What do you think of the prenatal hormone theory about homosexuality?

Question

Prenatal hormonal theory
Main article: Prenatal hormones and sexual orientation
The neurobiology of the masculinization of the brain is fairly well understood. Estradiol, and testosterone, which is catalysed by the enzyme 5α-reductase into dihydrotestosterone, act upon androgen receptors in the brain to masculinize it. If there are few androgen receptors (people with Androgen insensitivity syndrome) or too much androgen (females with Congenital adrenal hyperplasia) there can be physical and psychological effects.[3] It has been suggested that both male and female homosexuality are results of variation in this process.[4] In these studies lesbianism is typically linked with a higher amount of masculinization than is found in heterosexual females, though when dealing with male homosexuality there are results supporting both higher and lower degrees of masculinization than heterosexual males.

Answer 1

I've long felt that is the exact reasoning. I have identical twin boys. One is straight, one is gay. The one who is straight is really masculine, the one who is gay is less masculine by far but not to the point of being feminine. I asked the doctor years ago if it could have happened that one twin just received more testosterone than the other in the womb and he said it was something that was being studied. My twins also know two other sets of male twins, identical, where one is straight and one is gay.

Answer 2

I'm inclined to think that this could well be a contributing factor.

I believe that homosexuality is a prenatal defect, not a genetic defect, per se. I have come across the recent discovery that some kinds of people have two different types of DNA in their bodies. This was discovered when law enforcement officials had repeated DNA tests done on some prisoners as the technology improved.

It was found that some of them had one kind of DNA in one part of their bodies, and another kind-- related, but distinctly different-- in other parts of their bodies.

It is now believed that just as some conjoined twins occur when embros fail to separate properly in the womb, sometimes one embryo may begin to absorb the other one. This is not limited to identical twins; if there is a fistula or diverticula between the amniotic sacs, fraternal twins, whose DNA are more different than that of identical twins, can also do this.

The body that is born will have one obvious physical gender, but the ongoing influence of the body parts that were originally supposed to have been a sibling of the opposite sex may cause lifelong subliminal sensations appropriate to the other gender. If no hormone producing tissues of the absorbed sibling remain, the effect may be subtle, but this could still lead to feminization of males and masculinzation of females.

This could be confirmed by a simple series of DNA tests. The presence of male DNA in part of the body of a female or the presence of female DNA in part of the body of a male would be conclusive.

Someday, there will be prenatal procedures available to prevent birth defects such as these, and the whole situation will be consigned to the pages of the medical history books, like the unfortunate victims of thalidomide. There is no need to make widespread changes in our present society when there will soon be a much easier and less expensive and confusing way of preventing the problem. We will do this just as we would work to restore sight to those born blind or mobility to those born without limbs. There is no difference.

Answer 3

I've known some really feminine lesbians and masculine gay men. In theory this sounds, well sound, but I don't think it's 100% responsible.

Answer 4

So this theory works for women but not men huh?
doesn't seem like a real good theory to me. Plus it would seem that if this becomes accepted thought they would try to "correct" homosexaulity with hormone therapy... and that is wrong.
Just my unscientific oppinion.

Answer 5

I think it's just more waffle from people paid to make waffle up.

People are what they are because they don't really want to be what they're not.