webmd.com Medically Reviewed by Poonam Sachdev on November 10, 2022 Written by Amber Felton

“It’s important to note that being intersex is not a disease, disorder, or condition…It’s estimated that around 2% of individuals worldwide fit into the intersex category”

So, what is intersex?

Intersex is an umbrella term used to categorize various reproductive and sexual anatomy differences that don’t fit the usual male or female definitions. In short, intersex individuals may have chromosomes, genitals, or internal reproductive organs that don’t fit into the typical male or female category or may possess characteristics of both male and female sexes.

Intersex, by definition, is when someone generally appears to be one sex but has the dominant anatomy of the other sex or when someone is born in between the typical male and female sexes. An example of this would be a female-presenting person having mostly male anatomy. Another example of someone born intersex is someone born with an in-between presentation of male and female genitals, such as someone born with a larger-than-usual clitoris and without a vaginal opening or someone who has been born with a scrotum that is divided into a labia-like form. A person may also be born with mosaic genetics or cells with XX and XY chromosomes. 

While intersex is usually detected and assigned at birth, intersex anatomy isn’t always present then. Sometimes a person must reach the age of puberty before discovering they’re intersex. Some people may not even discover that they’re intersex until adulthood, when they discover that they’re infertile. In rare instances, intersex people are only diagnosed after they have passed away and are discovered through an autopsy. 

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