This website area is an updated version of the document: 'When your baby is born with genitals that look different....the first days.' You can download the full document here. The document is available in multiple languages.
The development of your baby in the womb is likely to have been affected by one of many conditions that together are called Disorders - or Differences - of Sex Development (DSD). Sex development is a complex process and the sex of a baby isn't determined by one single thing. There’s a much bigger picture, and many things together influence the sex of a baby, such as:
• how the genitals look like on the outside
• how the baby’s reproductive organs developed on the inside
• hormones and how your baby’s body responds to them, and
• genetic information.
Most of the time these come together in such a way that the sex of a baby is not in question. However, when we have questions about the child’s sex, it is important to look at all these aspects of sex development.
By working together with health care professionals and by talking with other families, parents can get the information they need to understand how their baby has developed and how to raise a happy, healthy child.
