Profile of intersex children in south India.

Thirty five children with ambiguous genitalia admitted to our centre between January 1986 to December 1991, were followed up and their clinical, laboratory and management strategies were analyzed. Most of them presented between 1 month and 2 years of age and only 2 presented in the newborn period. Sixteen were female pseudohermaphrodites. Eighteen out of 31 children were assigned female sex. One genetic female with congenital adrenal hyperplasia was assigned male sex. We practised more than one type of clitoroplasty in our centre. Parents prefer the intersex children to be reared as male possibly because of the less social stigma attached to an impotent male than to sterile female, and because males are socially independent.