There's a huge family of "Neurosteroids"[1], which impact various receptors in the brain in lots of super complicated ways that aren't entirely understood. They are synthesized in all kinds of ways naturally, and when it comes to "what they do" in terms of personality... "probably something" is the best we can do.
There is massive complexity in all these things, all kinds of feedback mechanisms, genes and enzymes involved, etc. They do something but it's hard to say what exactly.
I know about this personally; one of the amazing things about transgender medicine is that there is a huge range of responses to the hormones involved, and there's honestly no way to predict what will happen with a given person.
There are tendencies in aggregate - like less testosterone = less libido - but how those come about biologically is unclear and the effect varies tremendously between different people.
It's a joke to pretend like we fully understand or can predict how any of these things actually impact our lived experiences beyond very rough, bulk tendencies.
I didn't mean to make this about transgender medicine. The evidence is pretty strong that hormone treatment improves wellbeing for transgender patients[1], and of course, they can always stop it if it doesn't. The fact that very few do is a good indicator of satisfaction overall. There is a very strong bias towards safety in the practice of transgender medicine.
I can also personally attest that transgender medicine has vastly improved my life. The changes in appearance reduce awkward interactions (I presented female almost always even before transitioning). The mental changes have all been positive and left me feeling much more in control of myself and my life.
There is a lot more science to be done and things to be discovered especially when it comes to brain impacts. Transgender medicine is a new field where there is much to be discovered. It's still a super important thing I'm glad exists.
In any case, I was using it as an example where these brain interactions become super visible and complicated, not trying to debate it directly.
I don't have statistics on-hand, but as I understand it, bottom surgery (SRS, GRS, whatever you want to call it) has one of the absolute highest patient satisfaction rates of any major surgery (including lifesaving surgeries).
> permanent genital mutilation which results in a potential lifetime of pain from daily dilation of an artificial orifice which is little more than a glorified wound
Pretty much every single word of what you just wrote is not only wrong, but highly offensive. Please don't speak of things you don't understand.
> I don't have statistics on-hand, but as I understand it, bottom surgery (SRS, GRS, whatever you want to call it) has one of the absolute highest patient satisfaction rates of any major surgery (including lifesaving surgeries
I think you really do need to cite these statistics given the controversial nature of the subject matter in hand.
It's actually not controversial at all among the people actually impacted by it. It's only "controversial" in that a lot of people are transphobic and are offended that trans people are allowed access to gender-affirming medical care.
Besides, nobody's asking for statistics on how many people are satisfied with surgery to remove cancer, or other "obviously" good surgeries. Why are we expected to justify the existence of gender-affirming surgeries?
> It's actually not controversial at all among the people actually impacted by it.
Confirmation bias much?
> a lot of people are transphobic and are offended that trans people are allowed access to gender-affirming medical care.
Again, stats please, ideally by country so we might have a proper discussion.
> Besides, nobody's asking for statistics on how many people are satisfied with surgery to remove cancer, or other "obviously" good surgeries.
Sorry, but that does actually happen, they're called survival statistic, most, if not all health care systems record them. People who survive cancer are generally happy they're alive.
> gender-affirming surgeries
There's no such thing as "gender-affirming surgeries", they're called sex changes. Gender is a role unlike biological sex.
I also find it incredibly disingenuous that everyone asking for The Statistics are asking after a very awfully specific surgery and don't seem to care whatsoever about mutilation performed on intersex people, or of metoidioplasty, or reconstructive surgery, or many other procedures in the area that are performed for all kinds of reasons.
Geesh, I'm actually kind of mad about it... as someone that has given birth to a child and about due with another one, I would love for HN commenters to talk about pelvic pain, vulvodynia, 4th degree tears, incontinence, prolapse, and other incredibly common postpartum issues that might require surgical intervention to the same degree that gender affirming surgeries are being questioned.
I've vouched for your comment which was flagged, I think you make some reasonable points, if somewhat clumsy, but are valid for discussion, especially in regards to children. If the parent poster is an adult then I'm fine with what they wish to do to their body.
I don't have an axe to grind regarding top or bottom surgery in adults. But given the current troubling reports about the activities of the Tavistock clinic, especially with regards to children being supplied puberty blockers etc and perhaps regrettable surgeries (offshore by ill informed parents), this warrants more rigorous study by the health profession.
Well, helping people cope and find acceptance could be a form of treatment. I am a little scared by the number of my friends who have gone on the medical transgender journey.
If you don’t support gender transitioning, fine, but don’t pretend that your concern is for the person transitioning as if they don’t understand the implications. Your agenda is painfully clear and has nothing to do with the ethics of prescribing hormones when we don’t fully understand them: “I'm saying hormones and plastic surgery do not make a woman”.
The reality is that we don’t understand any medicine particularly well, but we do our best to treat an endless array of diseases and disorders anyway, because it’s more ethical to attempt to ease pain and discomfort than to ignore suffering.
Also people do regularly get plastic surgery to address aesthetic concerns. Would you advocate that people with cleft lips should simply learn to accept who they are and we should consider it unethical to correct the deformity?
There is massive complexity in all these things, all kinds of feedback mechanisms, genes and enzymes involved, etc. They do something but it's hard to say what exactly.
I know about this personally; one of the amazing things about transgender medicine is that there is a huge range of responses to the hormones involved, and there's honestly no way to predict what will happen with a given person.
There are tendencies in aggregate - like less testosterone = less libido - but how those come about biologically is unclear and the effect varies tremendously between different people.
It's a joke to pretend like we fully understand or can predict how any of these things actually impact our lived experiences beyond very rough, bulk tendencies.
[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurosteroid