andrewducker: (Default)
andrewducker ([personal profile] andrewducker) wrote2003-07-01 04:34 pm

Chemical sexuality

Reuters reports on another link between sex hormones and sexuality.

PCOS is strongly linked to high levels of androgens (like testosterone). It's now also strongly linked to lesbians:
"The prevalence of PCOS is two and a half times, almost three times, as high in lesbian women compared to heterosexual women."

The London clinic was among the first centers in Europe to offer fertility treatment to lesbians and single women. In a study of 618 women treated at the clinic, Agrawal discovered that 38 percent of the lesbian women had PCOS, compared to 14 percent of the heterosexual women.


Now, 518 isn't a huge sample size by anyone's standards, but it's yet another link between testosterone levels and sexuality.

[identity profile] cangetmad.livejournal.com 2003-07-01 09:04 am (UTC)(link)
I don't think the study you quoted above backs up your point nearly as much as it backs up mine, actually. It finds that butch dykes are fatter than average, and femme dykes aren't. So, people ignore average-sized femmes in order to form their stereotypes based on fat butches.

As an average-sized femme, I can attest that that works in practice, and not just among straight people, either. You should try being me and getting into a gay bar on a Saturday night...