PEDIATRICS Vol. 21 No. 5 May 1958, pp. 832-839
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Rosenwald, A. K.
Right arrow Articles by Bronstein, I. P.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Rosenwald, A. K.
Right arrow Articles by Bronstein, I. P.

PSYCHOLOGIC STUDIES BEFORE AND AFTER CLITORIDECTOMY IN FEMALE PSEUDOHERMAPHRODITISM CAUSED BY CONGENITAL VIRILIZING ADRENAL HYPERPLASIA

Alan K. Rosenwald Ph.D.1, Joseph H. Handlon Ph.D.1, Ira M. Rosenthal M.D.1, John S. Hyde M.D.1, and I. Pat Bronstein M.D.1

1 Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, University of Illinois College of Medicine

Psychobogic tests were performed with five female pseudohermaphrodites with congenital adrenal hyperplasia both before and some time after clitoridectomy. Of these children, four had been reared as girls. The child who had been reared as a boy underwent change of sex assignment at the age of 6 years, after performance of the initial psychologic tests. None of the children showed evidence of significant psychopathology before clitoridectomy. None showed evidence of deleterious psychologic effects after the operation. The child whose sex was changed at the age of 6 years apparently made a good adjustment and showed no adverse effects as evaluated by psychologic tests.

If there is no significant psychopathology, clitoridectomy may be performed without fear of deleterious psychologic effects in female pseudohermaphrodites who have been reared as girls. While, in general, change of sex assignment should not be done in any hermaphrodite beyond the infantile age period, female pseudohermaphrodites with adrenogenital syndrome who have been reared as boys, because of an original diagnostic error, should be individually evaluated with regard to possible change of sex assignment. Despite the apparent success in the case reported here with its unusual special circumstances, the psychologic hazards involved will make reassignment of sex inadvisable in most of these cases.

Submitted on August 28, 1957
Accepted on December 6, 1957