Intersex 101
What is Intersex?
Intersex is an umbrella term used to describe a wide range of natural bodily variations. Intersex people are born with sex characteristics that do not fit typical binary notions of bodies designated “male” or “female.” In some cases, intersex traits are visible at birth, while in others they are not apparent until puberty. Some intersex variations may not be visibly apparent at all.
This means that anything from your genitalia, gonads (ovaries or testes), chromosomes, or reproductive systems are not completely in alignment with one gender assignment or the other.
Experts estimate that between 0.05% and 1.7% of people are born with intersex traits.
How Is It Treated?
Usually someone’s intersex identity is discovered when they are born (but not always, since many intersex conditions are chromosomal), with their genitalia appearing to be ambiguous.
Doctors operate out of a concealed-centered method of care, which means that intersex is treated as an abnormality that must be corrected. This usually results in “corrective” surgery that will result in the infant being assigned one of the two socially accepted sexes.
Oftentimes, doctors do not even inform the infant’s parents that they are performing surgery on their baby’s genitalia.
This is obviously problematic and this entire model of care is based in normalization and suppression.
Types of Intersex/Intersex Variations
•17-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency
•5-alpha reductase deficiency
•Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome – AIS
•Ambiguous genitalia
•Aphallia
•Clitoromegaly
•Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia – CAH
•Cryptorchidism
•Endocrine-disrupting chemicals
•Gonadal dysgenesis, partial or complete
•Hypospadias
•Iatrogenic
•Idiopathic
•Kallmann syndrome
•Klinefelter Syndrome
•Late Onset Adrenal Hyperplasia – LOAH
•Micropenis
•Mild Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome – MAIS
•Mosaicism involving sex chromosomes
•MRKH – Müllerian agenesis; vaginal agenesis; congenital absence of vagina
•Not XX and not XY
•Ovotestis, formerly called “true hermaphroditism”
•Partial Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome – PAIS
•Progestin-induced virilization
•Swyer syndrome
•Turner syndrome
•XXY
Why Is No One Talking about This?
The medical community has suppressed these conversations.
No proper diagnosis is provided to patients or very little to no support
The concealed-centered method of care forces intersex into silence. Since it’s viewed as a “problem” that needs to be “dealt with” before the child can even walk or talk, there is little room left for engagement. Many patients are even lied to about their conditions and not given medically accurate information.
Since there has been a lot of shame around intersex, it’s lived under the dark guise of quietness.
xx`x`
Intersex is an umbrella term used to describe a wide range of natural bodily variations. Intersex people are born with sex characteristics that do not fit typical binary notions of bodies designated “male” or “female.” In some cases, intersex traits are visible at birth, while in others they are not apparent until puberty. Some intersex variations may not be visibly apparent at all.
This means that anything from your genitalia, gonads (ovaries or testes), chromosomes, or reproductive systems are not completely in alignment with one gender assignment or the other.
Experts estimate that between 0.05% and 1.7% of people are born with intersex traits.
How Is It Treated?
Usually someone’s intersex identity is discovered when they are born (but not always, since many intersex conditions are chromosomal), with their genitalia appearing to be ambiguous.
Doctors operate out of a concealed-centered method of care, which means that intersex is treated as an abnormality that must be corrected. This usually results in “corrective” surgery that will result in the infant being assigned one of the two socially accepted sexes.
Oftentimes, doctors do not even inform the infant’s parents that they are performing surgery on their baby’s genitalia.
This is obviously problematic and this entire model of care is based in normalization and suppression.
Types of Intersex/Intersex Variations
•17-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiency
•5-alpha reductase deficiency
•Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome – AIS
•Ambiguous genitalia
•Aphallia
•Clitoromegaly
•Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia – CAH
•Cryptorchidism
•Endocrine-disrupting chemicals
•Gonadal dysgenesis, partial or complete
•Hypospadias
•Iatrogenic
•Idiopathic
•Kallmann syndrome
•Klinefelter Syndrome
•Late Onset Adrenal Hyperplasia – LOAH
•Micropenis
•Mild Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome – MAIS
•Mosaicism involving sex chromosomes
•MRKH – Müllerian agenesis; vaginal agenesis; congenital absence of vagina
•Not XX and not XY
•Ovotestis, formerly called “true hermaphroditism”
•Partial Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome – PAIS
•Progestin-induced virilization
•Swyer syndrome
•Turner syndrome
•XXY
Why Is No One Talking about This?
The medical community has suppressed these conversations.
No proper diagnosis is provided to patients or very little to no support
The concealed-centered method of care forces intersex into silence. Since it’s viewed as a “problem” that needs to be “dealt with” before the child can even walk or talk, there is little room left for engagement. Many patients are even lied to about their conditions and not given medically accurate information.
Since there has been a lot of shame around intersex, it’s lived under the dark guise of quietness.
xx`x`
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