But intersex people can have any gender and sexuality, just like anyone else. We still have to fight against our bodily integrity being taken from us. Intersex is a category of experiences. There are many ways to have an intersex body, and not all of them involve surgery or parents finding out at birth. Many people might not even be aware that their bodily experiences fall under the intersex umbrella.
If you are intersex, you can get connected to others via interACT Youth , a group for advocacy and peer support for ages You will find that the intersex community is resilient, thriving, and global. There are others out there, waiting to meet new people with love. Here are 9 of their stories. I was raised as a girl. I wore pretty dresses and barrettes in my hair.
When I was in second grade I started growing facial hair and breasts at the same time. My entire body, including my legs, underarms, and torso was covered in hair.
I was told by mom and my doctors that I was a normal girl, especially since I already had my period. However, my enlarged clitoris made me feel different. No one was preparing me for those types of experiences. I felt very alone and confused. I started loosely identifying as intersex when I was in middle school.
I finally had a word to describe my experience. I had something to say to people when they asked me if I was a boy or a girl.
Now I get to embrace my intersex characteristics on public platforms and raise awareness about intersex issues. From the day I was born, it was clear my body was intersex.
I lived in India until my parents, who are from the United States, adopted me at age 2. Doctors in India performed surgeries without my consent to make my genitalia look "typically female.
Because of the surgeries I suffer from soreness, stinging pain, and a PTSD-like response in medical settings. I first heard the term intersex during first or second grade when my parents took me to a check-up. Today I feel my body is out of my control. I have a uterine structure that gives me a period. Doctors never told me this about my body, until I was surprised by bleeding. Mothers who have children with 46, XX intersex should be checked unless there is another clear cause.
Aromatase deficiency: This one may not be noticeable until puberty. Aromatase is an enzyme that normally converts male hormones to female hormones. Too much aromatase activity can lead to excess estrogen female hormone ; too little to 46, XX intersex. At puberty, these XX children, who had been raised as girls, may begin to take on male characteristics.
If the testes do not form properly, it will lead to undervirilization. There are a number of possible causes for this, including XY pure gonadal dysgenesis.
Problems with testosterone formation: Testosterone is formed through a series of steps. Each of these steps requires a different enzyme. Deficiencies in any of these enzymes can result in inadequate testosterone and produce a different syndrome of 46, XY intersex. Different types of congenital adrenal hyperplasia can fall in this category.
Problems with using testosterone: Some people have normal testes and make adequate amounts of testosterone, but still have 46, XY intersex due to conditions such as 5-alpha-reductase deficiency or androgen insensitivity syndrome AIS. People with 5-alpha-reductase deficiency lack the enzyme needed to convert testosterone to dihydrotestosterone DHT.
There are at least 5 different types of 5-alpha-reductase deficiency. Some of the babies have normal male genitalia, some have normal female genitalia, and many have something in between. Most change to external male genitalia around the time of puberty. AIS is the most common cause of 46, XY intersex. It has also been called testicular feminization.
Here, the hormones are all normal, but the receptors to male hormones don't function properly. There are over different defects that have been identified so far, and each causes a different type of AIS. The symptoms associated with intersex will depend on the underlying cause.
They may include: Ambiguous genitalia at birth Micropenis Clitoromegaly an enlarged clitoris Partial labial fusion Apparently undescended testes which may turn out to be ovaries in boys Labial or inguinal groin masses which may turn out to be testes in girls Hypospadias the opening of the penis is somewhere other than at the tip; in females, the urethra [urine canal] opens into the vagina Otherwise unusual-appearing genitalia at birth Electrolyte abnormalities Delayed or absent puberty Unexpected changes at puberty.
Exams and Tests. The following tests and exams may be done: Chromosome analysis Hormone levels for example, testosterone level Hormone stimulation tests Electrolyte tests Specific molecular testing Endoscopic exam to verify the absence or presence of a vagina or cervix Ultrasound or MRI to evaluate whether internal sex organs are present for example, a uterus.
There may be social reasons for this recommendation, and your doctor can go over these with you — but we also urge you to consult non-medical professionals, like counselors.
Currently, in the vast majority of U. So you may need to choose, at least initially. However, this is still generally something that is changed later, when your child is older — or even an adult — and decides for themselves.
And in most places, changing the sex on your birth certificate means changing it from male to female or vice versa. But social stigma and barriers are still very real. This can lead to all sorts of questions, though:. These are natural worries that show your love and concern for your little one. Fortunately, there are resources. In addition to a number of firsthand accounts from people who identify as intersex, helpful resources include:.
Remember: There is no sham e in having a child with intersex traits or in being intersex yourself. Until society is completely aligned with this view, there will be some challenges ahead. But with a strong support system that includes you, your baby can thrive into adolescence and beyond. The parents of an adopted intersex boy are currently suing doctors and social services in South Carolina in the United States for removing his penis and testes at 16 months, even though it was not medically necessary — potentially opening the floodgates for future litigation.
But in the UK, US and Australia, there is currently no national law or guidance on corrective surgery: it is up to the individual hospital or practitioner to decide. His confidence gave us confidence. But the scans turned out to have given a false result: when he was nine months old, Jack was discovered to have a uterus and fallopian tubes, albeit ones that could never produce children.
These were immediately removed, because doctors said they posed a high risk of malignancy and cancer; he has had two further operations that will make him pass more easily as male. He has further operations to come. But there are flashes of doubt — generally around surgery days, when we are making the decision to make him a certain way. Would you leave it there, or would you fix it? Yes, you would. Juliet looks at Jack as he vaults across the sofa.
Would it have made a difference if there were? But you go with the majority, you go with what you think is right. Now 35, she is genetically male but has always looked entirely female. She has CAIS, complete androgen insensitivity syndrome: her body has XY chromosomes but is unable to respond to male sex hormones, so she developed female genitalia.
Internally, she was born with testes instead of ovaries, and no uterus. She is one of only a few British intersex people prepared to speak publicly on the issue.
The advice regarding the cancer risk has since changed; it is now thought to be minimal and to affect adults, not children — meaning the decision to remove the testes or ovaries can be left until people are old enough to make it themselves. Vago says the synthetic hormones she now has to take have left her with a higher risk of developing breast cancer than she would have had of developing testicular cancer.
She believes choices about medical intervention, be that surgery or hormones, should be left until the individual is old enough to make an informed decision. Vago is living proof that intersex people can live successful lives while being open about being born outside traditional male and female categories.
I absolutely adore the fact that I am married and about to start a family. It proves you control your own life. Doctors had told them their child was totally unique: there were no other families to share experiences with, no support group to join. Dawn is now co-director of IntersexUK , a campaign group founded in to end stigma around intersex variations, and to fight for equality and protection of intersex people.
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