Disorders of sexual development (DSD) have been a topic of great interest as of late. Intersex, at its most basic definition, is when one does not ‘fit’ into the binary gender structure most commonly subscribed to in Western civilization; or, rather, having a variation of sexual characteristics or a combination other than the more common female to XX and male to XY. Research shows that 1.7% of the population has a DSD, considering the current population of the U.S., that would be approximately 5,525,900 intersex people living in the U.S., today. (Fausto-Sterling, 2000) The writer has found gender and sex to be very much on a continuum or a spectrum. With modern technological advances, it is now known, without a doubt, that the dimorphic system
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CAH is on the opposite end of the spectrum from AIS. To explain CAD ” People have 2 adrenal glands. One is located on top of each of their kidneys. These glands make hormones, such as cortisol and aldosterone, that are essential for life. People with congenital adrenal hyperplasia lack an enzyme the adrenal gland needs to make the hormones. At the same time, the body produces more androgen, a type of male sex hormone. This causes male characteristics to appear early (or inappropriately).” (NIH, 2015) Along with early and excessive development, this condition can have some serious side effects in that one can have ambiguous genitalia and one can suffer from and an extreme swelling of the adrenal glands which can cause other severe side effects like autoimmune diseases. In fact, diagnosis of CAH often occurs when a child becomes ill. (NIH, 2015) Klinefelter syndrome is a condition caused by trisomy of the 23rd chromosomal pair, shown as XXY. The most common symptom of Klinefelter syndrome is infertility. While symptoms vary, this condition does leave one more susceptible to other health concerns like some cancers, lupus, and osteoporosis. (NIH, …show more content…
Kenneth Glasburg is a urologist that has been in practice, in New York, for almost 48 years. He is a proponent of corrective surgery and has likely performed thousands of surgeries of this type. The writer found it difficult to find a quote from Dr. Glasburg in a medical journal, but, here is a quote from the New York Times ”It is one thing to advocate for patient autonomy …but quite another to allow children with variant genitalia to ‘be considered freaks by their classmates.’" (Lerner, 2003) The writer does not recall ever having the occasion to see her classmate’s genitalia in primary school. In fact, quite the opposite often holds true in that intersex individuals face “feeling like a freak” (to use the good Dr.’s eloquent language), later in life, due to their corrective
CAH is on the opposite end of the spectrum from AIS. To explain CAD ” People have 2 adrenal glands. One is located on top of each of their kidneys. These glands make hormones, such as cortisol and aldosterone, that are essential for life. People with congenital adrenal hyperplasia lack an enzyme the adrenal gland needs to make the hormones. At the same time, the body produces more androgen, a type of male sex hormone. This causes male characteristics to appear early (or inappropriately).” (NIH, 2015) Along with early and excessive development, this condition can have some serious side effects in that one can have ambiguous genitalia and one can suffer from and an extreme swelling of the adrenal glands which can cause other severe side effects like autoimmune diseases. In fact, diagnosis of CAH often occurs when a child becomes ill. (NIH, 2015) Klinefelter syndrome is a condition caused by trisomy of the 23rd chromosomal pair, shown as XXY. The most common symptom of Klinefelter syndrome is infertility. While symptoms vary, this condition does leave one more susceptible to other health concerns like some cancers, lupus, and osteoporosis. (NIH, …show more content…
Kenneth Glasburg is a urologist that has been in practice, in New York, for almost 48 years. He is a proponent of corrective surgery and has likely performed thousands of surgeries of this type. The writer found it difficult to find a quote from Dr. Glasburg in a medical journal, but, here is a quote from the New York Times ”It is one thing to advocate for patient autonomy …but quite another to allow children with variant genitalia to ‘be considered freaks by their classmates.’" (Lerner, 2003) The writer does not recall ever having the occasion to see her classmate’s genitalia in primary school. In fact, quite the opposite often holds true in that intersex individuals face “feeling like a freak” (to use the good Dr.’s eloquent language), later in life, due to their corrective