Interdisciplinary care in disorders/differences of sex development (DSD): The psychosocial component of the DSD—Translational research network / What are disorders/differences of sex development (DSD)?

Disorders/differences of Sex Development (abbreviated “DSD”) are defined by the medical community as “congenital conditions in which development of chromosomal, gonadal or anatomic sex is atypical.” DSD is an umbrella term covering a wide variety of conditions in which sex develops differently from typical male or typical female development.

As the medical definition implies, in some cases a person with a DSD may have sex chromosomes different from the male-typical XY or the female-typical XX. In other cases, the person may have typical male or female sex chromosomes but have a relatively unusual mix of male-typical and female-typical anatomical traits. In still other cases, just a small number of sex organs are atypically developed or essentially missing.

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