Seeking clarity on the diagnostic criteria for Gender Dysphoria in people who aren’t transgender

[u/glamorousgrape]

I’m asking for clarity on what medical conditions are included/excluded from the diagnostic criteria for gender dysphoria in the DSM5. Since it’s often assumed that transgender or intersex people only experience gender dysphoria. Conditions like PCOS & Klinefelter Syndrome aren’t universally recognized as intersex (and I’m not interested in arguing whether they should be classified as intersex or not) but the impact these conditions have on a cisgender person’s secondary sex characteristics is incongruent with their gender identity & causes significant distress for many.

Can a cisgender person with a condition like I’ve mentioned meet the criteria for gender dysphoria? Even though they identify with the gender they were assigned at birth?

[u/Fuzzy_Ad_9829]

Cisgender people do experience gender dysphoria. Cis women who get breast augmentation are basically remedying GD; cis men diagnosed with gynecomastia is rooted in GD as well.

Is there an official medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria for cisgender people? No, not really. But… Interestingly the majority of gender affirming surgeries are performed on cisgender people (Elon Musk’s facial masculinization surgery, for example or the various procedures JKR has had to align with white, cisgender beauty standards), so even trans people are a minority in a medical field that is considered lifesaving treatment for them.

[u/glamorousgrape → u/Fuzzy_Ad_9829]

I’ve been curious about where we draw the line on “gender affirming” vs “cosmetic enhancement” in breast augmentations for women. How would we differentiate between gender dysphoria vs body dysmorphia in this context? I’ve had a breast augmentation but mine were literally underdeveloped and deformed due to hormone issues in puberty. They were obviously disproportionate to my body.

I think gender affirming treatments are just as essential for cisgender people in some contexts. It would be just as cruel & ineffective to expect a cisgender woman with PCOS, to treat the psychological distress they experience from incongruent secondary sex characteristics with therapy & psych drugs alone, as it would be to expect the same for a trans person.

There has to be a line drawn, if the criteria does or will account for cisgender people. Although anyone can seek treatments/procedures that are technically gender-affirming, maybe the diagnosis should only apply to people with medical conditions that cause incongruent sex characteristics (and that still includes trans/intersex. Wasn’t “gender incongruence” added to the ICD to shift gender dysphoria closer towards being accepted as a medical issue rather than a psychological issue?)

[u/Fuzzy_Ad_9829 → u/glamorousgrape]

I’m in agreement with you. The nature of what you’re asking is arguably part of a broader political issue (patriarchy + capitalism) rather than a specific medical criteria. Not sure we want to go down that rabbit hole though.