, she still does not have a naturally occurring period.

After almost 8 years of looking for answers to no avail, medications and creams, even a surgery (that didn't help), flying accross the country to see specialists, and physical therapy, a doctor FINALLY had the wherewithal to perform an ultrasound!!!! She was only recently diagnosed with PCOS as the possible root cause of her missing period (she has not one single other typical sign of PCOS besides a missing period). She has seen two doctors who gave her two different descriptions of her ovaries and one seemed more confident of the diagnosis than the other, so she was not even sure whether she had it or not and is still looking for answers! All she knows right now is her ovaries are covered with large cysts, but was given no next steps to help.

My question is, I went down a very informative deep dive one day and watched documentaries and interviews with people born with intersex conditions, and some of the experiences and conditions these individuals spoke about sounded very similar to my friends experience. One of the most interesting facts I learned is that it's just as common as knowing someone with red hair, and I know a lot of people with red hair, so I am sure I have met several people throughout my life with an intersex condition! I am hesitant to suggest unsolicited that she should explore the possibility of having one of the conditions that falls under the intersex umbrella unless it seemed an appropriate time/conversation, and I know PCOS could be considered an intersex condition in some ways based off some of the interviews I listened to, but I don't know if she is familiar with the intersex community. Would it serve her any good for me to even put having an intersex condition on her radar, and hopefully she can talk to doctors about some of the possible conditions that sound similar to hers, and potentially find some answers? The way things stand right now, she still does not have all the answers or solutions, and this has been almost a decade of searching and pain and frustration. I just want to help her find answers without being intrusive or inconsiderate, but as she identifies as a cis woman and is dealing with reproductive health issues, its not uncommon for people with her experiences to be completely written off! To include intersex conditions on top of this, which are not well known about and have limited resources and support outside of the community, I ache for those who are struggling to find the answers and the support they need. She wants to be a mother one day, and has known from a young age she is going struggle to have her own biological children (but with no explanation as to why!), and she says she needs to start planning ahead given her challenges.

If you read this far thank you! I just want to pique her interest and potentially open up more doors, or maybe even close some for her. I love her so much, and any feedback is appreciated. I of course will not be saying anything to her unless it seems like the right time. If you have similar story to hers, or advice, I am all ears. I appreciate it immensely!

Sorry for the strange question, I just want to hear y'all's opinions. I'm intersex but I identify as female. Technically that would mean I'm transgender, right?

To clarify, I'm an ally of the LGBTQ community and I have absolutely nothing against trans people, I'm just curious if I would be considered trans. I'd like to hear your opinions 😁

I often wonder if I am Intersex. I have a very high pitched voice and more often than not am mistaken for a female on the phone and even when ordering fast good thru the drive thru. Not only is my voice high pitched but I also have mild genocomastia, my penis is below average and my scrotum more resembles fused labia. My testicles freely move from my scrotum to my ingroinial canal but generally spend most of the time in the canal. However I do have 2 children that there is no doubt are mine. My parents would never admit if there were an issue with me at birth. The only info I know is that I had to spend my first 2 weeks of life in the hospital despite only being 1 week ahead of my due date. And after my first child was born my parents admitted that they didn't think they would ever be grandparents. And just to be clear dna test were done and the kids are definitely mine. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Hello so I was afab and only found out recently last year that I am intersex and I'm curious if anyone else has had these symptoms I'm not sure how to describe it but like of a second puberty I just turned 24 and I've noticed my voice has been getting deeper increase of hair growth and more masculine features showing up the normal and I'm a fairly masculine person as is and I'm still trying to figure this out so I was wondering if you know there was anyone that's gone through something similar that could talk me through it

I'm fascinated by human sexuality and have been studying it for decades now. Recently I've been reading a manga called Is. It says that intersex people's bodies change over time, is that true?

I Googled a bit, but there is tons of information and I'm not certain how accurate some of it is.

While I have intersex friends and I know some things about it, I thought I would fact-check a bit.

This is the Weekly Discussion Thread for /r/intersex.

Feel free to use this thread to discuss whatever you've been up to. It does not have to be intersex specific, but please mind the rules and stay SFW.

Have a nice week!

~ your mod team <3

Talking about why futa is a slur and an offensive stereotype I’m a lot more gentle than i usually would be because it’s a hard kink sub, but people really can’t see why the genre of porn that’s named after a Japanese intersexist slurs and based in offensive stereotypes about us might be offensive? “Trans people think it’s fine” the genre name means h word and it’s about people born with mixed sex traits i don’t think perisex trans people are the target. The last subreddit i said this on a trans woman full on called me a pseudo h word.

Now they’re arguing with me saying no it isn’t actually a slur when Japanese intersex people and my experiences it is why should i believe a perisex person over my own experiences genuinely why. Kink spaces tell me i should feel respected as a human, then pull this crap going no we must call you slurs i just want the basic respect a perisex person would have but no they say the slurs aren’t actually slurs.

Repost because i forgot the picture

Cross posted from r/PCOS, unfortunately they were less than helpful.

Hi everyone! I (22F) have been diagnosed with PCOS for a few years now and have some questions about cancer risks. I don't generally get periods, and when I do they're very light. My doctor has attempted to put me on various birth control methods to trigger a menstrual cycle, but I had to stop them due to different reasons (IUD insertion impossible due to physical anomalies, progesterone implant caused constant bleeding, patch caused severe suicidal tendencies).

I have a follow-up appointment soon to discuss all of this and a treatment plan going forward, but I'm getting nervous. My mother and her mother have both had endometrial issues, and my doctor told me the reason I needed to have a period in the first place was to prevent endometrial cancer.

I'm trying not to get too nervous, but it seems like I'm running out of options. I'm a healthy weight for my height, and have a fairly active job. Despite this, I can't shake the idea that I'm going to get cancer. Any advice or statistics would be appreciated, as I really can't find much on the topic. Thank you!