371 DES female hormone given to pregnant women caused Gender Confusion & Transsexualism in males

DES female hormone given to pregnant women caused Gender Confusion & Transsexualism in males

Millions of women were prescribed Diethylstilbestrol (DES) - a synthetic form of estrogen - during pregnancy for prevention of miscarriage. In item 5, a pro-Gay site features a report saying that this contributed to Gender Confusion & Transsexualism. But the Wikipedia article on Gender Confusion (item 6) makes no mention of it.

We may have got more than we bargained for when we ate Kentucky Fried Chicken and other junk food. Cancer, enlarged Prostate glands, hormonal imbalances.

Chickens and pigs reared in factory-like conditions contain hormones that will cause the eater health problems later in life.

The same applies to cattle reared in feedlots. Even their manure contains harmful hormones. So-called "organic" manures, if from animals fed hormones, contain such hormones too.

Perhaps it's a kind of poetic justice: the eater who turns a blind eye to the confined and cruel conditions such animals were reared in, later pays with his or her own life.

(1) Hormone residues in meat and milk may cause breast, prostate or colon cancer
(2) Exposure of males to female hormones in utero & in food may trigger Feminisation
(3) EU bans growth hormones in animal food; female hormones cause enlarged prostates in males
(4) DES sons: Males whose mothers were given DES hormone while pregnant with them
(5) Gender Dysphoria (confusion) & Transsexualism in Males prenatally exposed to DES hormone
(6) Gender Dysphoria (Gender identity disorder)
(7) Homosexual lobby misrepresents Marriage

(1) Hormone residues in meat and milk may cause breast, prostate or colon cancer

http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/hormones/

Artificial Hormones

In 2005, 32.5 million cattle were slaughtered to provide beef for US consumers .i Scientists believe about two-thirds of American cattle raised in for slaughter today are injected with hormones to make them grow fasterii and America’s dairy cows are given a genetically-engineered hormone called rBGH to increase milk production. These measures mean higher profits for the beef and dairy industries, but what does it mean for consumers? Although the USDA and FDA claim these hormones are safe, there is growing concern that hormone residues in meat and milk might be harmful to human health and the environment.

What's in the Beef?

According to the European Union’s Scientific Committee on Veterinary Measures Relating to Public Health, the use of six natural and artificial growth hormones in beef production poses a potential risk to human health.iii These six hormones include three which are naturally occurring—Oestradiol, Progesterone and Testosterone—and three which are synthetic—Zeranol, Trenbolone, and Melengestrol.

The Committee also questioned whether hormone residues in the meat of "growth enhanced" animals and can disrupt human hormone balance, causing developmental problems, interfering with the reproductive system, and even leading to the development of breast, prostate or colon cancer.iv

Children, pregnant women and the unborn are thought to be most susceptible to these negative health effects. Hormone residues in beef have been implicated in the early onset of puberty in girls, which could put them at greater risk of developing breast and other forms of cancer. The European Union’s Committee reported that as of 1999, no comprehensive studies had been conducted to determine whether hormone residues in meat can be cancer-causing.v

Scientists are also concerned about the environmental impacts of hormone residues in cow manure. Growth promoting hormones not only remain in the meat we consume, but they also pass through the cattle and are excreted in their manure. When manure from factory farms enters the surrounding environment, these hormones can contaminate surface and groundwater. Aquatic ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to hormone residues. Recent studies have demonstrated that exposure to hormones has a substantial effect on the gender and reproductive capacity of fish, throwing off the natural cycle.vi  ...

(2) Exposure of males to female hormones in utero & in food may trigger Feminisation

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/DES

DES (Diethylstilbestrol), a synthetic form of estrogen (a female hormone)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diethylstilbestrol

Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a synthetic nonsteroidal estrogen that was first synthesized in 1938. Human exposure to DES occurred through diverse sources, such as dietary ingestion from supplemented cattle feed ...

Associated health problems

First generation

Women who were prescribed DES during pregnancy have been shown to have a modestly increased risk of breast cancer and breast cancer mortality. ...

