Own Study

Hormones

The urine of as many patients as possible was examined for total gonadotropins, 17-ketosteroids, 17-hydroxycorticosteroids and estrogens. Some were also examined for FSH, LH, fractionated estrogens, and pregnanediol.

The urine was collected in the conventional way under supervision while the patients were in hospital.

Nearly all the analyses were done at the Hormone Laboratory at the Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm, one was done at Sahlgrenska Hospital in G6teborg, and 4he rest were done at the Hormone Laboratory at the University Hospital in Uppsala.

Thirteen cases had to be excluded from this part of the study: 7 because they were under hormonal therapy at the time and no data were available on their hormones before the therapy was begun; 5 cases because the urine was not collected the way it should have been, and I case because the urinalysis was a failure and it was impossible to get new specimens under proper supervision. The results in the remaining 30 cases are shown in table B in the appendix.

The following is a review of the data of interest obtained from the various laboratories:

Five of the 16 men whose total gonadotropins were measured had values under or about 6.5 MU per 24 hours, which was said to be low for their age, though not definitely abnormal (cases 7, 10, 19, 24 and 30). In another case (16) the value was under 13 MU, which was also considered low. One man (case 1) had a low titer of FSH. Another (case 3) showed a suspiciously high level of total gonadotropins -about 53 MU per 24 hours.

Two of the 7 women whose total gonadotropins were measured showed values under 6.5 MU per 24 hours (cases 38 and 43).

Thus altogether 9 out of 25 examined cases showed low, though not definitely abnormal values for total gonadotropins or FSH and one man showed a tendency to an unusually high value of total gonadotropins.

As to estrogen hormones, I man (case 30) showed a high level in view of his age, and another (case 3) also showed a tendency to. high values on fractionated determination, though not definitely abnormal values.

None of the patients examined showed anything definitely abnormal in their 17-ketosteroids or 17-hydroxycorticosteroids.

One of the 9 patients examined for pregnanediol (case 6) showed abnormal values of 7.0 and 3.8 mg per 24 hours. This man, who also had unilateral gynecomastia, starting about a month before he consulted me, was examined at an endocrinologic department without any reason for the gynecomastia being found there. The transsexual tendencies in this case had become accentuated shortly before, or at the time the gynecomastia made its appearance.