Intersexuality - The Intersexual Spectrum

Causes of Intersexuality - Hormones

A number of intersex conditions can be traced to hormonal causes. That is to say, before birth, certain hormones are deficient or their activity is impaired, and thus the typical development of the fetus toward maleness remains incomplete. The result is some ambiguity in the formation of the internal and external sex organs and sometimes also in the person’s general physical appeareance. Again, there is a wide spectrum of possibilities that cannot be discussed in detail in this course. However, the following sections describe, in a general way, the most important of the conditions. They are

• Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH)
• Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS)
• 5-Alpha-Reductase Deficiency (5-ARD)