DES sons

... While earlier research on DES sons focussed on documenting the incidence of external physical malformations recognizable at birth, or sought to determine if prevelence of certain cancers increased over the lifetime of the exposed children, more recent published research has explored the possibility that some of the effects of prenatal exposure to DES might be in the area of behavioral and or neurological change. In particular, "the high prevalence of individuals with confirmed or strongly suspected prenatal DES exposure who self-identify as male-to-female transsexual or transgender, and individuals who have reported experiencing difficulties with gender dysphoria."[24]

Various neurological changes occur after prenatal exposure of embryonic males to DES and other estrogenic endocrine disrupters.[26] Animals that exhibited these structural neurological changes were also shown to demonstrate various gender-related behavioral changes (so called "feminisation of males").
Clinical studies of transgendered individuals whose brains showed sexually dimorphic characteristics of their professed gender identities and counter to their chromosomal genders, consistent with what was observed in the animal models as noted above.[27]

Research and exploration of various potential causes of transgender psychology and behavior continues and professional opinions remain divided at this time.[28]
[...

DES in food production

During the 1960s, DES was used as a growth hormone in the beef and poultry industry. It was later found to cause cancer and was "phased out in the late 1970s."[31] Its alleged continued illegal use in the beef industry is depicted in the novel My Year of Meats, by Ruth L. Ozeki.

(3) EU bans growth hormones in animal food; female hormones cause enlarged prostates in males

http://ec.europa.eu/food/fs/sc/scv/out21_en.pdf

... Since 1 January 1989, according to Directive 88/146/EEC replaced later by  Directive 96/22/EC, the EC prohibits the administering to a farm animal by  any means whatsoever of, inter alia, substances having a thyrostatic,  oestrogenic or gestagenic action for growth promotion purposes. As a result,  the use of the hormones oestradiol-17b, testosterone, progesterone, zeranol,  trenbolone acetate and melengestrol acetate alone or in combinations for  growth promotion purposes in meat production is prohibited. The prohibition  covers both the use of these hormones for domestic production and imports  from third countries of meat from animals treated with these hormones for  growth promotion purposes. The prohibition reflects the fact that the EC  chose a level of sanitary protection of accepting no or "zero" additional risk  to human health from the residues in meat and meat products of these  hormones when used for growth promotion purposes.

On 1 January 1995, the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) entered into force, together with the other agreements of the WTO. The SPS Agreement allows Members to choose the level of sanitary protection they wish to achieve in their territory. They can also depart from international standards, guidelines or recommendations on the use of chemical substances, compounds, pesticides, etc. in order to achieve their chosen level of sanitary protection, if there is scientific justification. Unlike the EC, some countries permit the use of these hormones in cattle for growth promotion purposes. In particular, the United States and Canada allow the use of the above six hormones. The United States has opposed the EU prohibition on the use of these hormones since its implementation. In 1996, after the entry into force of the SPS Agreement, the United States and Canada formally contested in the WTO the EC prohibition on imports of bovine meat and meat products from animals treated with these six hormones. ...

Several laboratories have published evidence which links higher exposure to sex steroids during intrauterine life with anatomo-physiological disruption of normal patterns in the reproductive fitness of adults. These studies followed two main strategies: The first strategy is the direct exposure of natural and/or xenoooestrogens to hatching eggs in reptiles (Sheehan et al., 1999), fish (Gimeno et al., 1996), and birds (Fry and Toone, 1981), and to pregnant and prepubertal mammals (Bern, 1992; Herbst and Bern, 1988; Newbold, 1999; Zuckerman, 1940; Takasugi, 1979) These hormones may permanently affect the brain (Brawer et al., 1978) and the vagina (Ma et al., 1998). The second strategy is the use of fetal mice positioned in the pregnant uterus between fetuses of the same or opposite sex (see below, and Schmid and Schlatter, 1985).

2.2.1.3. Experimental evidence on the effects of oestrogen exposure during embryogenesis, fetal and perinatal stages. The administration of DES to laboratory animals during their perinatal age has shown that this synthetic oestrogen is responsible in female mice for the following pathological entities: i) structural malformations of the oviduct, uterus, cervix, and vagina, ii) salpingitis isthmica nodosa; iii) paraovarian cysts (of mesonephric origin); and iv) vaginal adenocarcinoma (Newbold, 1999). In addition, to these anatomic and tissue-based malformations, infertility and sterility were observed in adult mice of both sexes. Regarding mechanisms that these hormones may upset, it has been recently reported that oestrogens down-regulate the expression of mice homeobox genes during development, such as Hoxa-9, -10 and -11 (Ma, 1998).

