Finger length

[warch]

Ok, When did I miss this? I just saw something about the length of your ring finger and the connection to the amount of testosterone your little fetus-self was floating around in. Men tend to have ring fingers longer than index fingers, and women the opposite. Mine are about equal...I think...I must have been floating in half and half. What does that mean? What does that tell? Nature? Nurture?

Scientists are considering finger length and the relative testosterone exposure to work as possible indicators of not only fertility, but athletic prowess, musical talent, autism, heart attack, sexual preference, and more. Its pretty cool I think.finger study

[Tobiasly]

My middle finger is ten inches. Limp.

[Undertoad]

Did someone give you the finger, or can I be the first?

[MaggieL]

It was a recent show on Discovery channel or some such....the factoid claims that the ratio of the length of ring finger to index finger relates to fetal testosterone levels.

The ratio is fairly reliable. I was more interested to see the woman with androgen insensitivity sytndrome. She struck me as being physically very similar in appearance to many male-to-female transsexuals in having a large frame, tall, with large hands. Her voice, however, was distinctly feminin in pitch as well as in modulation.

Genotypically, she is XY, and thus by many standards "male". But while she has no uterus, for my money she's female.

Gwen just got done relating to me a story of a USAF fighter pilot who was genotyped and discovered to be XX; theorhetically female. He found it difficult to deal with when he was forced to retire from combat status (and indeed from the USAF) as a woman, despite having fathered several children.

Also interesting was the segment on a female-to-male transsexual starting his hormone therapy; we see him before and a few months into the therapy. Testing at HUP, including brain scans and psychological testing showed dramatic shifts in mental function after only a few months of testosterone therapy.

He remeinded me very much of a lover I had once....slept with him when he was a woman, and now he's way-deep into testosterone treatments. Very mind-bending.

<i>edit: Typos repaired</i>

[BrianR]

Originally posted by MaggieL
Gwen just got done relating to me a story of a USAF fighter pilot who was genotyped and discovered to be XX; theoreticallly female. He found it difficult to deal with when he was forced to retire from combat status (and indeed from the USAF) as a woman, despite having fathered several children.

I can believe this given the mindset of military brass and doctors.

Also interesting was the segment on a female-to-male transsexual starting his hormone therapy; we see him before and a few moths into the therapy. Testing at HUP, including bran scans and psychological testing showed dramatic shifts in mental function after only a few months of testosterone therapy.

Started thinking between his legs did he?

Brian

[kleinshelley]

the fact that someone can live their entire life as a man but be genetically woman is scary. what a horrific surprise to be thrown on a person from their doctor

[Griff]

Somebody was telling my wife this at work a couple weeks back. It turns out I'm a fag and she's a man.... Still, we are compatible.

[russotto]

Originally posted by MaggieL

Gwen just got done relating to me a story of a USAF fighter pilot who was genotyped and discovered to be XX; theorhetically female. He found it difficult to deal with when he was forced to retire from combat status (and indeed from the USAF) as a woman, despite having fathered several children.

Yow! What was the Air Force smoking? I can understand why sporting organizations and such reject XY women, but I don't see any reason the Air Force should accept genotypes over phenotypes.

[MaggieL]

Originally posted by russotto

Yow! What was the Air Force smoking? I can understand why sporting organizations and such reject XY women, but I don't see any reason the Air Force should accept genotypes over phenotypes.

In general, the military runs away screaming from any form of gender ambiguity. I'd attribute it to 50% homophobia, 50% fear of having to pay for expensive medical care

[Clodfobble]

Interesting. I just checked my son's fingers... ring finger is definitely much longer than his index finger. But I wonder how accurate it is in infants? For the record, mine are pretty much dead-on equal.

[ashke]

My ring finger is just slightly longer than my index finger. Hmmm...

(I'm female, btw)

[9th Engineer]

Interesting, my ring finger is about half a knuckle longer than my index. As for the genotype vs sex organ debate on sex (it tends to boil down to "well I have a penis, how can I be a woman??") I would say that the chromosomes tell all. Physical appearence and the development of the sex organs is completely hormonally based so I'd be really supprised if this wasn't already medically classified as a hormonal defect. As to whether the person wants to call themselves a guy or girl that's just personal preference, I could see different people going in opposite directions on that one.

[JayMcGee]

troll-bait.......

[Hoof Hearted]

Chimeras?

My ring fingers are about a 1/4" longer than my index. I am female.

[monster]

Hmmm.

Apparently I'm a girl. And my other half is a bloke. This is good news -I think- because I am the mother of our children and he is the father. But other than that, we defy most sexual stereotypes. I have short hair, he has long. He is the gentle parent, I am the one he threatens them with "wait 'til your mother comes upstairs".

But I fail to see how anyone could decide that someone is a woman based on their genes if they have fathered children. That is plain nuts.