Intersex
Alternate Names : Disorders of sex development, DSDs, Pseudohermaphroditism, Hermaphroditism, Hermaphrodite
Symptoms & Signs
The symptoms associated with intersex will depend on the underlying cause, but may include: - Ambiguous genitalia at birth
- Micropenis
- Clitoromegaly (an enlarged clitoris)
- Partial labial fusion
- Apparently undescended testes (which may turn out to be ovaries) in boys
- Labial or inguinal (groin) masses -- which may turn out to be testes -- in girls
- Hypospadias (the opening of the penis is somewhere other than at the tip; in females, the urethra [urine canal] opens into the vagina)
- Otherwise unusual appearing genitalia at birth
- Electrolyte abnormalities
- Delayed or absent puberty
- Unexpected changes at puberty
Diagnosis & Tests
- Chromosome analysis
- Hormone levels (for example, testosterone level)
- Hormone stimulation tests
- Electrolyte tests
- Specific molecular testing
- Endoscopic examination (to verify the absence or presence of a vagina or cervix)
- Ultrasound or MRI to evaluate whether internal sex organs are present (for example, a uterus)
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