Chemical sexuality
Jul. 1st, 2003 04:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
andrewduckerReuters 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.
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.
no subject
Date: 2003-07-02 02:57 am (UTC)But there's no strict causality in yours either, except "it may affect the way they feel about themselves".
How it does so is a large empty box which you don't explain.
If you follow the link at the end of the second article I posted (here: http://www.gsu.edu/~psyjmd/VitaTesto.html) you'll find a load more studies linked testosterone to various behaviours.
Which isn't to say that all are accurate, but I find it extremely hard to believe that there's so much correlation in so many different tests fom unrelated people without something going on.
no subject
Date: 2003-09-11 12:26 am (UTC)People said the same about phrenology and the biological inferiority of "savages".
I obviously don't have a huge amount of faith in "objective" science. But considering the Dabbs research that indicated that some testosterone related behaviours actually increase testosterone levels, you could conclude that playing the butch role results in higher T levels......
Also- what proportopn of women who are attracted to/have sex with women actually identify as exclusively butch or femme? Probably about as many who identitfy as bears or vanilla or dykes who f*%* gay men with strap-ons or who are monogomous, polyamorous, into blood play, water sprots etc etc......there are so many lesbian identities, sexual practices and subcultures it seems a little arrogant to speculate about lesbians from a sample of self identified butch and femme girls.