Whether or not the above mentioned defects are due solely to a direct effect of the hormone on their secondary sex organs, or to the separate and/or simultaneous effect on the brain structures that govern patterns of hormone synthesis and secretion, is only conjectural at this time. Data are unavailable for addressing these issues. Nonetheless, it is likely that a combination of effects are responsible for the symptomatology recorded in young individuals and adults after in utero exposure.

On the one hand, it has also been shown that DES modifies the normal development of the male genital tract by interfering with effects of androgens on the normal Mullerian (paramesonephric) ducts (vom Saal et al 1997); in addition, administration of DES to male mice during the perinatal period results in the appearance of testicular tumors during adulthood (Newbold et al. 1998). It should be noted that this tumor incidence has been recorded in the second and third generations of those males who were originally injected with DES.

Studies have been conducted on the effects of intrauterine positioning of male and female fetuses. Data collected by using the position in the uterine horn of male and female fetuses clearly indicate that the sexual behaviour, genital morphology, timing of puberty, sexual attractiveness, aggressiveness, tissue enzyme activity, and the length of the oestrus cycle of females during adulthood were influenced by the sex of their neighbouring litter mates in the uterine horn (vom Saal, 1989). Also, in addition to the above mentioned characteristics, vom Saal's group has studied the effect of this fetal uterine positioning on the development of the mouse prostate (vom Saal and Timms, 1999). The outcome of these computer-assisted, three-dimensional reconstructions of the developing prostate show that oestrogen levels during organogenesis affect the anatomic and histopathological phenotype of the prostate during adulthood....

Among other effects, vom Saal's group has also concluded that male fetal mice exposed to even low levels of DES show significantly enlarged prostates in adulthood, a significant decrease of the urethra width, and an enlargement of the utriculus, when compared with untreated controls. In addition, adult mice exposed in uterus to xenooestrogens showed a decrease in sperm production, decreased seminal vesicle and epididymal sizes. ...

(4) DES sons: Males whose mothers were given DES hormone while pregnant with them

http://www.desaction.org/dessons.htm

DES SONS
(Males Whose Mothers Were Given DES While Pregnant With Them)
 
Health Effects

Although less is known about the possible health consequences for DES Sons, it is important for men who know or suspect they are DES Sons to be aware of possible concerns and know what to do about them. Most men exposed to DES before birth have no known increased risk of health problems. However, some DES Sons do face an increased risk for problems with their genital organs. These range from harmless irregularities to problems that may require medical treatment. Many people, including some doctors, do not know that men can be affected by DES exposure before birth. ...

Structural Changes – DES has been associated with extremely small testes and/or undescended testes. ...

Prostate Cancer (Possible) - Since many DES Sons are just reaching the age when prostate cancer may occur, there have not yet been reports of an increased incidence of prostate cancer among DES Sons. That said, animal studies have pointed to the possibility of an increased risk for DES-exposed men, leading some researchers to speculate that DES Sons might be at higher risk and should pay attention to the possibility.
Emotional Impacts – DES creates emotional trauma for all who come in contact with it: DES Mothers (and Fathers), DES Daughters, DES Sons, and DES Grandchildren.  ...

(5) Gender Dysphoria (confusion) & Transsexualism in Males prenatally exposed to DES hormone

http://www.antijen.org/transadvocate/id33.html
                       
TransAdvocate.org

The Presence of Gender Dysphoria...

