Prenatal hormones and sexual orientation Only 23% of childhood gender problems will result in transsexuality in adulthood. Drawing on some transsexualism cases, Garcia-Falgueras and Swaab state that "[f]rom these examples it appears that the direct action of testosterone on the developing brain in boys and the lack of such action on the developing brain in girls are crucial factors in the development of male and female gender identity and sexual orientation ... ." Countless studies have been run on peripheral levels of sex steroids in male and female homosexuals, a considerable number of which claimed to find "less 'male hormone' and/or more 'female hormone' in
Fraternal birth order and male sexual orientation studies have demonstrated that the fraternal birth order effect does not operate through social or postnatal (e.g., learning or rearing or environmental) mechanisms; rather it is biological in nature and operates prenatally. It is also known that the fraternal birth order effect on male sexual orientation is unaffected by family dynamics, living with older brothers or learning. Fraternal birth order and male sexual orientation A correlation between fraternal birth order and male sexual orientation has been suggested by research. Ray Blanchard identified the association and referred to it as the fraternal birth order effect. In several studies, the observation is