Chapter 5

Lecture Notes

The term intersex means various conditions in which a person is born with reproductive or sexual anatomy that does not fit the typical definitions of female or male. Disorders of sex development are congenital conditions in which the development of chromosomal, gonadal, or anatomical sex is atypical. Other labels include pseudohermaphroditism, hermaphroditism, sex reversal, and gender-based diagnostic labels.

The cause of these anomalies is the disruption of the genetic or hormonal process that causes fetal tissues to become male or female and usually occurs in week seven or eight of development. This causes ambiguous genitals to develop. An individual can be born with sex chromosomes, external genitalia, or an internal reproductive system that is not considered standard for males or females.

Even if sexual determination occurs normally, abnormal sexual differentiation can occur. It can occur as an underdeveloped penis or enlarged clitoris (CLIT-oris), or even a small penis. Individuals with these anomalies are shrouded in secrecy by families and medical establishments in the past, but now things are slowly starting to change.