Hermaphroditism Health Dictionary

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Hermaphroditism: From 1 Different Sources

A congenital disorder in which gonads of both sexes are present, and the external genitalia are not clearly male or female.

True hermaphroditism is extremely rare and its cause unknown.

A more common condition is pseudohermaphroditism, in which the gonads of only 1 sex are present, but the external genitalia are not clearly either male or female.

Health Source: BMA Medical Dictionary
Author: The British Medical Association

Genitalia, Ambiguous

A group of conditions in which the external sex organs are not clearly male or female, or in which they appear to be those of the opposite chromosomal sex.

This may result from an abnormality of the sex chromosomes or a hormonal disorder (see hermaphroditism; sex determination; adrenal hyperplasia, congenital).... genitalia, ambiguous

Pseudohermaphroditism

A congenital abnormality in which the external genitalia resemble those of the opposite sex, but ovarian or testicular tissue is present as normal. A female pseudohermaphrodite may have an enlarged clitoris resembling a penis and enlarged labia resembling a scrotum. A male may have a very small penis and a divided

scrotum resembling labia. (See also hermaphroditism, sex determination.)... pseudohermaphroditism

Sex Determination

The factors that determine biological sex. The underlying determinants are the sex chromosomes which cause the differential development of the gonads in the embryo. In males, the testes then produce hormones that cause the male reproductive organs to

form. In the absence of these hormones, a female reproductive tract develops. At puberty, another surge of hormones produces secondary sexual characteristics.

Chromosomal abnormalities or hormonal defects can lead to ambiguous sex (see genitalia, ambiguous), although true hermaphroditism is rare.... sex determination


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