Some of the testosterone (T) in the body is changed into the hormone estrogen (E). The converting of T to E is called aromatization, and it happens in the liver, in fat cells, in the gonads, the nervous system, and in muscles (among other places.)
E does a lot of important things in the body. During puberty, it starts strengthening your bones and helps them to stay strong. E may also help close the growth plates of bones.
A doctor can use bone x-rays (usually of your hand, called “bone age” x-rays) to check on your growth plates, and bone scans (called a DXA scan) to check on your bone mineral density.
For people who don’t have E in their body or don’t have much of it (because they don’t have gonads or have gonads that make low levels of estrogen), issues like osteoporosis and osteopenia can be common. This happens is when the bone doesn’t build up as much mass (or mineral density) as is needed.
With each DSD variation, understanding how healthy your bones are and making sure you are getting the correct nutrients that keep you healthy and strong are important. Check with your doctor and ask if you are getting enough:
- hormones
- exercise
- Vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin)
- calcium
You need all of these to grow strong and healthy.