Types of IS
I've been trying to understand all the various kinds of ways being intersexed can come about, and what effect various conditions have on our bodies. In short, I'm trying to understand and describe the intersex spectrum.
I found it frustrating to read most of the literature, since some conditions are discussed by many authors (CAH, AIS, etc.) but others may or may not get discussed. So, being the analytical retentive sort I am, I have tried to summarize what I've found in a big table to help me understand it. (see attached zipped MS Word file)
Naturally this is just focusing on the medical side, and doesn't even try to address the cultural or emotional aspects. And I also realize that the nice tidy medical definitions don't often relate well to what's happening in any one person's body, or begin to address other issues very much, like side effects.
I included how Fausto-Sterling's three intersexes (herm, ferm, merm) related to the more specific medical terms. I can see why the three terms have fallen out of favor - they don't seem to be very helpful!
So I'm fishing for comments. How accurate is what I've collected? How could it be improved?
Thanks!
Glenn
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