Summary
Normal sexual development is the consequence of three sequential interrelated processes: establishment of genetic, gonadal and somatic sex. It is the terminal phase of sexual differentiation-the translation of gonadal into somatic sex, which is governed by the presence or absence of both testosterone and Müllerian-inhibiting hormone and of dihydrotestosterone, which is formed in its respective target tissues. Thus, despite a testis, somatic male sexual differentiation will proceed to a normal male phenotype only if all three hormones are synthesized and act during a critical period of uterine development. Many clinically distinct syndromes are the results of abnormalities in the synthesis or action of the above-mentioned hormones; these syndromes are described in detail. In contrast to male somatic differentiation, female somatic development is independent of these hormones.
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Abbreviations
- DHT:
-
5α-Dihydrotestosteron
- HY-Antigen:
-
Histocompatibilitätsantigen-Y
- MIH:
-
Müllerian-Inhibiting-Hormon
- SSW:
-
Schwangerschaftswoche
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Die eigenen Untersuchungen wurden durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Schw 168/5–7 unterstützt
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Schweikert, H.U., Neumann, F. Hormonelle Grundlagen der normalen und pathologischen somatischen Sexualentwicklung. Klin Wochenschr 64, 49–62 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01784130
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01784130