New guidelines for treating 'intersex' babies

MSNBC ^ | 2/18/2005 | Associated Press

[stands2reason]

This is feminist sexual role politics. This has NOTHING to do with established science.

It's the feminists who believe that male and female brains are the same. Tell me, what's your scientific opinion on how to treat these children?

The story does not mention this is very very very very very rare.

70,000 cases in the US alone isn't that rare.

If a child is XX and born deformed (ala thalidimide babies) then the next steps are clear, same for XY children.

Okay...what about XXY or XXXY children? Or X children?

Any reporter reporting on this must be a homosexual.

That's just madness.

[Patti_ORiley]

"... hundreds of babies are born each year where the gender isn’t clear. Prompt surgery to assign one was once the norm."

The article is referring to a condition where the child is born with both male and female sexual organs. Surgery is done almost immediately to make the Child a male or a female.

Jamie Lee Curtis had this condition.

[LibFreeOrDie]

"The article is referring to a condition where the child is born with both male and female sexual organs. Surgery is done almost immediately to make the Child a male or a female."

You are thinking of hermaphrodites. However, there are a several other genetic abnormalities that affect sex differentiation, such as extra X or Y chromosomes (instead of the normal XX or XY). Levels of hormones in the blood of the mother may also affect sex differentiation in unborn babies. Children may be born genetically male, but not have external male genitalia. Children may be born genetically female, but have enlarged genitalia that looks male. For more info:

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/pediatricendocrinology/intersex/index.html


"Jamie Lee Curtis had this condition."

That's an unsubstantiated Internet rumor:

http://www.snopes.com/movies/actors/jamie.htm

[Rudder]

Jamie Lee Curtis would have made a terrible man. It looks like they guessed correctly.

There would be no "guessing" about cases like this. She is an XY individual with testicular feminizing syndrome. Such people are insensitive to male hormone and are completely feminized (externally) at birth, with normal female genitalia. The only treatment is removal of the undescended testes to prevent a risk for cancer.