The Presence of Gender Dysphoria, Transsexualism, and Disorders of Sexual Differentiation in Males Prenatally Exposed to Diethylstilbestrol: Initial Evidence from a 5-Year Study
 
By Scott P. Kerlin, Ph.D., DES Sons International Network
Kingston, Ontario Canada
Contact: skerlin2000@yahoo.com

Paper Presented at 6th Annual E-Hormone Conference, New Orleans, October 27-30, 2004

Introduction and Background

During the 1970s and 1980s an increasing amount of public and scientific attention was paid to the health and medical problems of women and men whose mothers and grandmothers took Diethylstilbestrol (DES) for prevention of miscarriage. A potent estrogenic chemical, DES was first developed in 1938 and initially became available in the U.S. for treating a range of gynecologic conditions in 1941 (Apfel and Fisher, 1984). A few years later its approval by the FDA was broadened to include treatment of pregnant women for the purpose of preventing miscarriages (spontaneous abortions). Though its efficacy had long been doubted by some in the medical community (Bambigboye and Morris, 2003; Dieckmann, 1953; Edelman, 1986), DES remained popular until publication of research in the early 1970s identifying an apparent association between prenatal exposure to DES and a rare form of vaginal cancer in females (commonly called “DES daughters”) whose mothers used DES (Giusti, Iwamato, and Hatch, 1995; Heinonen, 1973; Herbst and Bern, 1981).

It is estimated that as many as five to ten million Americans received DES during pregnancy or were exposed to the drug in utero between the late 1940s and early 1970s (Giusti, Iwamoto, and Hatch, 1995). The numbers of male offspring exposed in utero to DES (“DES sons”) have been estimated at between one and three million in the U.S. (Laitman, Jonler, and Messing, 1997) and similar estimates exist for the numbers of American females exposed in utero (Edelman, 1986). Hundreds of thousands of DES sons and daughters were also born in Canada, Europe and Australia during a similar period.

Compared with the history of research on the range of health effects of DES daughters, there are relatively few published medical research studies conducted with DES sons. And yet, the finding that prenatal DES exposure also led to detrimental effects for a number of exposed males has existed since the 1970s (Andonian and Kessler, 1979; Bibbo et al., 1977; Gill et al., 1979; Gill, et al., 1988; Laitman et al., 1997). These effects include a variety of structural abnormalities of the reproductive system such as epididymal (benign) cysts, hypoplastic testes or undescended testes (chryptorchidism), microphallus or underdeveloped penis which may be associated with an intersex condition, and hypospadias (opening of the penis is on the underside rather than at the end). Although DES exposure has been suspected as a possible source of male infertility and testicular cancer (Giusti, Iwamato, and Hatch, 1995, it is still uncertain whether prenatal DES exposure has led to increased risk of infertility (Wilcox et al., 1995) or increased rates of testicular cancer as well as other types of cancer in males (Strohsnitter, et al. 2001).

While published primary studies of other health issues among males with prenatal exposure to DES are not numerous, there is some available research investigating possible links between DES exposure and increased potential for major depressive disorders and other psychiatric effects (Katz, et al., 1987; Meyer-Bahlburg and Ehrhardt, 1986; 1987; Pillard et al., 1993; Vessey et al., 1983). More recent discussion of possible psychiatric effects of prenatal DES exposure, including gender-related effects, has been forwarded by Verdoux (2000; 2002) and Boog (2004). Research investigating possible psychosexual impact of DES exposure in human males (feminization and demasculinization) has been published since the 1970s (Dorner, 1985; Green, 1978; Kester, Green, Finch, and Williams, 1980; Reinisch and Sanders, 1984; Reinisch, Ziemba-Davis, and Sanders, 1991; Yalom, Green, and Fisk, 1973), while research on endocrine disruptors which includes discussion of DES as a possible link in a variety of sexual differentiation disorders in humans has been produced more recently (Boisen, et al., 2001; Gupta, 2000; McLachlan, 2001; McLachlan et al., 2001; Sharpe, 2001; 2004; Skakkeb?k, Meyts, and Main, 2001; Sultan et al, 2001; Swaab et al., 2002; Toppari and Skakkeb?k, 1998).

Methodology

This study was initially conceptualized as a one-year (1999-2000) virtual (online) focus group of DES sons from around the world, with the basic purpose being discussion and documentation of the range and history of reported adverse health effects among DES sons. Virtual focus groups are online discussion communities or support groups which, when effectively designed and moderated, enable investigation of a particular issue (for example, adverse health effects) from the perspective of the individuals who are most directly affected (Murray, 1997). The tools and features of online forums like the DES Sons International Network enable a collective engagement of issues raised by participants and fresh insights for participants and researchers.

