Intersex is a group of conditions in which there is a discrepancy between the external genitals and the internal genitals (the testes and ovaries). The older term for this condition is hermaphroditism.
Hermaphroditism, also referred to as intersex, is a condition in which there is a discrepancy between the external and internal sexual and genital organs.
True hermaphrodite is one of the rarest variety of disorders of sexual differentiation (DSD) and represents only 5% cases of all. A 3-year-old child presented with left sided undescended testis and penoscrotal hypospadias.
An intersex baby may: Appear female on the outside but have mostly male anatomy on the inside, or vice versa. Have genitals that seem to be in between male and female. Have some cells with female chromosomes (XX) and some with male (XY).
Background: There are 11 reported cases of pregnancy in true hermaphrodites, but none with advanced genetic testing. All known fetuses have been male. Case: A true hermaphrodite with a spontaneous pregnancy prenatally known to have a remaining portion of a right ovotestis, delivered a male neonate.
The most common gonad variant found in a true hermaphrodite is an ovotestis, with 50% being found in ovarian position on the right hand side. Ovaries are present in 33% of cases while testicles are found in 22% [4].
Some intersex people have both testes and ovaries. You may be able to get pregnant on your own, if you also have a uterus. However, if you have testes, they may be releasing more testosterone than would be optimal for conception and pregnancy.
Can a hermaphrodite have both working parts? Yes, hermaphrodites have both working parts -- the male and female reproductive systems. However, only simultaneous hermaphrodites can have both reproductive systems at the same time.
But how do you pick a child's gender if she or he is intersex? The child is assigned a gender as boy or girl after tests (hormonal, genetic, radiological) have been done and the parents have consulted with the doctors on which gender the child is more likely to feel as she or he grows up.
Intersex itself is not a disorder, rather a variation. But Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, for instance, is an inherited disorder affecting adrenal function.
People who are intersex have genitals, chromosomes or reproductive organs that don't fit into a male/female sex binary. Their genitals might not match their reproductive organs, or they may have traits of both. Being intersex may be evident at birth, childhood, later in adulthood or never.
If a person's genitals look different from what doctors and nurses expect when they're born, someone might be identified as intersex from birth. Other times, someone might not know they're intersex until later in life, like when they go through puberty.
Hermaphroditism is usually identified by gonad morphology; there are three main groups or categories. One is synchronous hermaphrodites, in which mature testicular and ovarian tissues are present at the same time, and both produce sperm and ova, respectively.
The androgyne (from the Greek andros, "man," and gune, "woman") is a creature that is half male and half female.
Persistent Müllerian duct syndrome is a disorder of sexual development that affects males. Males with this disorder have normal male reproductive organs , though they also have a uterus and fallopian tubes, which are female reproductive organs .
Here's what we do know: If you ask experts at medical centers how often a child is born so noticeably atypical in terms of genitalia that a specialist in sex differentiation is called in, the number comes out to about 1 in 1500 to 1 in 2000 births.
Intersex variation is a natural biological event that is likely to happen in about 17 in every 1,000 live births (1.7%). The is about the same as the number of people with red hair.
During early development the gonads of the fetus remain undifferentiated; that is, all fetal genitalia are the same and are phenotypically female. After approximately 6 to 7 weeks of gestation, however, the expression of a gene on the Y chromosome induces changes that result in the development of the testes.
(3) Gonadectomy can be performed in the equally rare instance of a child with true hermaphroditism virilized enough to raise as male, in which ovaries or ovotestes can be removed. A lifetime of hormone replacement will be required, to avoid osteoporosis and enable sexual functioning.
In rare cases, intersex babies need emergency surgery when they are born — for example, if they are unable to urinate properly. But in the vast majority of cases, the operations are done to prevent a child from suffering presumed psychological distress later in life, experts said.
On the other hand, hermaphrodites also have a few cons. For example, more energy is needed to maintain both reproductive systems, so it's crucial for them to manage their energy and spend it wisely. Moreover, another big con is the fact that they've got limited gene diversity so their reproduction is basically limited.
Hermaphrodites self-reproduce through internal self-fertilization with their own sperm and can outcross with males.
Some factors that may cause intersex to occur in an individual include: Genetic conditions that cause abnormal hormonal levels in genital development. Y genes that are missing or misplaced. Artificial or natural hormone exposure during the development of embryos.
Ambiguous genitalia affect 1 in 5,000 live births. Diagnostic procedures can be time-consuming, and often the etiology cannot be established in this group of individuals with differences/disorders of sex development (DSD).