Today G is for gonads (not just for kicking anymore). Gonads are the organs that make gametes (sex
cells). In biological females these are
ovaries making eggs and in biological males these are testicles making sperm. In embryos both ovaries and testicles start
as identical gonad ridges. They only
differentiate later in development due to the SRY gene on the y chromosome
which turns the ridges into testicles.
Without that gene, they will develop into ovaries.
Depending on the specific condition they have, most intersex
people can have normal ovaries, or normal testicles. Depending
on the condition however, there are also two different ways their gonads might be
ambiguous:
mixed gonadal dysgenesis:
usually found in mosaic Turners Syndrome cases.
Due to a combination of male and female chromosomes, the person will
have two different gonads. On one side, a
malformed undescended testicle will create testosterone leading to a male
appearing scrotum and vas deferens on that side. The other side is a streak gonad, a nonworking
gonad that is mostly fiberous tissue. On
this side a fallopian tube and malformed uterus will form (in the absence of
sex hormones the body defaults to a female form). This hormonal imbalance usually results in
ambiguous genitalia.
ovotestis: A very rare condition, formerly called “true
hermaphroditism” now called ovotesticular disorder of sexual development. This is when the gonads have a mix of ovarian
and testicular tissue in them. This
results in ambiguous genitalia.
In both cases these malformed gonads have a much higher rate
of going cancerous, thus they are usually removed.
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