![]() Accord Alliance - A patient advocacy group that promotes the health and wellbeing of people affected with DSDs and their families.In this case, once the child is old enough to state his or her own identity, he or she may choose to live that gender instead. Regardless of the male or female gender assigned at birth, sometimes the team and the family are incorrect. In this case, the parents and the medical team will work together and gather as much information as possible about what the future may hold for the child. Determining the Gender of a Child with a Significant DSDĭetermining the gender of a child with a significant DSD or ambiguous genitalia is especially challenging when the child is too young to say whether they feel like a boy or a girl. However, in children with ambiguous genitalia, where it is not possible to tell if the child is a boy or a girl from the outside, the child's gender identity may not be easy to predict. Most individuals with mild DSDs identify with the gender that is consistent with their chromosomes boys if they have an X and a Y chromosome, and girls if they have two X chromosomes. These girls can show behaviors more typical for boys, but most of them still identify as girls. They develop as, and often identify as, girls.Ĭongenital Adrenal Hyperplasia produce too much testosterone. For example:Īndrogen Insensitivity Syndrome actually have a Y chromosome typical for a boy, but their body does not respond typically to the testosterone produced. However, we now know it is influenced by genetics, exposure to hormones while still in the mother's uterus and other factors that are not known yet. Gender identity (the feeling that a person is a boy or a girl), was learned or taught. If it is not medically necessary, any irreversible procedure can be postponed until the child is old enough to agree to the procedure (e.g. It is important to discuss the risks and benefits of each treatment thoughtfully with the child's future well-being in mind. In some cases, there is no treatment needed. The family and the team of doctors will determine the best way to help the child have a happy and healthy life. Which doctors each child needs depends on his or her own characteristics. Infants with ambiguous genitalia, for example, may see all of the pediatric specialists mentioned above. Medical Management: A Team ApproachĪ team of medical professionals may be involved in the care of a child born with a DSD, depending on the severity. The best thing to do for a child is to love and accept them as they are. Which genes are passed on to a child, or whether there is a developmental problem causing a DSD. The most important thing to realize is that it is not the fault of the parent that a child has a difference of sex development. A developmental problem that causes the bladder or lower abdomen to not form properly.lack of blood flow to the ovaries or testes). A developmental problem in the baby during pregnancy that prevents the production of enough of his or her own hormones.Unknown exposure to certain medications or hormones during pregnancy.A genetic change that may or may not be.Ambiguous genitalia: When it is not clear whether a child is male or female by looking at the genitals.Clitoromegaly: When a girl's clitoris is larger than average.Hypospadias: When a boy has a urinary opening on the underside of the penis instead of at the tip.Note: Most people with a DSD prefer the term "Difference" of Sex Development rather than "Disorder," because the word "disorder" implies that there is something "wrong" with the person rather than a natural variation. ![]() ![]() This means "between the sexes." However, this term felt uncomfortable to some people with who identified themselves as strongly male or strongly female. ![]() A child may present with a DSD in infancy, childhood or adolescence. What is a Disorder of Sex Development?Ī DSD is a mismatch between a child's chromosomes, or genetic material, and the appearance of the child's genitals. Then, because of a complicated interaction between genes and chemicals called hormones, the differences we have come to expect slowly take shape. Pregnancy, females and males look nearly identical. These are children born with aĭisorder of sex development (DSD) – a group of about 60 conditions in which biological sex, or being male or female, is not clear. "Is it a boy or a girl?" However, for an estimated 1 in 2,000 children born each year, this is a difficult question to answer. ![]()
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