However, there are those born with both sets of equipment and I'm sure they'd find it a little more difficult to determine which gender they are. I'm guessing here, but I imagine that most of those people would align themselves more with whichever gender they hold a weaker sexual attraction for.
Then you've got the people who you think "it should be obvious," the only problem with your assertion is that it either wasn't obvious to that person or it was obvious but not because of physical characteristics but rather emotional and psychological ones.
We were all the same gender when we started out and the only difference is that some of us have a Y chromosome and some of us don't. But you know something, there are rare occasions where someone will be born as a female even though they have a Y chromosome and there are even rarer occasions when a those without a Y will be born resembling a male. There are also occasional male calico cats, but they are always sterile. The problem is that the whole system is imperfect. Whenever there's an imperfect system it leads to questions of what's "obvious" and what isn't.
For some people, this is apparently not the case. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001180.htm
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Alternative names Return to top
Androgen insensitivity syndromeA syndrome found in a person who has X,Y chromosomes, but who is resistant to androgens (male hormones). As a result, the individual has the physical characteristics of a female.
Causes and risks Return to top
The syndrome is caused by various genetic mutations on the X chromosome. The mutations make a developing male baby unable to respond to androgens. (Androgens are responsible for male physical characteristics.) This prevents the development of the penis and other male body parts. The child is born appearing to be a girl.
At puberty, female secondary sex characteristics (e.g., breasts) develop, but menstruation and fertility do not.
In its classic form (complete androgen resistance), the person appears to be female but has no uterus, and has sparse armpit and pubic hair. Some people with this condition are not diagnosed until they try to become pregnant and find that they are infertile.
Sometimes only partial resistance to androgens occurs. In these cases, a person may have both male and female physical characteristics, or sometimes just a low sperm count.
Signs may include:
Tests:
Tests which may distinguish androgen resistance from androgen deficiency (or 5-alpha reductase deficiency):
Treatment may include:
Prognosis Return to topThe outlook is good if at-risk testicular tissue is removed.
Complications Return to topComplications include testicular cancer and infertility.
Call your health care provider if Return to topCall your health care provider if you have any signs or symptoms suggestive of the syndrome.
Update Date: 9/15/2001
Updated by: Sheila Feit, M.D., Department of Endocrinology & Metabolism, North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
The information provided herein should not be used for diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Copyright 2000 adam.com, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
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