Centuries ago, we thought the Earth was flat and the center of the universe, and we feared that sailing exploration would send us over the edge of a cliff. Evolving science seeks to clarify these observations, but we still lack answers regarding how we, as a species, fit into the rest of the universe. From the broad expanses of the unknown to the inner sanction of the human body, I pose the question: Does anyone know the role of hormone balance and DNA in our species? Does science? This question has complex answers, yet it is not beyond the understanding of current science.
Hormones play a vital role in our development. From growth and reproduction to aging and death, these chemicals produced by glands under the influence of DNA ensure that we function effectively in our environment. Natural selection and survival of the fittest help the human species reproduce and propagate. However, there is a hormonal range and simultaneous variability that we cannot control through biological factors starting before birth, which impact physical and emotional development.
Physical differences between women and men arise from DNA and changing hormone levels, including estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone. At a particular stage in utero, external genitalia develop, which, at birth, identify a person as physically female or male. Importantly, this external physical appearance may not reflect the internal broad spectrum of circulating hormone levels.
Medical science is still in its infancy, and some hormones are probably undiscovered. Their balance in emotional and physiologic effects needs to be better understood. The effects of this hormone balance have varied widely in humans for as long as we have been a species. My friend walked her down the aisle. Understanding she had no control over her hormones was not something her parents could understand. Sad situations like this divide us and bring heartache to everyone. Does this stem from society teaching us to give dolls to little girls and trucks to little boys?
Can one believe it arises from peer pressure, or is it a personal choice? Medical science has not yet gained complete understanding in this area. Physicians and scientists must continue to conduct evidence-based studies to address these questions. Overcoming our fear of human variation, whether in hormone balance, skin color, or untapped intellect, is still a challenge to which humankind must find answers. Once we do, it will bring harmony to how we survive as a species.
