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from "Born that way" theory
Can Prenatal Hormone Exposure
Influence Gender-Identity
Development? -- One Theory
A NARTH member recently sent us an intriguing comment by
physician John R. Lee, M.D. Writing in What Your Doctor May Not Tell
You About Menopause, John Lee, M.D. described the possible role of
prenatal hormones in influencing the later gender identity of a
developing fetus.
Speaking of xenobiotics---environmental pollutants which have
a hormone-like effect on the body---Dr. Lee said that when a
pregnant woman is exposed to such chemicals, they may blur sex
differences in her unborn child. The resulting gender distortions, he
theorized, could account for some instances of homosexuality when
the child grows to adulthood.
Dr. Lee noted an earlier, similar finding: mothers who took
the synthetic hormone DES during pregnancy were more likely to
have daughters who developed vaginal and cervical cancer, and a
higher-than-normal proportion also became bisexuals or lesbians.
Theorizing that environmental pollutants could have the same
effect, he concluded, "If xenobiotics can blur the distinctions
between the sexes in seagulls and alligators at nanogram levels,
how far-fetched is it to speculate that the same pollutants may be
affecting humans in the same fashion?"
Updated: 8 February 2008
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