Intersex surgeries spark move away from drastic treatment [View all]

[Surya Gayatri]

CHICAGO (AP) — She was born to a young Chicago couple, named Jennifer, and grew into a beautiful long-lashed child with wavy dark hair, big brown eyes and a yearning, youthful desire to be just like all the other girls.


(AP) In this Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015 photo, Pidgeon Pagonis poses for a photo at her home...

Only she wasn't. Doctors first noticed her slightly enlarged genitals, and then discovered she had testes inside her abdomen and male chromosomes. And so began a series of surgeries to make things "right."

Jennifer Pagonis was born intersex, an umbrella term for several conditions in which an infant's reproductive anatomy doesn't conform to standard definitions of male or female. The physical effects can be subtle, or very obvious.


(AP) This circa 1990 photo provided by George Pagonis shows his child, Jennifer Pagonis,...

Prevalence estimates vary, from more than 1 in 1,000 newborns, which includes conditions that involve mildly atypical genitals, to about 1 in 5,000 for more obvious cases. Experts say there's no evidence numbers are increasing, although rising awareness has led more families to seek treatment at specialty centers like the one in Chicago.

The new treatment approach stems partly from a 2006 consensus statement on intersex disorders by U.S. and European medical specialists who advocated against knee-jerk surgeries and said older patients should be involved in some decisions. That year the American Academy of Pediatrics retired an old surgery-focused policy.

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20150417/us--med--intersex_children-696841353c.html

______________________

Do take the trouble to click on the html. The larger article is worth the read. Fascinating.