Differences In Sexual Differentiation
DSDs are medical conditions involving the way the reproductive system develops from infancy (and before birth) through young adulthood. There are several types of DSDs and their effect on the external and internal reproductive organs varies greatly. In most cases, children with DSDs have genitalia that are atypical in appearance. This may include ambiguous genitalia (males with a small penis or underdeveloped scrotum or females with a penile structure or dysgenetic (malformed) gonads.
It may not be possible to cure some of these disorders but most of them can be treated in a way that the child can grow up with normal appearing genitalia, develop sexual changes appropriate for age, and be able to have normal sexual function as an adult.
The ideal time for investigating these problems is soon after birth so that an appropriate decision regarding the sex of rearing of the child can be made. The male and female sexual hormones are higher in the first few months of life; hence it is the ideal time for testing.
