Ambiguous genitalia

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Definition Symptoms Causes Risk factors When to seek medical advice

Tests and diagnosis Complications Treatments and drugs Coping and support

Definition

Boy or girl? It's one of the most common questions for new parents besides the baby's weight and length. But what if the answer isn't so obvious? Such is the case for newborns with ambiguous genitalia — a rare condition in which a newborn's external genitals don't appear to be clearly either male or female.

In ambiguous genitalia, the baby's genitalia may not be well formed, or the baby may have general characteristics of both sexes.

Ambiguous genitalia can be upsetting to parents and other family, with the uncertainty involved and the social stigma attached to not knowing a child's sex right away. While ambiguous genitalia can present a difficult situation, medical advances can help with the process of assigning a sex to your child, and surgery can help. Sometimes, despite the pressure to announce "girl" or "boy," it's best in the case of ambiguous genitalia to wait to make this important decision.

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Symptoms