Intersexuality· The Reasons For Late Referral To Specialized Service
Keywords:
intersexuality, interdisciplinarity, socio-economic standingAbstract
Objective
Genital ambiguity is a medical and social emergency, requiring an agile and accurate diagnosis to define social sex, preferably before civil registration. This function has been performed by the Interdisciplinary Group for the Study of Sex Determination and Differentiation, at the State University of Campinas, since its creation in 1989. Thus, this research aims to evaluate the characteristics of patients with genital ambiguity in the first consultation at the Interdisciplinary Group of Sex Studies of Sex Determination and Differentiation.
Methods
Retrospective analysis of 254 cases of genital ambiguity treated at the Interdisciplinary Group for the Study of Sex Determination and Differentiation, from January 1989 to December 2001, with identification, socioeconomic and physical examination data on the external genitalia.
Results
The predominant age group was over 1 year of age at the first consultation in the Interdisciplinary Group for the Study of Sex Determination and Differentiation, with only 10% being less than 1 month of age. Of the children (78%), their social sex was previously defined, 52% being male and 26% female. Around 60% of families received less than 1 minimum wage per capita income; and 50% of mothers had less than 4 years of education. Around 45% of children had external genitalia with Prader grades 3 and 4 and more than 50% of cases had both gonads palpable, partly justifying the preference for the social sex previously defined as male.
Conclusion
One of the current priorities of the Interdisciplinary Group for Studies on Sex Determination and Differentiation is the dissemination of these data, especially to pediatricians and neonatologists, with the aim of raising awareness of the early identification of genital ambiguity in children and the need for correct routing of cases.
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