Deviations in human sex organs
Sex development involves two sequential processes, each controlled by different mechanisms Chan et al. Yet, when it comes to biological sex, societies lack frameworks—legal or otherwise—to accommodate anatomies that challenge the male-female binary Ainsworth A broad consensus exists among medical societies, patients, and patient advocates that clinical psychologists and allied behavioral health specialists should serve as fully integrated members of comprehensive interprofessional teams delivering care to this population Cools et al.
It is frequently, but mistakenly, assumed that the term DSD necessarily implies ambiguity in external genital appearance. It is defined as the development of phenotypic structures consequent to the action of hormones produced following gonadal determination.
Somatic sex development is divided into three major components: chromosomal sex (the complement of X and Y chromosomes), gonadal sex (testes and/or ovaries), and anatomic sex (male and/or female internal and external genitalia). There are also reports by international governmental and nongovernmental organizations challenging medical standards of care for people born with medical conditions that fall under the DSD umbrella; some of these standards have been equated to a form of torture Hum.
Rights Counc. Differences in sex development, or DSD (previously called intersex), encompasses a range of conditions involving abnormal development of sex organs and ambiguous genitalia (external genital organs that aren’t clearly male or female).
But others may have problems with fertility as adults. However, some DSDs may not be detected until later when an inguinal hernia is identified, a girl fails to ever menstruate i. The human Y chromosome showing the SRY gene which codes for a protein regulating sexual differentiation.
8 7 Variations in
Official websites use. Yet print, broadcast, and social media have raised public awareness of people identifying as intersex. And how are DSDs specifically relevant to clinical psychology? The term disorders of sex development was introduced at a consensus conference attended by an interprofessional group of international experts and patient advocates.
[1] Sexual differentiation includes development of different. Keywords: disorders of sex development, differences of sex development, DSD, intersex, psychological adaptation.
Syndromes of Abnormal Sex
What is the relationship between intersex and the medical conditions falling under the umbrella term DSD? What are the biological origins of DSDs? Our goal is to provide readers a primer to the biology and psychosocial aspects of these conditions; we hope this review will spur interest among clinical psychologists to engage in informed discussion about DSDs and become involved in the clinical care of those affected by variations of somatic sex development.
Sexual differentiation in humans is the process of development of sex differences in humans. These characteristics can happen due to chromosomal, gonadal (ovaries or testes) or genital differences — and they can appear at birth, during puberty or later in adulthood.
Disorders of Sex Development
Variations in genetic or hormonal determinants of somatic sex development can result in a newborn with characteristics that do not fit neatly into either the male or female category. Genotypic sex is focused on the individual’s sex chromosomes, X and/or Y and the genes involved.
Five weeks after conception, human embryos are identical and have the potential to form either male or female anatomy i. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Medical conditions—or categories of them, as in the case of differences or disorders of sex development DSDs 1 —are rarely the focus of topic reviews in the Annual Review of Clinical Psychology.
Ambiguous Genitalia and Disorders
As we will see in this section, natural variation for genotypic sex and phenotypic sex exists in humans. Most children born with DSDs are identified soon after birth because of visible genital differences, health concerns [e.
DSDs can present with a wide range of genital phenotypes depending on the specific condition and its expression Chan et al. Controversies exist in numerous areas including how DSDs are conceptualized, how to refer to the set of conditions and those affected by them, and aspects of clinical management that extend from social media to legislative bodies, courts of law, medicine, clinical practice, and scholarly research in psychology and sociology.
Differences in Sex Development
Phenotypic sex considers an individual’s internal and external genitalia. In addition to these aspects, this review covers biological and social influences on psychosocial development and adjustment, the psychosocial and psychosexual adaptation of people born with DSDs, and roles for clinical psychologists in the clinical management of DSDs.
Finally, disputes regarding medical care received by individuals born with atypical sex anatomies have played out in courts of law Ghorayshi Western societies demonstrate increasing acceptance of men and women who cross conventional gender and sexual expression boundaries.
Some children born with atypical genitalia may have normal internal sex organs that allow them to live normal, fertile lives. Disorders of sexual development (DSDs) are a range of conditions in which a person has characteristics of both sexes. Differences of sex development (DSD) is a group of conditions in which there is a discrepancy between the external (outside) genitals (penis, scrotum, vulva, labia) and the internal (inside) genitals (testes, vagina, ovaries).
- Disorders of Sexual Development
This is not a definitional requirement. Defined as congenital conditions in which development of chromosomal, gonadal, or anatomic sex is atypical, differences or disorders of sex development DSDs comprise many discrete diagnoses ranging from those associated with few phenotypic differences between affected and unaffected individuals to those where questions arise regarding gender of rearing, gonadal tumor risk, genital surgery, and fertility.
The dearth of educational content that can guide otherwise-qualified clinical psychologists in the assessment and care of people with DSDs and their families is justification enough for this topic review.