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Intersex - Symptom

Alternative Names

Disorders of sex development; DSDs; Pseudohermaphroditism; Hermaphroditism; Hermaphrodite

Symptoms:

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

Signs and 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)
  • Reviewed last on: 10/15/2007
  • Alan Greene, MD, FAAP, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford UniversitySchool of Medicine, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital; Chief MedicalOfficer, A.D.A.M., Inc. Also reviewed by Deirdre O’Reilly, MD, MPH, Neonatologist, Division of Newborn Medicine, Children’s Hospital Boston and Instructor in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Review Provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.