What does ambiguous genitalia look like?

In a genetic male (1 X and 1 Y chromosome), ambiguous genitalia most often include the following features: A small penis (less than 2 to 3 centimeters, or 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches) that looks like an enlarged clitoris (the clitoris of a newborn female is normally somewhat enlarged at birth).

How common is ambiguous genitalia at birth?

In about 1% of all births, babies have some form of ambiguous genitalia, such as a very large clitoris or very small penis. In more rare cases—between 0.1% and 0.2% of live births—genitalia is so ambiguous that medical specialists are brought in for a consultation.

What do you do when a child is born with ambiguous genitalia?

For girls with ambiguous genitalia, the sex organs may work normally despite the ambiguous outward appearance. If a girl’s vagina is hidden under her skin, surgery in childhood can help with sexual function later. For boys, surgery to reconstruct an incomplete penis may normalize appearance and make erections possible.

Is ambiguous genitalia an emergency?

A defect at any level can lead to sexual ambiguity. The newborn with ambiguous genitalia constitutes a major social and medical emergency, as several conditions produce significant salt loss which, if unrecognized, may lead to shock and death.

Can ambiguous genitalia be fixed?

Treatment for ambiguous genitalia depends of the type of the disorder, but will usually include corrective surgery to remove or create reproductive organs appropriate for the gender of the child. Treatment may also include hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Can a baby be born with both sexes?

Ambiguous genitalia is a rare condition in which an infant’s external genitals don’t appear to be clearly either male or female. In a baby with ambiguous genitalia, the genitals may be incompletely developed or the baby may have characteristics of both sexes.

Can a baby be born with both parts?

What is the most common cause of ambiguous genitalia?

Salt-wasting nephropathy occurs in 75% of infants born with CAH, the most common cause of ambiguous genitalia. If unrecognized, the resulting hypotension can cause vascular collapse and death. Male infants with this syndrome may be phenotypically normal, and the diagnosis may be missed.

How do doctors deal with ambiguous genitalia?

Sometimes, there is an increased risk for tumors in the gonads. Treatment for ambiguous genitalia depends of the type of the disorder, but will usually include corrective surgery to remove or create reproductive organs appropriate for the gender of the child.

What causes a baby to be born a hermaphrodite?

This most often is the result of a female fetus having been exposed to excess male hormones before birth. The labia (“lips” or folds of skin of the external female genitals) fuse, and the clitoris enlarges to appear like a penis. In most cases, this person has a normal uterus and fallopian tubes.

How do you know if a baby is intersex?

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). (Typically, all girls’ cells have XX chromosomes, and all boys’ cells have XY ones.)

Can a hermaphrodite have a baby with itself?

Hermaphrodites can either reproduce by virtue of self-fertilization or they can mate with a male and use the male derived sperm to fertilize their eggs. While virtually the entire progeny that is produced by self-fertilization is hermaphroditic, half of the cross-progeny is male.