Anlage is the black market devisor drug used by Grace Goodkind when she transitioned.[1] Anlage causes the development of female secondary sexual characteristics, but does not alter the genitalia, leaving the patient in an permanently intersexed condition with an outwardly female appearance.
The drug is highly illegal due to its enormous health risks; to avoid a fatal reaction, it requires taking precursor drugs for several years prior to treatment, which must be between the ages of 14 and 18, and has to be taken in a time window of typically around 5 months once those precursors have activated. Even under optimal conditions, it carries a 40% risk of kidney failure, thyroid gland failure, or heart failure. [1]
Grace later admitted to Trevor that taking the drug was 'insane', but that the intense desperation she felt in trying to transition without their parents finding out and stopping her before she could complete the physical changes drove her to take drastic measures.[1]
- "I was so desperate that you could never understand. And I had nearly missed the optimum window when I turned eighteen. I had less than three weeks left. So I went for it. I checked into a clinic in Canada, and had the drug treatment for two solid weeks. I also had some plastic surgery done, too. My lips, my nose, my chin, my throat, and some breast enhancement. They all turned out really well. And at the end of two months, I was completely Gracie. A tall, good-looking, bleached blonde with big tatas, and Greg’s penis under my skirts.”