Hermaphrodite

From Encyclopedia of Sex and Sexuality

Hermaphroditism is an extremely rare condition in which an infant is born with the genital or reproductive organs of both sexes. Such an infant exhibits both male and female sexual traits and characteristics.

In Greek mythology, Hermaphroditos was a handsome young man who rejected the love of a nymph. Not willing to take “no” for an answer, the nymph embraced Hermaphroditos so tightly that her body actually merged with his. Man and woman came together in one flesh. The cause of hermaphroditism, however, is not mythological but biological.

As a baby grows inside the mother’s womb, its organs form and develop to the point of completion we see at birth. In cases of hermaphroditism, something interferes with this process and the infant is born with its sex organs (and, therefore, its biological sex) not yet completed. A “true hermaphrodite” is born with both testicular and ovarian tissue. Such a child, possessing both a rudimentary penis and a vagina, is certainly bound to experience gender conflict as it grows older.

Fortunately, hormonal and surgical treatment can help “finish” an afflicted child’s sexual development. Parents of such a child should seek professional medical and psychological assistance so that, in time, a definite sexual identity can be established and maintained (see gender dysphoria).