Am I a Girl, or a Boy?
An Unusual Case of Ambiguous Gender
Author(s)
Abstract
A baby is born with ambiguous genitalia to parents from the Dominican Republic and is determined to be a female based on general appearance. At the child's 12-year-old checkup, the parents and the child are distraught as they report to the pediatrician that the "girl" has grown a penis. How could this happen, and what effect will this have on the child? This condition is due to a defective gene that alters the levels of dihydrotestosterone in the developing embryo. At puberty, hormone levels change and the chromosomal male adopts a male appearance. The case can also be used to explore research and treatment possibilities for prostate cancer. This case was developed for an undergraduate molecular biology class comprised of mostly juniors and given during a unit concerning cell signaling and hormones. It can easily be adapted to an introductory biology, anatomy, physiology, or embryology course.
Objectives
- Learn about effacement and dilatation in a normal delivery.
- Learn what androgens are.
- Understand what happens in fetal development when there is a disruption of testosterone metabolism.
- Understand the functions of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone.
- Learn about the function of 5-α-reductase.
Keywords
Gender; sex; sexual development, sexual differentiation; intersex; ambiguous genitalia; guevedoces; androgen sensitivity; puberty; testosterone; dihydrotestosterone; prostate cancer; benign prostatic hypertrophyEducational Level
Undergraduate lower division, Undergraduate upper divisionFormat
PDFType Methods
Dilemma/Decision, Directed, Discussion, InterruptedLanguage
EnglishSubject Headings
Molecular Biology | Cell Biology | Biology (General) | Anatomy | Genetics / Heredity | Biochemistry | Medicine (General) | Developmental Biology |
Date Posted
3/26/2012Teaching Notes
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