XV Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association Symposium

The State of Our Art and the State of Our Science

Transsexualism - the phenotypic variable

By J Brown; R Ettner, PhD; E Schrang, MD; C Niederberger, and M Schract, MD
c/o Randi C. Ettner PhD, Clinical Psychologist, 1214 Lake Street, Evanston, Illinois 60201, USA

Transsexualism is a condition characterized by a discordance between the patient’s genotypic sex and their self-experienced, self-declared gender. No definitive etiology for this phenomenon has been identified. There are no abnormalities in gonadal anatomy or function, chromosomal pattern, sex characteristics, or hormonal levels in these patients. However, there are anecdotal reports that, at least male-to-female transsexuals, are unusually tall. We reviewed the medical records of 74 transsexual patients from across the United States who have undergone reassignment surgery. The majority were from either the Eastern or Midwestern regions (67.5%). Patient infromation was examined for phenotypic data, in order to evaluate height, weight, and race. We found no statistical difference between the transsexual patient’s weights as determined by age-matched average weight-ranges-for-height when compared to population statistics. However, there was statistically significat difference when comparing the transsexual group’s height data to age-matched population averages. Average height of the studied group was 70± 2 inches, with the population mean being 69 ± 2 inches. Utilizing a 2-tailed t-test, this one inch difference was noted to lhave a p value < 0.05. This finding provides support for a possible biologic etiology to transsexualism.