2010 National DNA Day Online Chatroom Transcript

This is just one question from an archive of the National DNA Day Moderated Chat held in April 2010. The NHGRI Director and many genomics experts from across NHGRI took questions from students, teachers and the general public on topics ranging from basic genomic research, to the genetic basis of disease, to ethical questions about genetic privacy.

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If a person is XX or XY, yet they have the feeling that they were born the wrong sex and desire a transgender operation are there any genetic codes that could cause this?
     Don Hadley, M.S., C.G.C.: I'm currently researching the components of a genetic counseling session, including how people are informed of genetic disorders and how they make decisions regarding genetic testing. Good question. While we don't yet understand all of the genetic influences of gender identification, there are likely to be genetic "codes" which make a person feel they relate better to a gender which is different than their physical make-up.
Peru High School in IN (12th grade student)

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