Transvestia

Corresponding roughly to this group are those who are classed "female" by anatomy, but lack all or part of a chromosome (Turner's Syndrome). The incid- ence is 1/7000, of whom about half are chromatin negative ("male"), though they feel and act feminine in an underdeveloped sort of way. They have more than their share of color-blindness, plus many minor physical defects, but normal intelligence.

Next the true hermaphrodites, who have the gon- adal tissue of BOTH sexes. This was the first group to be recognized, in some fine poetry by Ovid, but has still some mysterious features about it. There seem to be several subgroups, some of which are more male on one side than the other (the circus "half and half"). Most are classed as males at birth, but are female by chromatin test and breast development. If you feel any sense of envy, forget it; these are NOT happy people! However, they are "potentially the closest to a normal sex role" and can be brought, by surgery, to conformity with their chosen gender role. If diagnosed in time, this would most easily be female.

The pseudohermaphrodites come next; this is a catch-all group including both genetic and embryonic accidents, and need not be covered here with one exception. This is the embryonic disorder known as "testicular feminization" in which a male (by chrom- atin test) is born and raised as a nearly perfect "female". They feel feminine, too; their big pro- blem is a tendency toward malignant tumors, besides the usual lack of fertility. This disorder runs in families, and tends to link with color-blindness. With a little surgery, they do quite well.

The disorders arising at puberty are another story, and if we skip the females and the genetic and fetal defects already covered, a fairly simple one. It is a delay or imbalance in the normal male- female hormone secretion. (But, there ARE puzzling non-endocrine disorders, usually related to tumors).

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