Hermaphrodite Health Dictionary

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Hermaphrodite: From 2 Different Sources

An individual in whom both ovarian (see OVARIES) and testicular (see TESTICLE) tissue is present. Hermaphrodites may have a testis on one side and an ovary on the other; or an ovotestis on one side and an ovary or testis on the other; or there may be an ovotestis on both sides. Both gonads are usually intra-abdominal. The true hermaphrodite usually has a UTERUS and at least one Fallopian tube (see FALLOPIAN TUBES) on the side of the ovary, and on the side of the testis there is usually a VAS DEFERENS. Most true hermaphrodites are raised as males, but external virilisation is not usually complete. Even when signi?cant phallic development is present, HYPOSPADIAS and CRYPTORCHIDISM are common. At puberty, GYNAECOMASTIA develops and MENSTRUATION is common, as ovarian function is usually more nearly normal than testicular function. The condition is rare. A more common condition is pseudohermaphroditism: these are individuals who possess the gonads of only one sex but whose external genitalia may be ambiguous. The cause is a hormonal imbalance and can usually be corrected by hormone treatment.
Health Source: Medical Dictionary
Author: Health Dictionary
n. a former term for an individual having both male and female sex organs or sex organs containing both ovarian and testicular cells. It is now considered offensive. See intersex.
Health Source: Oxford | Concise Colour Medical Dictionary
Author: Jonathan Law, Elizabeth Martin

Genitalia

The external organs of reproduction. The term is usually applied to the external parts of the reproductive system: the VULVA in females and PENIS and SCROTUM in males. Rarely the sex of an individual may not be apparent from the genitalia. Genitals develop from a common embryonic structure, and disturbances in the hormone controls of the developing genitalia may produce an individual whose external genitalia are ambiguous. The condition is known as intersex. The individual may be HERMAPHRODITE or PSEUDOHERMAPHRODITE.... genitalia

Intersexuality

Intersexuality is a state of indeterminate sexuality of an individual, and may present in many di?erent forms. A characteristic is that only one type of gonad – testis or ovary – is present; in a HERMAPHRODITE both types are present. Intersexuality may be due to a fault in the genetic mechanism of sex determination as early as conception, or to later errors in sexual di?erentiation of the embryo and fetus, or after birth. Some cases may result from abnormal metabolism of the sex hormones, or may be drug-induced (for example, women given androgens [see ANDROGEN] or PROGESTERONE for repeated miscarriages may give birth to girls with some genital VIRILISATION). Abnormalities of the sex chromosomes may be associated with delayed (or failure of) sexual development, so that the individual shows some of the characteristics (often underdeveloped) of both sexes. Some of the more common presentations of the condition include HYPOGONADISM, CRYPTORCHIDISM, and primary AMENORRHOEA.

Intersexuality inevitably leads to considerable psychological disturbance as the child grows up. It is therefore important to reach an early decision as to the child’s sex – or at least, the sex that he or she is to be brought up as. Surgical or hormonal means should then be employed, when appropriate, to develop the attributes of that sex and diminish those of the other, together with psychological counselling.... intersexuality

Pseudohermaphrodite

A person in whom the gonads (testes or ovaries

– see GONAD) of only one sex are present in the body but in whom the external GENITALIA may not be obviously male or female. The condition is a result of a hormonal imbalance and can normally be treated by appropriate surgery and hormone drugs. (See also HERMAPHRODITE.)... pseudohermaphrodite


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