Treatment And Management
Intersex in general is a complex and sensitive issue that needs to be handled by expert health care professionals and counselors.
Usually a gender is assigned to the individual through corrective surgery. In the past it was not unusual for the doctors to quickly assign the female gender for an XY female, taking into consideration the external appearance of the person.
Currently treatment factors other than external genitalia, such as hormonal, neural, behavioral and psychological factors are taken into consideration before a sex is assigned.
Doctors recommend that the sex re-assigning surgery be delayed so that the person concerned is also consulted before a sex is assigned.
If female sex assignment is made, vagina may have to be created or enlarged.
Any dysgeneic or streak gonads tissue that maybe present would need to be removed to eliminate the risk of tumor formation such dysgerminomas or gonadoblastomas. If they are not removed they have to be monitored by annual sono grams.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) would be required from puberty onward.
Genetic counseling. 46,XY DSD with abnormally developed gonads and 46,XY CGD with streak gonads can be inherited in an autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, X-linked, or Y-linked manner depending on the gene involved in the manifestation of the condition. Prenatal diagnosis for pregnancies at increased risk (including those conceived through assisted reproductive technology [ART]) for a mutation may be possible if the mutation has been identified in the family.
