Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Word of the Gay: "Swyer Syndrome"

"Swyer Syndrome" is an intersex condition where an otherwise fully functioning female has XY chromosomes and cannot reach puberty because they do not have functional sex glands present. The individual can opt for hormones to help induce puberty.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It would help to mention the reason a snail is portrayed. Snails have only one sexual condition; all are hermaphrodites. They CANNOT, however self-fertilize; it takes two to reproduce sexually, fertilizing each other to produce eggs.

Anonymous said...

In which case the snail is far from relevant given that people with swyers sydrome are not hermaphrodites. Hermaphrodites have both female and male reproductive parts. Women with Swyers sydrome are virtually female since they have everything internally and externally in reproductive organs, if sometimes stimulated with hormones. The only typical difference between women who are born with the genetic condition and those who aren't being fully developed ovaries, which begin as gonads, hence the term 'gonadal dysgenesis' are not present.

Anonymous said...

I posted a comment and it didnt work properly but the long and short of it was that the snail is irrelevant given that women with Swyers sydrome are not the same as hermaphodites.

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