What is Hermaphrodite, How Does It Happen? Hermaphrodite Treatment and History

 "The explanation of the term hermaphrodite, which is the name given to living things that have both male and female reproductive organs, is curious. The subject of hermaphrodite, which can be seen in both humans and animals, has a history in mythology as well. What is a hermaphrodite, what does it mean? Here is the story of the emergence of hermaphrodite..."

What is Hermaphrodite?

Hermaphrodite is the state of having both male and female reproductive organs. Hermaphrodite plants (most flowering plants or angiosperms) are called monoecious or bisexual. Hermaphrodite animals (mostly invertebrates such as earthworms, algae, butterflies, snails, slugs, and mussels) are often parasitic, slow-moving, or permanently attached to another animal or plant.

How Do Humans Become Hermaphrodite?

In humans, conditions involving incompatibilities between external genitalia and internal reproductive organs are defined by the term intersex. Intersex conditions are also sometimes called sexual development disorders (DSDs). Such conditions are extremely rare in humans. In ovotesticular disorder (sometimes called true hermaphroditism), a person has both ovarian and testicular tissue. Ovarian and testicular tissue may be separate or the two may be combined in what is called an ovotestis. Affected individuals have male-female sex chromosomes that show mosaicism (where an individual has both male XY and female XX chromosome pairs). Most, but not always, the chromosome complement is 46,XX, and every such individual also has evidence of Y chromosomal material in one of the autosomes (any of the 22 pairs of chromosomes other than the sex chromosomes).

Individuals with chromosome 46,XX usually have ambiguous external genitalia with a large phallus and are therefore often bred as males. However, they do develop breasts during puberty and menstruation and only in rare cases do they actually produce sperm. In 46,XX intersex (female pseudohermaphroditism) individuals have male external genitalia, but a woman has chromosomal makeup and reproductive organs. In 46,XY (male pseudohermaphroditism), individuals have ambiguous or female external genitalia, but a male's chromosomal makeup and reproductive organs may or may not be defective.

Hermaphrodite Treatment

The treatment of intersex in humans depends on the age at which the diagnosis is made. Historically, if diagnosed at birth, sex selection (typically by the parents) was based on the condition of the external genitalia (i.e. which sex organs were dominant), then intersex surgery was performed to remove the gonads. opposite sex. The remaining genitals were then reconstructed to resemble the chosen gender. Reconstruction of the female genitalia was more easily accomplished than the reconstruction of the male genitalia, so indeterminate individuals were often performed as females. However, intersex surgery has long-term consequences for affected individuals. For example, later in life the person may not be satisfied with the results of the surgery and may not identify with the people assigned to him/her gender. Therefore, patient consent has become an increasingly important part of intersex surgery decisions; such that surgery can be delayed until adolescence or adulthood after patients have had enough time to consider their gender and be able to make informed decisions about treatment. Accepted gender in older individuals can be reinforced with appropriate surgical procedures and hormonal therapy.