Overview of Differences of Sex Development
The conditions are listed in a ‘logical’ way, following the various steps in the process of sex development. Use the main picture of the ‘Story of Sex Development’ to help you understand the many ways bodies can develop.
| Name | Short Description |
Estimated Numbers |
| Genital difference (also called 'ambiguous') | Genitalia that looks less typical and when it is not clear to an untrained health care professional whether baby is a boy or a girl and further investigations might be needed | 1/4500-1/5500 |
| Clitoromegaly | A girl with clitoromegaly is born with a clitoris that is larger than usual | 1/10000 |
|
Undescended testes (Cryptorchidism) |
A baby born with no testes in the scrotum | 3/10 premature baby boys; in general 3/100 baby boys are born with at least one teste undescended |
| Hypospadias | When the opening of the penis (the urethra) is not at the tip but along the bottom shaft of the penis. There is a huge range of how hypospadias can affect someone, e.g, mild (the opening is near the tip) or peno-scrotal (the opening at the base of the penis shaft) or anywhere in between.Only children born with peno-scrotal hypospadias would be supported and cared for in a difference of sex development context. | 1/3000 boys |
