Hormonal Therapy: A Brief Summary And Analysis

A great number of the gay community, however, hopes that the basis for homosexuality will be biological (Steen 188). Many parents that have homosexual children do not want to be associated with the theory of environmental factors, because they believe they did not contribute to make their children homosexual (Baird and Baird 73). They believe that if it is biological, it will mean it is part of life and not a choice they made (Steen 188). Understanding the human body and the factors that can affect the body is drastically important to most humans, which is why a lot of psychologist are so curious about the basis of homosexuality. Now the real question is, to what extent does homosexuality have a biological basis?

He contradicted the argument that homosexual behaviour is related to genetic, hormonal or biological disorder. To abolish these views, the author mentions that ‘no school of medicine, medical journal or professional organization has ever recognized such claims (p. 2) - at least at the time he wrote the article in 1994.

Only 5% of these females experienced gender dysphoria- which shows that other factors are important in gender development and that hormones weren’t a key factor of determining gender in this study. This criticism of the biological approach shows that it is too reductionist, in that it ignores other factors. As well it is deterministic, as it reduces human behaviour down to simply biology and the act of hormones on gender development, ignoring social and cultural influence.

A different possibility is that prenatal hormone levels influence the developing fetus (Levay, 2011). According to the prenatal hormonal theory of homosexuality, some male fetuses are exposed to too little testosterone. Similarly, some female fetuses are exposed to too much testosterone. These differences, in turn, can impact sexual orientation (Mustanski, Chivers, & Bailey, 2002). Regardless, homosexuality is not caused by hormone imbalances in adulthood; the hormone levels of most gay men and lesbians are within the normal range (Banks & Gartrell, 1995).

A pattern emerges where the scholarly literature exploring this topic is largely focused on males. Reason being is that it appears that males are the sex who are predominantly homosexual in their orientation (LeVay & Baldwin, 2012). However, the sensitivity within the discourse of sexual orientation arises when it is debated upon whether one 's sexual preference is innate at birth, hence a force of nature or biology, or if it is a result of culture, nurture or environmental factors (Emmanuele et al., 2010). Furthermore, an experimental design will be proposed to further examine this topic. Comparing the three chosen studies, it is evident that a biological and endocrinological perspective does account for sexual orientation (Kraemer et al., 2006; Manning et al., 2007; Miller et al., 2008). Of the studies that currently exist on this topic, data shows that prenatal testosterone levels are indicative of sexual orientation (Kraemer et al., 2006; Manning et al., 2007; Miller et al., 2008). This paper addresses a topic that is relevant in today 's society; a topic that has, for the most part, been written off as having any scientific roots (Emmanuele et al., 2010). This paper counters that belief and in reading this essay, it will be evident that biology and endocrinology have a much stronger influence on sexual orientation than previously thought.

Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism published an article by Peggy T. Cohen-Kettenis and Daniel Klink titled Adolescents with gender dysphoria in 2015. The article discusses the increase of youth diagnosed with gender dysphoria and receiving medical treatment and possibly surgery as well. The authors stressed the importance for psychotherapy and/or family therapy. The article also discussed the factors that influence gender development psychological, social, and biological. There are not many studies on determinants of gender dysphoria, and no epidemiological studies in children younger than 15 exist at all. Although, more recently research has focused on histological and brain imagining studies on individuals diagnosed

The patient reported that he had never felt comfortable in his own skin and was exclusively attracted to females (Bradley, S.J., Oliver, G. D., Chernick, A. B,, & Zucker, K. J., 1998). This case study displays that genetic factors have a higher effect on gender identity than modeling or parental rearing. Despite the social and environmental factors rearing her to be a girl he always showed his masculinity. This study is interesting and should also be included in transsexual studies.

In one article by Marcia Malory, “Homosexuality & Choice: Are Gay People ‘Born This Way’”, she goes into multiple studies on the genetics of a gay child's parents. A study conducted in 1993 the “gay gene” matter arose when it was looked into the homosexual children's parents having a different X chromosome marker. Nonetheless genes do not control our behavior completely as does environment. The brain may also play a role in sexual preference, like the study in 1991 showing the difference in neurons and pituitary glands. Later in the 2000s more studies showed that gay men have more symmetrical hemisphere and amygdala resembles that of women's. The brain develops in the womb and continues through late adulthood. When did a fetus choose its

Also, there was a similar difference between the heterosexual men and the heterosexual women, and there was no significant difference in the volume of INAH3 between the heterosexual men who died of AIDS and those who died of other causes. This data supports that the INAH3 is actually affected by sexual orientation but not with sex. However, it cannot determine whether the size of the INAH3 in an individual is the cause or consequence of that individual's sexual orientation, and this is one of the limitation. The study of the volume of the INAH3 nuclei doesn't infer cause and effect, but only shows correlation. Moreover, the sample size of women and men who died due to AIDS is small, so it doesn't prove whether or not the role of the HIV infection may play cause the volume of INAH3 nuclei larger or smaller. Overall, human sexuality is a complex behaviour, meaning determining it by a singular nucleus in the brain is too simplistic. Nonetheless, his study opens up biological research and understand the abnormal behaviour, and it allows us to consider changing attitudes about lifestyle

