What is Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD) & Ehler’s Danlos Syndrome?

To oversimplify it, Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD) and Ehler’s Danlos Syndrome (EDS) both affect an individual’s connective tissue, and people with these conditions present a wide range of symptoms (e.g. joint instability, GI issues, anxiety, and more). There are 13 different types of EDS, with Hypermobility Ehler’s Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) being the most common.1

HSD, hEDS, the Queer community, & Long COVID

Anecdotally, it is both my and Fox’s lived experiences that we’ve seen a common overlap between having a hypermobility disorder, being transgender, and being neurodivergent. There is little to no research on this and what we do with this information is uncertain, but what we do know is that this is one of the many reasons trans-informed health care is needed. A 2024 preliminary UK study suggests that people with “generalized joint hypermobility” could be more prone to long COVID, and another, more intersectional poll in the US, also suggests that transgender individuals are potentially much more likely to experience long COVID than cisgender individuals.2 Within that subsect, transmasculine and non-binary people assigned female at birth showed in one US study to be the most at risk of long COVID amongst the trans community.3

Chronic Pelvic Pain

Chronic pelvic pain can affect someone of any gender, and is characterized by pain for more than six months below the navel and within the pelvic girdle.4 A few common types of pelvic pain are: Vulvadynia, Endometriosis, Chronic Scrotal Pain (CSCP), Idiopathic Chronic Orchialgia (testicular pain), and Pudendal Neuralgia (pudendal/pelvic nerve pain). The causes of chronic pain are varied, as are the treatments. Some of the common treatments for chronic pelvic pain are physical therapy and massage. At Moon Massage Therapy, pelvic floor therapy is not something we practice, but there are non-invasive treatments we can offer that have the potential to affect pelvic pain by releasing tension around nerves that serve the tissues of the pelvis. (Ask us about a QL Treatment!) Importantly, the specific pelvic health needs for LGBTQ+ individuals, especially trans folks, is deeply underrepresented and not well understood. Pelvic pain associated with tucking and gender reassignment surgery is still making its way into clinical pain care. It is known that hormone replacement therapy can affect chronic pelvic pain. However, depending on the study and the age of participant, transgender, gender non-conforming, and people on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) showed trends for both increased and decreased levels of pain on HRT.5,6

Charlotte Asian & Dragonboat Festival

On Saturday May 17th, at Ramsey Creek Park in Lake Norman, celebrate with our AANHPI neighbors at the Charlotte Asian Festival and Dragon Boat Festival, presented by Carolinas Asian American Chamber of Commerce. There will be performances, Dragon Boat races throughout the day, traditional foods and crafts, plus much more! The event is free to attend and free parking is available via a shuttle. Learn more here.