Word hermaphrodite came from greek word
hermaphroditus , the son
of Hermes and Aphrodite in Greek mythology.
He was born with a physical body combining male
and female sexes.
In English as stated by Alexander, hermaphrodite is
the person who bore sexes of both man and woman.
They were regarded as monster by the Anthenians and
Romans and they used to throw them in seas.
Types
Sequential
hermaphrodites
o
Sequential
hermaphrodites
dichogamy )
occur in species
in which the
individual is
born as one sex,
but can later
change into the
opposite sex.
Simultaneous
hermaphrodites
o
A simultaneous
(synchronous)
hermaphrodite is an
adult organism that
has both male and
female sexual organs
at the same time.
Pseudoherma
phrodites
o
Not actually a
herpaphrodite but
looks like one. Sequential
hermaphrodites
Born as one sex but can later change to the opposite
sex.
Common in fishes like teleost fish, gastropods like
common slipper shell, flowering plants.
Can change the sex only once.
To significantly increase the reproductive success
2. Introduction
Word hermaphrodite came from greek word
hermaphroditus, the son
of Hermes and Aphrodite in Greek mythology.
He was born with a physical body combining male
and female sexes.
In English as stated by Alexander, hermaphrodite is
the person who bore sexes of both man and woman.
They were regarded as monster by the Anthenians and
Romans and they used to throw them in seas.
3. Types
Sequential
hermaphrodites
o Sequential
hermaphrodites
(dichogamy)
occur in species
in which the
individual is
born as one sex,
but can later
change into the
opposite sex.
Simultaneous
hermaphrodites
o A simultaneous
(synchronous)
hermaphrodite is an
adult organism that
has both male and
female sexual organs
at the same time.
Pseudoherma-
phrodites
oNot actually a
herpaphrodite but
looks like one.
4. Sequential hermaphrodites
Born as one sex but can later change to the opposite
sex.
Common in fishes like teleost fish, gastropods like
common slipper shell, flowering plants.
Can change the sex only once.
To significantly increase the reproductive success
5. Sequential hermaphrodites types
Protandry Protogyny
Born as a male and changes into a
female.
E.g: clown fish
Found in symbiosis with sea
anemone
One anemone contain a harem
consisting of a large female, a
smaller reproductive male and even
smaller non-reproductive male.
In case of female’s death the larger
one in the smaller non-reproductive
males changes into a reproductive
female.
Born as a female and then
changes into a male
E.g: wrasses(reef fishes)
Here diandry occurs
Two morphs occur in males;
initial phase male and terminal
phase male
Females and initial phase males
can change themselves to
terminal phase male if a male
dies.
6. Protandry Protogyny
Clownfish are initially male; the largest
fish in a group becomes a female.
Most species of parrotfish start life as
females and later change into males.
7. Simultaneous hermaphrodites
A simultaneous (synchronous) hermaphrodite is an
adult organism that has both male and female sexual
organs at the same time.
Self-fertilization often occurs.
Examples: banana slugs (gastropods), sea slugs,
earthworm, Hamlets, Caenorhabditis elegans etc.
9. Hermaphroditism in humans
Also called as intersex.
Intersex can be divided into 4 categories:
46, XX intersex
46, XY intersex
True gonadal intersex
Complex or undetermined intersex
10. 46,XX INTERSEX
The person has the
chromosomes of a
woman, the ovaries of a
woman, but external
(outside) genitals that
appear male.
Also called female
pseudohermaphroditism
.
Causes :
Aromatase deficiency
Female fetus having
been exposed to excess
male hormones before
birth.
Congenital adrenal
hyperplasia.
11. 46, XY INTERSEX
The person has the
chromosomes of a man,
but the external genitals
are incompletely formed,
ambiguous, or clearly
female. Internally, testes
may be normal,
malformed, or absent.
Also called male
pseudohermaphroditism
.
Causes:
Problems with the testes
Problems with
testosterone formation
Problems with using
testosterone
Androgen insensitivity
syndrome (AIS) is the
most common cause of
46, XY intersex
12. TRUE GONADAL INTERSEX
The person must have both ovarian and testicular
tissue.
This may be in the same gonad (an ovotestis), or the
person might have 1 ovary and 1 testis.
The person may have XX chromosomes, XY
chromosomes, or both.
This condition used to be called true
hermaphroditism.
Underlying cause is still unknown.
13. COMPLEXOR UNDETERMINEDINTERSEXDISORDERS OF SEXUAL
DEVELOPMENT
Many chromosome configurations other than simple
46, XX or 46, XY can result in disorders of sex
development
These include 45, XO (Turner syndrome), and 47, XXY
(klinefelters syndrome) 47, XXX - both cases have an
extra sex chromosome, either an X or a Y.
14. True hermaphrodite
True hermaphrodite or ovo-testicular disorder of sexual
differentiation (OVO-DSD) is one of the rarest variety of all
inter sex anomalies.
In about 90% of cases, patients have 46 XX karyotype.
Rarely, 46 XY/46 XX mosaicism may occur.
In this condition gonads are asymmetrical having both
ovarian and testicular differentiation on either sides
separately or combined as ovotestis.
In ovotestis, testis is always central and ovary polar in
location.
Testosterone and Mullerian inhibitory substance (MIS) are
either normal or low.
15. A 3-year-old patient presented in outpatient department of Sheikh
Zayed Hospital Rahim Yar Khan (Pakistan).
This child was reared as male and chief complaint was the absence of
left testicle in the scrotum along with passage of urine from an
abnormal urethral opening at the junction of penis and scrotum.
A surgical procedure was performed at 18 months of age to straighten
the penis and few injections (testosterone) were given to increase the
size of penis, although no record was available.
Abdominal exploration for UDT revealed Mullerian structures (ovary,
unicornuate uterus, fallopian tube and cervix) on left side. On Right
side vas and vessels were found into deep inguinal ring.
True Hermaphrodite: A Case Report