The hypothalamus which is known for the creation of different hormones does not predict a person's sexual orientation. Simon LeVay whose work was in Salk institute for biological studies in san Diego ca present the difference sizes in hypothalamic structure between heterosexual and homosexual men. LeVay’s hypothesis was that second interstitial nucleus of the anterior hypothalamus, ( INAH 2) or third interstitial nucleus of the anterior hypothalamus, (INAH 3) were large in individuals sexually oriented toward women and small in individual sexually oriented toward men. LeVay argued that the hypothalamus held the the key to sexual orientation. LeVay studied the brains from 41 corpses, including 6 women, 19 homosexual men, and 16

These two instances, the guinea pig and sex reassignment studies, lend credence to the idea that biology influences our sexual orientation. To bolster these findings Bailey et al. (2000) cite researchers who have explored regions of the brain that are sexually dimorphic (areas that are notably different in men and women). Bailey et al. (2000) cites that in 1976 Dorner identified two brain regions in rats that he implicated in sexual behavior for rats. In males he credited the medial pre-optic anterior hypothalamus (mPOA) and in female rats the area he believed to be responsible for normal sexual behavior was the ventromedial nucleus (Bailey et al., 2000). This led to others exploring the areas of the hypothalamus thought to contribute to sexual functioning. Ultimately it was found that several areas in and around the mPOA appear to be sexually dimorphic. Bailey et al. (2000) mention that upon comparisons of what is expected when looking at these areas in gay men there is a difference in size. An area near/in the mPOA called INAH-3 is found to be smaller and contain fewer cells in women compared to men. Gay men showed size and levels higher than women but less than men. Also findings have shown that the anterior commissure (AC) that connects the right and left hemispheres is significantly

It has long been debated where our sexual orientation comes from, particularly whether its biological or social forces driving these behaviors. In regards to homosexuality and bisexuals, some have argued that it may be a choice that these individuals are making.(Levay 2012: 41)Some have even said it is a mental disorder that one can recover from, but there is plenty of data that says otherwise.(Levay 2012: 41)(Levay 2012: 65) I believe diverse sexual orientations develop in humans due to sex hormones during fetal life, gene influences, and other effects such as birth order influences. I’ve come to this conclusion based on the narrative provided via Dr. Simon LeVay’s book Gay Straight, and the Reason Why, and the research that has been compiled showing strong influences from a multitude or reasons. I will also be looking at a research paper by Francesca Iemmola and Andrea Camperio Ciani, who looked into genetic factors influencing sexual orientation in men. It is clear there are gender differences between men and women, and this is probably one of the strongest indicators that hormones can affect the outcome of variations in gender traits.

A growing body of evidence the sexuality is due to biology, however this is still a controversy. Currently there is little understanding on the time period sexual orientation is programmed. One theory is that homosexual orientation is caused by atypical levels of hormones in utero (Mustanski, Bailey, & Kaspar, 2002 p 114). Research in the past has indicated that handiness is connected to prenatal androgen levels and studies have shown that there is a higher incidence of left handiness when mother were exposed to testosterone increasing agents (Bynny, Orth & Cohan as cited in Mustanski et al., 2002 p.114). One reason this theory has been suggested is that stress when pregnant is directly correlated to increased testosterone and left

The question of what causes some people to be sexually attracted to members of their own gender generates many different answers. In recent years, startling new research (Barinaga, 1993, p.17) has indicated that homosexuality is possibly inherited and determined by biological differences in Brain structure and genes. This study raises an interesting question: If homosexuality is hereditary, is there any basis for societal discrimination against something innate? If it is nature, it is good. If it is good, it should be accepted. A genetic component in sexual orientation would send a message to homosexuals and the society that homosexuality is not a fault, and not the fault of anyone other than nature. Gays and lesbians are born in nature, just like some people who are inherited left-handed gene from their parents.

This question has been asked for many years: is being homosexual a decision, or are people born that way? During the1990’s people thought it was an illness or disgrace to the family, but now homosexuals are perceived differently due to studies. Neuroscientists of the Christianity Daily Newspaper have argued that homosexuality can be nature of the hypothalamus itself based on the size of hypothalamus the child is born with. By asking “Does it size determine homosexuality, or does homosexuality determine its size?” (Dallas), but no one is sure, since the test was done on two men that were dead. By this being said people can believe that homosexual is a gene he or she is born with. This situation has arouse through this century as research rises about behaviors from the structures of the brain. In order to continue to convince the reader that people can be born gay and not be a choice they make as they grow, the article “Born Gay?” written by Paul Billings and Jonathan Beckwith, claim that