The DES Sons International Network was developed with a number of primary goals in mind: to bring together an expanding range of individuals born as males who were exposed prenatally to DES, to expand awareness of the range of existing research about DES and male health, and to explore other issues affecting the physical, mental, and reproductive health of DES sons. Most important, it was meant to further investigate still unresolved questions regarding DES sons, consistent with recommendations issued by the National Cancer Institute and National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute, 1999).

Upon creation of the DES Sons Online Network (now the DES Sons International Network) in 1999, announcements about the online network were made on a variety of online DES and reproductive health information networks. Subscription requests were carefully screened for (1) evidence or confirmation of the likelihood of prenatal DES exposure; (2) confirmation of birth between the late-1940s and early 1970s which was the critical “window” during which DES was administered as an anti-miscarriage drug; (3) confirmation that the subscriber was born as a male and thus qualified to be considered a “DES Son”. Although a few other individuals whose exposure status was unknown were permitted to join the Network they are not included in the statistical analysis that is covered in this report.

Data-gathering within this study has used the principles of grounded theory in qualitative analysis which involves a process of continuous expansion and refinement of issues in online discussions, combined with ethical principles of precaution around network members’ identities and privacy. As individuals joined the DES Sons International Network, they provided (privately to the researcher and on occasion in the support group discussions) an overview of health and medical histories as well as other questions or issues surrounding their DES exposure. Primary research on DES sons' health issues included open-ended questions, occasional surveys or polls of members, periodic online chats (conducted in “real time”) to answer questions on particular health questions such as DES exposure and infertility, and the sharing and posting of relevant published DES research studies in order to generate discussion and further awareness. Summary results from most of the available text-based data are being analyzed using sophisticated qualitative data analysis software.

Within the first year of Network discussions, some members began to raise issues with regard to sexuality, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Over subsequent months, these issues became more substantial in list discussions, at times becoming the dominant themes raised by members. The Network continued to attract interest and new members after the first year and it was decided to continue the Network indefinitely. By the summer of 2004, the DES Sons International Network had more than 200 active subscribers.

As a result of significant attention to gender and sexual diversity issues among some network members, a support group (DES Trans) for these members was formed in January 2002. As of July 2004, more than 130 individuals had joined DES Trans. This underscores the significance of gender identity and intersex conditions as major concerns among a significant portion of persons who have been exposed to DES.

Findings

This section presents an introduction to some of the key findings from research conducted with the members of the DES Sons International Network between July 1999 and July 2004. A more comprehensive summary of the full scope of findings will be completed in 2005.  ...

Somewhere between one-quarter and one-third of members of the DES Sons' network since 1999 have indicated that gender dysphoria, transsexual outcomes, and/or sexual health issues were among their top concerns.

• Relatively High Prevalence of Transsexual, Transgender, and Intersex

More than 150 network members with “confirmed” or “strongly suspected” prenatal DES exposure status indicated they are either transsexual (pre- or post-operative, 90 members), transgender (48 members), “gender dysphoric” (17 members), or intersex (3 members).  ...

• One of the most significant findings from this study is the high prevalence of individuals with confirmed or strongly suspected prenatal DES exposure who self-identify as transsexual, transgender, intersex, or who have identified serious difficulties with gender dysphoria.

Throughout this study, the issue of gender dysphoria (Colucciello, 1996) and the prevalence of a significant number of self-identified male-to-female transsexuals (Cohen-Kettenis and Gooren, 1999) and transgendered individuals (Conway, 2004) as well as some individuals who identify as intersex, androgynous, gay and bisexual has raised fresh awareness of historic theories of a possible biological/endocrine foundation to variations in psychosexual development in humans (including sexual orientation, core gender identity, and sexual identity). Some of these theories were first forwarded in the 1960s by experts in sexual medicine (Benjamin, 1966, 1973; Diamond, 1965, 1996) and have been further refined relative to the role of hormones in shaping gender-based behavior and sexual orientation (Dorner, 2001; Friedman and Downey, 2002; Wilson, 1999; Michel, Mormont and Legros 2001; Rudacille, 2005). The discoveries in this study suggest that gender dysphoria and transsexual changes may be a plausible toxic endpoint for future exploration of the human health effects of exposure to endocrine disruptors. Further, they call into question the accuracy and adequacy of previous research and conclusions by Titus-Ernstoff et al. (2003) in which they conclude that there is little support for a hypothesis that prenatal DES exposure influences psychosexual development in males and females (Udry, 2003).

•The findings in this study relative to developmental abnormalities of the male reproductive tract substantiate previous research on prenatal DES exposure and various structural deformities in some DES sons and lend new support for the hypothesis that endocrine disruptors may have substantial negative effects in human males.

In underscoring the human health effects of prenatal exposure to DES in males, the findings in this study are consistent with McLachlan's (2001) proposition that DES be considered as a model for developmental estrogenization.

This paper has provided a brief encapsulation of the leading trends and outcomes from a preliminary review of results from a five-year study of DES sons. Many of the issues and questions deriving from this study will be further examined and refined during 2005. Interested researchers are invited to join the DES Research online group located at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/des-research

This page last Modified on Sunday, July 10, 2005

References: visit the link http://www.antijen.org/transadvocate/id33.html

(6) Gender Dysphoria (Gender identity disorder)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_identity_disorder

Gender identity disorder

Gender identity disorder (GID) is the formal diagnosis used by psychologists and physicians to describe persons who experience significant gender dysphoria (discontent with the biological sex they were born with). It is a psychiatric classification and describes the attributes related to transsexuality.

Gender identity disorder in children is usually reported as "having always been there" since childhood, and is considered clinically distinct from GID which appears in adolescence or adulthood, which has been reported by some as intensifying over time.[1] Since many cultures strongly disapprove of cross-gender behavior, it often results in significant problems for affected persons and those in close relationships with them. In many cases, discomfort is also reported as stemming from the feeling that one's body is "wrong" or meant to be different.
Some transsexual people and researchers have criticized the classification of GID as a mental disorder for several reasons, including evidence from recent studies about the brains of transsexual people.[2] One contemporary treatment for this disorder consists primarily of physical modifications to bring the body into harmony with one's perception of mental (psychological, emotional) gender identity, rather than vice versa.[3]

Contents

Diagnostic criteria

In the United States, the American Psychiatric Association permits a diagnosis of gender identity disorder if four diagnostic criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4thEdition, Text-Revised (DSM-IV-TR) are met. The criteria are:
Long-standing and strong identification with another gender
Long-standing disquiet about the sex assigned or a sense of incongruity in the gender-assigned role of that sex
The diagnosis is not made if the individual also has physical intersex characteristics.
Significant clinical discomfort or impairment at work, social situations, or other important life areas. ...

This page was last modified on 2 September 2010 at 07:27.

The above Wikipedia page makes no mention of Diethylstilbestrol (DES).

(7) Homosexual lobby misrepresents Marriage

From: Tony Ryan <tonyryan43@gmail.com> Date: 22.08.2010 09:37 AM

Opposition to homosexual marriage is invariably presented by proponents as stemming from the religious right. In fact, many opponents are atheists who point out that marriage is primarily about nurturing and protection of children, not about adult rights; issues which are entirely peripheral, and far from universal. In all cultures, marriage is measurably and centrally concerned with children. The homosexual lobby entirely misrepresents marriage.

I have yet to meet an anthropologist who would not argue that marriage is not central to any society, or that this contract and ethic is not critical to the welfare of children, in terms of physical, emotional, psychological, and social development; elements that shape the strength and resilience of the coming generation. The homosexual lobby is attempting reduce this naturally-evolved nurturing environment into a shallow and open chain of legal rights and contracts for adults. In doing so, gays should be aware they may provoke a reaction infinitely more repressive than anything experienced in the 1950s.

The last time I surveyed the issues of homosexual marriage and adoption, which was 2007, 60% opposed same-sex marriage; but 48% supported gay adoption, while 48% opposed it. In my experience, such even division is indicative of closed discussion. What has not been permitted to occur is open public conversation on these issues. All dialogue is suspended in some elevated media forum where, typically, unworldly ABC/SBS type journos engage earnestly with media-chummy gay representatives while opposition is limited to soundbites from obnoxious religious fanatics.

This elitist colonisation of issues is smothering democratic exchange and will undoubtedly herald a violent reaction from the harder edge of the wider community.